DVAP Pi Hotspot

WiFi

The WiFi dongle will be configured to automatically associate with a WiFi access point or WiFi cellphone hotspot with a WPA2 key.  If you plan on using the device only in a wired configuration, skip this section.

01_wifi_wpa_gui

Double-click WiFi Config on the desktop.

Visible SSID

Follow these steps if your SSID is visible (broadcasting).

02_wifi_available_networks

Click the Manage Networks tab.

Click Scan.

If no results automatically appear in the Scan Results box, hit Scan.

Double-click the WiFi SSID.

03_wifi_add_network_psk

Enter the preshared key (PSK).

Click Add.

04_wifi_current_status

Click the Current Status tab.  Your WiFi dongle should have connected!

Hidden SSID

Follow these steps if your SSID is not visible (hidden).

05_wifi_add_new_network

Click Network.

Click Add.

Enter SSID, select authentication method, and enter the preshared key.

Click Add.

06_wifi_wpa_supplicant

There is some issue with hidden SSIDs where the WiFi application will never associate with an access point that has a hidden SSID.  To fix this, connect via SSH or open LXTerminial.  Type in

sudo vim /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf

06_wifi_hidden_ssid_fix

After the psk line, insert a new line reading

scan_ssid=1

:wq

Final steps

01_shutdown

Double-click Shutdown on the desktop.

Click Yes.

Screenshot_2014-03-20-22-51-46

Cycle power to the Pi to test the configuration.

When the Pi boots, it will associate with your WiFi hotspot.  My app has a list of connected devices and their IP address.  This is very handy in setting up JuiceSSH and PocketCloud on Android.

The DVAP Dongle will initially have the pulsating yellow light but when the DVAP Tool application starts, it will stop and you will see the flashing blue light.  You can now use your radio to link to reflectors or repeaters!

If you waited more than 3 minutes and you don’t see the blue light on the DVAP, this means the Pi cannot communicate to the Internet or something is wrong with the start-DVAPTool-VNC.sh setup.

When everything is working, shutdown the Pi again and install it, the DVAP, WiFi dongle, and battery pack into the carrying case.  Press the power button on the battery pack to power up the Pi.  The blue flashing light will be the only indicator when the DVAP is ready to use.

When shutting down the Pi, the battery pack will still need to be turned off.  Even when shutdown, the Pi draws a small amount of current that the battery pack detects but is not enough for the pack to automatically itself shutdown.  Press and hold the power button for about 5 seconds or until the blue lights turn off.