Use wifi on 4g/lte dongle instead of cellular

General Discussion
#1

hello!
i have gotten my autopi verizon 4G/LTE dongle and since the issue with verizon not activating devices is trying to be fixed i was wondering if there is a way i can get it to connect to a wifi hotspot instead.
thanks for your help!
-Tommy

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#2

Second this request. Not so much due to activation but i dont really want to use 4G during development. Being able to switch to just wifi would be a good thing to have

#3

Hi @Lulamae1 and @cschertz,

So let me address the Verizon situation first. I just checked our databases and we have about a dozen devices running on Verizon network. Unfortunately its very hard for us to help you get the correct SIM’s with Verizon, but what this tells me is that the Verizon setup can and does work. My best suggestion is still to get a 4G SIM, register the IMEI for another device and the just use it in the AutoPi.

About the WiFi question. I’ve send you both a PM to a guide on how to set this up. Because its still very experimental, I’ve not made it public yet, but its the basic functionality for setting this up.

best
Peter

#4

Just wanted to notify all in this thread about this guide we’ve written, on how to setup your Verizon SIM. The guide is verified by one of our customers, so it should work for all:

Best,
Peter

#5

I just got the AutoPi and I was also wondering the same thing? instead using the hotspot I would like to try using the wifi. Am I also able to get the guide on the wifi guide?

#6

Hi @cnlo

I’ve sent you a personal message.

best
Peter

#7

I could use this as well. My plan for 4g is 1 GB per month at $30 a month, so WiFi at home would be great.

#8

Send you a PM too.

best
Peter

#9

I already have the wifi thing, but my dongle cannot receive the signal from my home network from my truck, sitting in the driveway. Is there a way to extend the wifi reception range? Like an antenna connection or something on the dongle?

#10

Hi @thenrie

Unfortunately, it’s not possible to extend the WiFi range of the device. You can, however, extend the range of your home network by using a WiFi repeater.

best
Peter

#11

can i have this as well I have a 4g version, and it cannot find any wifi networks. have reflashed with different version with no luck.

#12

Hi Clint

The previous step by step guide to connect to wifi is deprecated, it is now possible to do from the UI when connecting to the hotspot and accessing local.autopi.io :slight_smile: Just click the wifi tab.

From there you are able to see available wifi connections and configure your device to connect to them.

Best regards
/Malte

#14

Same problem here. Was sent an LTE unit, but i only plan to use WiFi. I can access the new WiFi tab on the local interface, but it scans and never sees a network. Tried this even with the access point on the hood, so its within range.

#15

I never got a usable answer. This product is not ready for market!

I do not remember the details how I did it, but you need to ssh into the device, scan for wifi networks
edit the wpa_supplicant file then try to connect to the network you edited the wpa_supplicant file with

after all this the pi zero w has a weak wifi signal, you might consider connecting it to your phone hotspot

this shit device won’t do any of its functions without an active online connection, it does nothing locally.

I have not yet since my last post done anything with my autopi, I cannot get it to record and playback.

#16

Hi all,

I’m sorry to hear that you are seeing issues with the WiFi. However, the WiFi part of the AutoPi is very well tested and should work out of the box. Of course range of the WiFi can be greatly affected by the located of both your AutoPi and the WiFi hotspot you are trying to connect to.

My best suggestion for debugging this is to create a local hotspot on a phone and then try to connect to that to determine the range of the device.

Please notice that 802.11ac WiFi is not supported on the device. So check that your hotspot is not setup for 5 GHz.

If this continue to bug you, then shot a message to support@autopi.io and they migth be able to assist you in pinpointing the issue.

best
Peter

#17

<deleted; wrong topic, sorry>

#18

So, rather than starting a new thread; I figured that since this is dealing with exactly what I need, this is the best place for it. I just received a Gen1 AutoPi last week, I currently have a SIM card in the device for a Sprint Hotspot that I had a number of years ago. I no longer have that service, nor will I be starting back up with them.

My car has a wifi hotspot, which has internet access. This has already been validated with a number of devices.

How do I modify the local configuration of the AutoPi, in order to force the onboard Wifi NIC to look for my car’s AP?

I do not see an AP for the AutoPi, when I have it plugged in to my car. I have already registered the dongle (today, finally), and I’d like to actually verify that it will work for my car; prior to running out of time to be able to return it to it’s original owner.

Thanks in advance.

Ian

#19

Hello,
To connect the device to a wifi hotspot:

1: Connect to the hotspot of the Autopi( The hotspot is named something like autopi-XXXX, where XXX is an ID for your device)

2: Go to local.autopi.io

3: Navigate to WiFi tab

4: Select the car’s wifi from the list and input the correct password.

Regards,
Alexandru

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