.. _nRF70_soft_ap_mode:

SoftAP mode
###########

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   :local:
   :depth: 2

The nRF70 Series device supports :term:`Software-enabled Access Point (SoftAP or SAP)` mode.
This mode allows a device to operate as a virtual router or temporary access point (AP) and accept connections from other Wi-Fi® station devices.
SoftAP mode is typically used in scenarios where a Wi-Fi device wishes to share its internet connection with nearby station devices.
For instance, smartphone Wi-Fi hotspots utilize SoftAP mode.
The smartphone acts as a virtual router, allowing other station devices to connect to the internet through it.
Alternatively, SoftAP mode can be used to securely provision Wi-Fi devices into an access point network.

nRF70 Series devices support Wi-Fi provisioning using the SoftAP mode as one of the provisioning methods.

Supported functionality and limitations
***************************************

The SAP mode in the nRF70 Series devices provides SoftAP support with the following limitations:

  * A network interface can operate in either SAP mode or Station mode, but not in both modes simultaneously.
  * SAP mode only supports the Wi-Fi 4 (IEEE 802.11n) mode of operation.
  * The SAP mode currently supports a single station device connection.
    However, the implementation provides an :ref:`experimental <software_maturity>` support for up to eight station connections.
  * Only Wi-Fi personal security (WPA2-PSK) is supported.

Enabling the SAP mode
*********************

You can enable the SAP mode by setting the :kconfig:option:`CONFIG_NRF700X_AP_MODE` and :kconfig:option:`CONFIG_WPA_SUPP_AP` Kconfig options in the application project configuration file.


SAP mode configuration
**********************

The SAP mode is configured using the standard Wi-Fi configuration APIs in the Zephyr networking stack.
See `Zephyr Wi-Fi management API`_ for more information.

Shell commands
--------------

The SAP mode can be configured using the following shell commands:

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     :header-rows: 1

     * - Command
       - Description
     * - ``wifi ap enable``
       - Starts the SAP mode.
     * - ``wifi ap disable``
       - Stops the SAP mode.
     * - ``wifi status``
       - Displays the status of the SAP mode interface.
     * - ``wifi ap stations``
       - Displays the list of stations connected to the SAP mode interface.

Wi-Fi configuration APIs
------------------------

The SAP mode can be configured using the following Wi-Fi configuration APIs:

.. list-table::
     :header-rows: 1

     * - API
       - Description
       - Parameters
     * - ``NET_REQUEST_WIFI_AP_ENABLE``
       - Starts the SAP mode.
       - | Interface
         | SSID
         | Channel
         | Security information
     * - ``NET_REQUEST_WIFI_AP_DISABLE``
       - Stops the SAP mode.
       - Interface
     * - ``NET_REQUEST_WIFI_STATUS``
       - Displays the status of the SAP mode interface.
       - Interface

The SAP mode generates the following events:

.. list-table::
     :header-rows: 1

     * - Event
       - Description
     * - ``NET_EVENT_WIFI_AP_ENABLE_RESULT``
       - Generated when the SAP mode is enabled.
     * - ``NET_EVENT_WIFI_AP_DISABLE_RESULT``
       - Generated when the SAP mode is disabled.
     * - ``NET_EVENT_WIFI_AP_STA_CONNECTED``
       - Generated when a station connects to the SAP mode interface.
     * - ``NET_EVENT_WIFI_AP_STA_DISCONNECTED``
       - Generated when a station disconnects from the SAP mode interface.

.. note::
   There is no API to display the list of stations connected to the SAP mode interface.
   However, using the events generated by Zephyr Wi-Fi stack, you can get the list of stations connected to the SAP mode interface.

.. note::
    The SAP mode operation is dictated by regulatory requirements.
    For more information on regulatory support, see :ref:`ug_nrf70_developing_regulatory_support`.

Stations handling
*****************

For a typical SAP mode operation, the nRF70 Series device acts as a virtual router, allowing other station devices to connect to it.
The SAP interface needs to be configured with a valid IP address and a subnet mask.
Without this configuration, the Wi-Fi station device might disconnect from the SAP interface.
But the station devices use :abbr:`DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)` to get an IP address from the virtual router.
Currently, the Zephyr networking stack does not support DHCP server functionality.
So, the station devices must be configured with static IP addresses in the same subnet as the nRF70 Series device.

.. note::
    The procedure to configure static IP addresses varies from device to device and is not covered in this documentation.