Can I run multiple APs?

[fadyanwar]

Hello,
I was experimenting with Raspi Pico and was trying to run multiple wifi APs simultaneously using the below test code, but only got one AP visible. So was wondering if it's supported. Thank you!

import network
import machine

ssid = 'MicroPython-AP'
password = '123456789'

ap = network.WLAN(network.AP_IF)
ap.config(essid=ssid, password=password)
ap.active(True)

ssid2 = 'MicroPython-AP2'

ap2 = network.WLAN(network.AP_IF)
ap2.config(essid=ssid2, password=password)
ap2.active(True)

ssid3 = 'MicroPython-AP3'

ap3 = network.WLAN(network.AP_IF)
ap3.config(essid=ssid3, password=password)
ap3.active(True)

[jimmo]

No, there is only a single access point (and a single station). This is a hardware limitation.

The network.WLAN constructor actually returns singleton instances... i.e. you will see if you run

>>> ap == ap2
True

[jimmo]

Yes you can change the configuration of the AP.

ap = network.WLAN(network.AP_IF)
# Initial config.
ap.config(essid=ssid, password=password)
ap.active(True)
...
# Update the AP config.
ap.active(False)
ap.config(essid=ssid2, password=password)
ap.active(True)

[fadyanwar]

Just tested it using the below code

import network
import machine

ssid = 'hello'
password = '123456789'

ap = network.WLAN(network.AP_IF)
ap.config(essid=ssid, password=password)
ap.active(True)

ssid2 = 'world'

ap.active(False)
ap.config(essid=ssid2, password=password)
ap.active(True)

Only "world" is visible

[jimmo]

@fadyanwar That's right. But "hello" would have been visible before you changed it to "world".

[fadyanwar]

I would imagine so, but how would this be considered concurrent?

[jimmo]

It isn't.

Neither the esp8266 nor the cyw43 in the pico w support concurrent APs. I explained above how Deauther could (non-concurrently!) act as different APs, and you asked how to achieve that in MicroPython, and this is how you do it.