This project was inspired by a [**blog post**](http://sirlagz.net/2013/02/06/script-web-configuration-page-for-raspberry-pi/) by SirLagz about using a web page rather than ssh to configure wifi and hostapd settings on the Raspberry Pi. I mostly just prettified the UI by wrapping it in [**SB Admin 2**](https://github.com/IronSummitMedia/startbootstrap-sb-admin-2), a Bootstrap based admin theme :smile:
We'd be curious to hear about how you use this with your own Pi-powered access points. Ping us on Twitter ([**@billzimmerman**](https://twitter.com/billzimmerman) and [**@SirLagz**](https://twitter.com/SirLagz)). Until then, here's a screenshot:
You need to install some extra software in order for the Raspberry Pi to act as a WiFi router and access point. If all you're interested in is configuring your RPi as a client on an existing WiFi network, you can skip this step.
There are many guides available to help you select a WiFi adapter, install a compatible driver, configure HostAPD and so on. The details are outside the scope of this project, although I've had consistently good results with the [**Edimax Wireless 802.11b/g/n nano USB adapter**](http://www.edimax.com/edimax/merchandise/merchandise_detail/data/edimax/global/wireless_adapters_n150/ew-7811un) – it's small, cheap and easy to work with.
To configure your RPi as a WiFi router, either of these resources will get you started on the right track:
* [**How To : Use The Raspberry Pi As A Wireless Access Point/Router Part 1**](http://sirlagz.net/2012/08/09/how-to-use-the-raspberry-pi-as-a-wireless-access-pointrouter-part-1/)
* [**How-To: Turn a Raspberry Pi into a WiFi router**](http://raspberrypihq.com/how-to-turn-a-raspberry-pi-into-a-wifi-router/) (uses isc-dhcp-server instead of dnsmasq)
Now comes the fun part. For security reasons, the `www-data` user which lighttpd runs under is not allowed to start or stop daemons, or run commands like ifdown and ifup, all of which we want our page to do.
So what I have done is added the `www-data` user to the sudoers file, but with restrictions on what commands the user can run.