How to create a wifi hotspot to access the QLC+ web interface

[07Pepa]

[EDIT by Massimo] Since the original post was full of typos and difficult to understand

I share here a simple way how to create a wifi hotspot with your computer.

On Windows open a notepad and copy the following:

Code: Select all

netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid=some-ssid key=password
netsh wlan start hostednetwork

where ssid= represents the network SSID and key= the network password
If you save it like "start-hotspot.bat" and then execute it as administrator you have a wifi hotspot through which you can access the QLC+ web interface.
For better performances (and if you adapter supports the 802.11n mode) enable the ad hoc 11n in wifi adapter setting.

To shutdown the hotspot, just create another batch file (e.g. stop-hotspot.bat) and just change the second line of the above into:

Code: Select all

netsh wlan stop hostednetwork

As far as I know, there is no way to do this on OSX through shell commands, but on Linux these are good references:
Arch Linux: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/ad-hoc_networking
Ubuntu: http://howtoubuntu.org/how-to-create-a- ... -in-ubuntu

[mcallegari]

Excuse me, what is this ? And how is it related to QLC+ ?

This is not a forum to discuss how to setup a computer. You should probably post this kind of information in a generic Linux (or Windows) forum.

[07Pepa]

sorry but it is.... not every one know how to do that..... there is explenation how it is related to qlc+!!

If you have no wifi router or cable but you have wifi card on your laptop and you want to run a webserver.

this is a solution how to do that. i apologize for that and if you found it useless just report it as spam.... and i had as you call "stupid" idea... that qlc+ can somehow easily generate a bat file and run that. .... but i am not programer..... i do not know how to do that

I apologize that i am not write that and .... Here i am... persecute me for that!

[mcallegari]

sorry but it is.... not every one know how to do that..... there is explenation how it is related to qlc+!!

Listen, I understand you are someone able to use Google, and also a person who likes to have the last word on something.
But your original post seemed to me like a copy&paste of some tutorial you found on the internet, without an explanation of why you posted it in this forum. Thus my objection.
Anyway, I edited the title and most of your post because it was hard to read and full of typos.
This is the way I mean to share information in this forum, whether you like it or not.

If you have no wifi router or cable but you have wifi card on your laptop and you want to run a webserver.

See above. You could have stated this in your OP, to give it a meaning and a context.

this is a solution how to do that. i apologize for that and if you found it useless just report it as spam.... and i had as you call "stupid" idea... that qlc+ can somehow easily generate a bat file and run that. .... but i am not programer..... i do not know how to do that

I've never said you had a stupid idea. Don't put words in my mouth that I didn't say.
This is the first time I read about "QLC+ generating and run a batch file to create a wifi hotspot" and to be honest it would be a bad idea in any case.
Firstly because not everybody use Windows. Secondly because it's not QLC+ role to setup your computer network. With a bit of skill (and googling around) almost anyone can do it on his own.

I apologize that i am not write that and .... Here i am... persecute me for that!

Don't act like a girl. I am not prosecuting you. I just don't want this forum to become a mess.

Next time, if you share something, please consider everything, not just what you have in mind or what you think people can or cannot assume.

[IDaninator]

This is useful for using the webinterface.

If the machine that you take on your gigs running QLC has a Wifi Adapter of some sort you can configure it as an access point.
Often times this is not a very good connection method in terms of bandwith, stability etc. but it is far more convenient than taking a Wifi Access Point to the gig.
And in this day and age everybody has a smartphone that can dial into this network to e.g. then adjust parameters on setup while standing on the stage.

[mcallegari]

Often times this is not a very good connection method in terms of bandwith, stability etc. but it is far more convenient than taking a Wifi Access Point to the gig.
And in this day and age everybody has a smartphone that can dial into this network to e.g. then adjust parameters on setup while standing on the stage.

I always got scared of the idea of setting up a wifi network at a gig. Especially if there are a thousand people with bluetooth, 3G, 4G enabled on their phones. Can't imagine the wireless mess there can be.
I would say the web interface is useful during the gig setup, to test fixture channels while you're on a ladder, or to review some scenes while you're not at your computer.

Anyway, what's the deal with bringing a wifi router to some place ? Have a look at this:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HZWOQZ6?psc=1
It's cheap and amazingly small (2.2 x 0.6 x 2 inches) !

[DoctorSelar]

Running an ad-hoc network from a computer is often a pretty bad idea, and especially during something like a gig where you can't mess up too much. If you intend to use such a network for the QLC+ web interface, you run into a number of issues.

The first and in my opinion the largest issue is the ad-hoc network itself. Although I'm not sure about iStuff, Android devices will generally refuse to connect to ad-hoc networks due to the security issues inherent in such a network. The only workaround for this (without messing with the phone itself) is to find yourself a wireless adapter that supports "Access Point" (AP) mode, which I've never seen included in a laptop computer before and will likely cost more than a router to purchase. As well, routers are generally far more powerful than laptop wireless adapters, and will have a far better time of cutting through the interference generated by the hundreds of phones nearby. The second issue is the setup. On Windows it may seem easy to set up, but I've often had to fiddle around for half an hour to get an ad-hoc network working and I've never been successful on Linux, partly due to the fact that I use a router instead.

I'm not bashing setting up a network at a gig; in fact, I never go to a gig without my trusty router. However, instead of messing around with an ad-hoc network for half an hour every time, just invest in a cheap router (like the one mcallegari suggested) and use that instead. If you still don't want to get a router, there is another option: most phones nowadays have a "Wireless Hotspot" option somewhere. Use this and connect your computer to that hotspot. It's more reliable than an ad-hoc network, although it does drain phone batteries rather quickly and will still be less powerful than a dedicated router.

[IDaninator]

Well, as I said, I am fully aware this is not the best option, even though I did not really take the security aspect into consideration.
Thats another strong point, at least during the gig.
When setting up atleast at the venues we are in there is less of a chance that somebody unauthorized will get into your network.

But if you just do lighting as a hobby on an irregular basis or even if you are a pro you sometimes just forget stuff.
Like a router for example.

Or:
We once had the problem where we were told that FOH position is about 20m infront of the stage.
We were not used to bringing a router and did not use the web interface until this time.
And when we arrived we were only allowed to setup at a "next to the stage" position.
I would have been so happy to know this trick then, the programming was a lot more of an inconvenience without...

So the conclusion is: Bring a router if you want to use the web interface, but regardless of that, keep this trick in mind. It might come in handy.

[yaducam]

I post on this thread because it is somehow connected to what i'm looking for..

I was wondering if the raspberry QLC+ version could integrate a WPA access point.
This would be nice since, that way, any device with WPA password could access the web interface.

I today use my phone as an wifi access point and to grant QLC+ address but i dont find it convenient because :
1/ It happens that the process fails and the raspberry doesnt get the addresse, so i have to powered on/off multiple time before it works.
2/ When it works, the phone DHCP doesnt allow me to specify an IP adress to QLC, so i have to scan the network to retreive the GUI address (there is no screen on my raspberry).

Anybody already though of customizing the QLC+ rasp image to integrate an AP ?

[GGGss]

https://raspberrypi-guide.github.io/net ... cess-point