Wi-Fi Access Point (AP) Setup Guide
This guide describes how to enable and use the built-in Wi-Fi Access Point in the 3DPrinterOS Client. This allows the Raspberry Pi to create its own secure wireless network for printers and IoT devices, avoiding issues with enterprise Wi-Fi such as VLANs, blocked protocols, and onboarding restrictions. Printers connect directly to the Pi while the Pi stays online through Ethernet, providing more reliable connectivity and reducing network-related support problems, especially for universities with large fleets.
It reflects the current state of the feature as implemented in the latest test build and includes all required manual steps.
1. Preconditions
Ethernet connection is required during installation and first-time setup.
The AP module does not install correctly without internet access via Ethernet.
If the device is currently connected to any Wi-Fi network, the connection config must be removed manually (see section 2). Every other method (ifconfig down, disabling via UI, etc.) leads to unstable behaviour.
2. Mandatory: Disable Existing Wi-Fi Client Mode
This step is required until the image includes automated handling.
Run:
sudo mv /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf.bak
sudo reboot
This ensures the system fully detaches from any Wi-Fi networks and prevents AP conflicts.
3. Install the Wi-Fi AP Module
After reboot and with Ethernet active:
sudo /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://builds.3dprinteros.com/install_wifi_ap.sh)"
This installs the AP module that is not yet included in the current public Raspberry Pi image.
4. Enable and Configure the Access Point
Navigate in the UI:
Settings → WiFi access point
Required fields
Enabled: check the box
SSID: choose your network name
Password: set a secure password
Channel selection (important)
Channel:
Must be set manually.
Currently AP supports 2.4 GHz only, so choose a channel that does not overlap with the router’s 2.4 GHz network to reduce interference.
Channels 1, 6, or 11 are generally safe if you know what your main Wi-Fi uses.
(5 GHz option will be added later.)
Country code
Select the appropriate region (affects allowed channels and TX power).
Press Apply.
5. Viewing Connected Clients
Below the AP settings page, the Leased IPs table shows:
IP address
MAC address
Forget/Add options
This currently lists DHCP leases only.
Active session details will be added in a future update.
6. Additional Notes
AP is fully working now, including BambuLab printers.
BambuLab works only when the client is not connected to Wi-Fi as a client, hence the required removal of wpa_supplicant.conf.
The future image will include:
Automatic Wi-Fi-client disabling
5 GHz toggle
Better UI and active session tracking
Until then, the above steps must be performed manually.