Wi-Fi Configuration

IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi capability is provided by the QNX Wi-Fi package and works with both io-pkt-v4-hc and io-pkt-v6-hc.

The networking Wi-Fi solution lets you join or host WLAN (Wireless LAN) networks based on IEEE 802.11 specifications. Using io-pkt, you can operate in infrastructure mode or ad hoc mode.

Infrastructure mode is the more common network configuration where all wireless hosts (clients) connect to the wireless network via a WAP. The WAP centrally controls access and authentication to the wireless network and provides access to rest of your network. More than one WAP can exist on a wireless network to service large numbers of wireless clients.

Ad hoc mode lets you create a wireless network quickly by allowing wireless nodes within range (for example, the wireless devices in a room) to communicate directly with each other without the need for a WAP. Although this communication link is easy to construct, it may not be appropriate for a large number of nodes because of performance degradation, limited range, non-central administration, and weak encryption.

The io-pkt manager supports WEP, WPA, WPA2, WPA3, or no security for authentication and encryption when acting as the WAP or client. WPA3 is also supported in some Wi-Fi drivers when acting as a client. WPA, WPA2, or WPA3 is the recommended encryption protocol for use with your wireless network. WEP isn't as secure and is known to be breakable; it's available for backward compatibility with already deployed wireless networks.

For information on connecting your client, see “Using wpa_supplicant to manage your Wi-Fi network connections” later in this chapter.