WIFIMODE

WIFIMODE is the Wi-Fi interface mode switcher for Lichee-Jack. It safely recreates wlan0 with the correct interface type and NetworkManager state, avoiding common cfg80211 / driver conflicts when switching between client, AP, and monitor modes.

This utility is especially important on embedded platforms (CV181x + AIC8800) where changing Wi-Fi modes in-place is unreliable.

Why WIFIMODE exists

On Lichee-Jack, Wi-Fi is used for very different purposes:

Normal Wi-Fi client connectivity (managed by NetworkManager)
Software AP / rogue AP (hostapd)
Active monitor mode with frame injection (Wi-Fi auditing)

Simply toggling modes often leaves the driver in a broken state. WIFIMODE solves this by:

Deleting wlan0 completely
Re-creating it with iw using the correct interface type
Explicitly telling NetworkManager whether it should manage the interface

This guarantees a clean, predictable Wi-Fi state.

Supported modes

Mode	Description	Typical Use
`MANAGED`	NetworkManager-controlled client mode	Normal Wi-Fi networking
`UNMANAGED`	Manual control (NM disabled)	`hostapd`, custom scripts
`MONITOR`	Active monitor mode with injection	Auditing, frame injection

Usage


WIFIMODE <MODE>

Examples

Managed (Wi-Fi client)


WIFIMODE MANAGED

Recreates wlan0 as a managed interface
Enables NetworkManager control

Unmanaged (AP / hostapd)


WIFIMODE UNMANAGED

Recreates wlan0 as a normal interface
Disables NetworkManager control
Required before running hostapd

Active monitor mode


WIFIMODE MONITOR

Deletes wlan0
Recreates it as an active monitor interface
Supports frame injection

Internal behavior

Detect existing wlan0
Delete the interface using iw dev wlan0 del
Detect PHY name automatically
Recreate wlan0 with the requested type
Apply NetworkManager managed / unmanaged state

This delete-and-recreate approach prevents:

Device busy errors
Broken monitor mode
NetworkManager re-grabbing interfaces unexpectedly

Dependencies

iw
nmcli
jq

These are included by default in Lichee-Jack images.

Notes & limitations

Only operates on wlan0
Assumes a single Wi-Fi PHY (default on Lichee-Jack)
Monitor mode requires a patched AIC8800 driver (frame injection enabled)

Typical workflows

Wi-Fi client


WIFIMODE MANAGED
nmcli device wifi connect <SSID>

Rogue AP / captive portal


WIFIMODE UNMANAGED
hostapd hostapd.conf

Audit / sniffing


WIFIMODE MONITOR
iw dev wlan0 set channel 6
airodump-ng wlan0

Summary

WIFIMODE is a hard reset switch for Wi-Fi operation modes. If Wi-Fi behaves strangely, switching modes fails, or monitor mode refuses to inject frames — this tool is the correct and safe way to recover.