Configuring the Wi-Fi hotspot#

The built-in hotspot ensures you can reach Cinemate even when there is no other network available.

There are two layers involved:

• At app startup: when system.wifi_hotspot.enabled is true, Cinemate can create the hotspot itself with nmcli device wifi hotspot using the SSID and password from settings.json.
• As a background service: wifi-hotspot.service is a simple watchdog that recreates the hotspot if it is supposed to be on and NetworkManager no longer reports an active hotspot.

This is handy when shooting in the field. Connect your phone or laptop directly to the hotspot and browse to the GUI to control the camera. If the Pi was previously connected to another Wi-Fi network, that Wi-Fi connection is replaced by the hotspot.

During development you may want the Pi to join your normal Wi-Fi so it has internet access. Set system.wifi_hotspot.enabled to false and configure Wi-Fi through raspi-config or the desktop tools.

If you plug an Ethernet cable into the Pi, you can keep the hotspot running while also having a wired connection for internet and local networking.