Can't connect to hotspot created on ubuntu

[Dustin Utecht]

We currently have older systems (18.04) with hotspot's and we will migrate to 22.04.
Anything work's fine, expect the hotspot.
The Hotspot will be created and is visible in the WLAN-List, but if the security is set to "WPA & WPA2 Personal" we get the error message "Failed to connect to the network".
If we change the Security to "WPA3 Personal" we get the error message "Invalid Password", even if the password is correct.
As soon we remove the security (change it to "none"), we can connect with out any problems.

We can reproduce it with a fresh installtion of the Ubuntu Server 22.04 and the following two commands:

apt install network-manager

nmcli c add type wifi ifname wlp3s0 con-name Hotspot autoconnect yes ssid test-ap 802-11-wireless.mode ap 802-11-wireless.band bg 802-11-wireless.mac-address "80:45:dd:f0:27:ba" wifi-sec.group ccmp wifi-sec.key-mgmt wpa-psk wifi-sec.pairwise ccmp wifi-sec.proto rsn wifi-sec.psk "test12345" ipv4.addresses 192.168.60.1/24 ipv4.method shared && nmcli connection up Hotspot

We thought it could be similar to this issue: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/wpa/+bug/1958267
Because if we test it with 20.04 it worked fine, because 20.04 uses the Version 2:2.9.0-21build1 as described in the Ticket.

As @Sebastian Bacher suggested (https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/wpa/+bug/1958267/comments/58), i created a own report.
In the attachment is the requested log file.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 22.04
Package: wpasupplicant 2:2.10-6 [modified: lib/systemd/system/wpa_supplicant.service]
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.15.0-25.25-generic 5.15.30
Uname: Linux 5.15.0-25-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu82
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: pass
Date: Tue May 10 07:24:15 2022
InstallationDate: Installed on 2022-05-10 (0 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu-Server 22.04 LTS "Jammy Jellyfish" - Release amd64 (20220421)
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=xterm-256color
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=de_DE.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: wpa
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

Thank you for your bug report. The new stable update fix some issues were only WPA3 devices could connect, could you try if the update on https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1974428 helps?

[Dustin Utecht (codmdu)]

As written in the bug report before i can't connect with "WPA & WPA2 Personal" with the message "Failed to connect to the network".
With "WPA3 Personal" i always got the error message that the password is wrong.

After the update "WPA & WPA2 Personal" still don't work (same error message), but "WPA3 Personal" works now.

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

Thanks, it means at least we can get the WPA3 case out of this report and focus on the other issue

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

So I tried on an upgraded system and on a live session from the release and a default "WPA & WPA2 Personal" created by gnome-control-center or the cmdline example from the description works for me (tested using an android phone and another ubuntu laptop).

Could you provide extra informations?

1. is that still an issue with the current wpasupplicant SRU version?

2. could you try to install wpasupplicant from an older serie (impish for example) and see if that workarounds the issue for you?

3. could you do 'journalctl -f', try to connect a client and add the debug log (editing the wpa service to add the -d debug flag as described on bug #1958267 would be even nicer)

And which type of clients did you try to connect?

[Dustin Utecht (codmdu)]

1. yes.
2. currently to busy, sorry!
3. uploaded a log

I tried to connect via MacBook (macOS Monterey 12.4), Iphone (iOS 15.5), Android (Version unknown).

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

Thanks, that's the complete log though and not the part from -f when a client tried to connect right? Did you maybe note down the time when you tried to connect?

The log has nl80211 warnings similar to bug #1886169 , unsure if that could be the issue though

[Dustin Utecht (codmdu)]

I tried to connect to the AP on 07:49:xx.

[Incompetent (incompetent-tester)]

My temporary workaround for this is to downgrade wpasupplicant-2.10 to wpasupplicant-2.9. It seems there is an issue with the new wpasupplicant package

[John Pietrzak (jpietrzak8)]

I seem to be suffering from the same issue after upgrading to 22.04.1, but only on one device. My OnePlus Nord N10 (running Android 11) fails to connect to the Ubuntu hotspot, showing the message WPA3 (SAE Transition Mode). However, my iPad Pro (iOS 15.6) and my Roku (11.0.0) have no trouble connecting to the hotspot.

The iPad and the Roku are both ancient, but the Nord is a fairly recent device.

[Dustin Utecht (codmdu)]

Tested it with another pc (hp elitedesk 800 G1 Business PC) and have still the same issues..
Can't connect with any device, but i also get "nl80211" error.
It's quite weired that i get the same error on 2 different nuc's (from 2 different brands).
Also i'm not sure how i can check if the "nl80211" error is the cause of my hotspot problem.

[Baker (kim3434)]

I downgrade wpa_supplicant version 2.10 to 2.9.

And I got a workaround by disabling the firewall. But the moment you turn it on (even if clients connected beforehand), the internet loses connection again. Quite annoying (also dangerous) for hotspot.

The device is iphone se3(ios 15.7)

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

which firewall did you disable to workaround the issue?

[John Pietrzak (jpietrzak8)]

On my machine, I didn't need to modify my firewall to get around the issue; just use a different mechanism to create a hotspot. The app "Wifi Hotspot" (available on Ubuntu Software) worked just fine.

[Baker (kim3434)]

My machine can't connect with the ubuntu software, when wpa_supplicant version is 2.10. On the version 2.9 of wpa_supplicant, the machine can connect with that. But, the internet does not work.
After the firewall of the ubuntu software is disable, my machine can connect the internet. But the internet is not available if I enable the firewall, again. Even if only the hotspot is handled as an exception in the firewall, the result is the same.

[Dustin Utecht (codmdu)]

Just the latest update from me.
Today i tried it once again and found some new intresting infos.

