ABANDONED PROJECT: Convert a Linux Box into a Wifi Router

Update 02/18/2013: it whould be a nice idea to retake this project to make it on the raspberry Pi…

Don't read furhter!!!! I've abandoned this project without reaching a solution for this. There are other places and other solutions more suitable than this.

In my fathers-in-law home there is a PC connected to the internet. However, there is no wifi router. I could do two things:

• Spend from 60 to 100 euros in buying one or,
• Convert his Ubuntu into a wifi hotspot

I will investigate how to do the latter, because I think that it could be useful in the future.

Most promising link:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/NetworkDevices

http://bigbrovar.wordpress.com/2009/01/17/share-you-internet-wirelessly-on-ubuntu/

http://foro.seguridadwireless.net/enlaces-descarga-aplicaciones-wireless-linux/hostapd-crea-aps-con-una-tarjeta-wireless/

http://www.linuxreaders.com/2011/02/16/ubuntu-fedora-box-as-wifi-router/

http://wireless.kernel.org/en/users/Documentation/hostapd

http://www.google.es/search?source=ig&hl=es&rlz=&=&q=convert+linux+into+wifi+router&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=#hl=es&pq=convert%20linux%20into%20wifi%20router&xhr=t&q=convert+linux+into+wifi+router+ubuntu&cp=37&pf=p&sclient=psy&biw=1037&bih=619&source=hp&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=convert+linux+into+wifi+router+ubuntu&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=900b09e3efa7a844

I am using Ubuntu, so I've decided to install hostapd just out of the software center. The simpler, the better.

In the configuration file, I've changed the following lines:

ssid=Put_the_name_you_want

# in my case, the country code is Spain, in your case, choose what corresponds
country_code=ESP

hw_mode=g  # it were b by default

wpa = 3

wpa_passphrase=your_password_here

wpa_key_mgmt=WPA-PSK WPA-EAP

Just after saving the data, run hostapd in debug mode:

/usr/sbin/hostapd -dd /etc/hostapd/hostapd.conf

Of course, always there are problems.

I found an error Unable to setup interface. One of the things I've tried is to start/stop the device:

ifconfig wlan0 down
ifconfig wlan0 up

I've researched this point, and it seems that there must be a wpa_supplicant command that probably is failing in Ubuntu.

Following the instructions here.

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=532921

It seems that the command wpa_supplicant must be run smoothly, but it doesn't.