As Baker (kim3434) said with an wpa_supplicant downgrade to 2.9 it works fine, also described here: https://blog.incompetent.me/2022/07/27/workaround-ubuntu-22-04-hotspot-stops-working/

I also found out that with wpa_supplicant 2.10 it works fine, execept for Apple Devices (Iphone/Mac).
So anything else (windows, other ubuntu, esp, android) can connect without any issues.

May that information helps out @seb128

[Erik Johnson (ekriirke)]

I found that apple devices and linux devices had no issue with 2.10. My Androids see it as full signal and say "Saved" underneath it in the WiFi list but clicking on it does absolutely nothing - no spinning animation, no change from "saved" to "Connecting", etc. But after about 10 seconds a little "Failed to connect" pops up despite no indication it even tried.

Catlog shows "Already connected/connecting" each time I tap it

Downgrading to 2.9 works flawlessly. Thanks to this post I got that sorted out. I'm running Fedora FC38

[Serj Fomin (fominator)]

I still can't connect to Ubuntu 22.04 HOTSPOT from Raspberry Pi4 running Volumio, Libreelec, Raspberry Pi OS etc, with WPA & WPA2 Personal! But i can connect from android phone!

Sebastien Bacher (seb128), please fix this bug!

[Clemens Falker-Gieske (zelmo)]

I have that problem since I switched to Ubuntu 22.04. Cannot connect with any of my three different Android devices.

Now I downgraded my OS to Ubuntu 20.04 (for some other reason), which runs wpa_supplicant v2.9. I still cannot connect.

I have another hotspot PC running, which works fine with Ubuntu 18.04.

I would highly appreciate a fix, since being a hotspot is the main reason for this computer's existence.

[Serj Fomin (fominator)]

Unassigned

I see nobody give a **** about this bug! Ubuntu is garbage without such important features as Hotspot. Back to Windows. The only adequate OS unfortunately. I hope some day Ubuntu will be usefull, without countless stupid bugs.

[John Pietrzak (jpietrzak8)]

I'd just like to repeat, this is Linux. Just because Ubuntu offers a feature doesn't mean you have to use it. I'm using the "Linux Wifi Hotspot" app created by Lakinduakash:

https://github.com/lakinduakash/linux-wifi-hotspot

It works just fine on Ubuntu.

[Erik Johnson (ekriirke)]

Just want to throw in on a different ARM64 machine I have running Arch, identical issue. Downgrading to 2.9 worked

pacman -U http://tardis.tiny-vps.com/aarm/packages/w/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant-2%3A2.9-8-aarch64.pkg.tar.xz

[Jeff Breidenbach (jeff-jab)]

Also affected. Downgrading to 2.9 worked.

[Laurent Lyaudet (laurent-lyaudet)]

Hello,

Thanks for your hard work :)
I have the following bug when using Ubuntu Hotspot on my laptop :
- my Android smartphone can connect to my laptop on the Wifi Hotspot Network
- but my smartphone says it cannot connect to Internet through the Hotspot... XD
which is kind of unfortunate since the goal was to access Internet :)

I don't know if it should be better to create another bug report,
since it is slightly different. Please, let me know :)

I'm using latest Ubuntu 23.04 fully patched.
I rarely use Hotspot feature, hence I cannot say if it worked on Ubuntu 22.10 or 22.04, etc.
Let me know if you need more informations that I can provide.

Best regards,
   Laurent Lyaudet

[Fabian Jato (fabian-jato)]

Hello,

Also affected (Ubuntu 22.04.2 LTS). The problem only appears on Apple products for me. I tried it with an iphone SE (2020 version) and two iphone 11 - they could not connect to the hotspot. With several Android devices it works with the same configuration. I tried several configurations with WPA security. Password complexity has also no influence, it seems.

Workaround: If the hotspot is not encrypted (means open or "without Security"), the apple products can connect to the hotspot.

One note: It's somehow not possible to try WEP security configurations. I can select it in the Advanced Network Configuration tool, but it gets overwritten or so and a WPA connection appears.

I didn't try downgrading yet.

Hope that helps.

Have a good day!!!

[wecodemore (wecodemore)]

Hello,

I faced the same issue. The source of the problem was that I had already used that hotspot name previously with a different device, therefore the wrong data was persisted and the connection could not be established. The solution was changing the name of the hotspot on the Android device and then establishing a new connection.

Hope that helps someone.

[Daazed McFarland (dazemc)]

I can create a hotspot using wpa_supplicant as the backend of NetworkManager and connect to it with my laptop. My laptop initially asks for a pin but you can specify to give it a psk. My android phone will not connect to the same network. My phone attempts to connect every x seconds, and journalctl -f shows endless, """wpa_supplicant[520]: wlan0: CTRL-EVENT-SUBNET-STATUS-UPDATE status=0"""

Laptop shows normal handshake, minus details.
"""May 05 01:24:42 3b wpa_supplicant[520]: wlan0: AP-STA-CONNECTED mac
May 05 01:24:42 3b wpa_supplicant[520]: wlan0: EAPOL-4WAY-HS-COMPLETED mac
May 05 01:24:42 3b dnsmasq-dhcp[1723]: DHCPREQUEST(wlan0) 10.42.0.91 mac
May 05 01:24:42 3b dnsmasq-dhcp[1723]: DHCPACK(wlan0) 10.42.0.91 mac hostname"""

However, when I change the backend to iwd. I have no problems connecting to the same hotspot. There is a error though that may or may not be relevant to why wpa_supplicant is failing.
"""iwd[471]: KEY_SEQ not returned in GET_KEY reply"""

Setting NetworkManger to use iwd as a backend seems to be the best workaround I have found so far.