Setting up an Ad-Hoc WiFi Network for Multiple Raspberry Pi 5s with Static IPs using nmcli and nmtui (No Graphic Interface)

Introduction

In this article, we will discuss how to set up an Ad-hoc Wi-Fi network with multiple Raspberry Pi 5s using the nmclinmtui command-line tool. We will configure static IP addresses for each Raspberry Pi and will not set up a default route. This setup is useful when you want to create a local network without the need for a DHCP server or an internet connection.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you have the following:

• Two or more Raspberry Pi 5s
• A monitor, keyboard, and mouse for each Raspberry Pi (or SSH access)
• A microSD card with Raspberry Pi OS installed on each Raspberry Pi
• A valid SSH key or password for each Raspberry Pi

Step 1: Configure the Hosts File

First, we need to configure the hosts file on each Raspberry Pi to map the IP addresses to their respective hostnames. Open the hosts file on each Raspberry Pi using the following command:

Add the following lines to the file:

127.0.0.1 localhost
  first_raspberry_pi_hostname
  second_raspberry_pi_hostname

Replace , , first_raspberry_pi_hostname, and second_raspberry_pi_hostname with the actual IP addresses and hostnames of your Raspberry Pis.

Step 2: Configure the Wireless Interface

Next, we need to configure the wireless interface on each Raspberry Pi. Open the wpa_supplicant.conf file on each Raspberry Pi using the following command:

Add the following lines to the file:

country=US
 network={
 ssid="Your_Adhoc_Network_Name"
 psk="Your_Network_Password"
 id_str="raspberrypi_"
 scan_ssid=1
}

Replace "Your_Adhoc_Network_Name" and "Your_Network_Password" with the name and password of your Ad-hoc network. Replace with the hostname of the Raspberry Pi you are configuring.

Step 3: Configure the Network Interface

Now, we need to configure the network interface on each Raspberry Pi. Open the interfaces file on each Raspberry Pi using the following command:

Add the following lines to the file:

auto wlan0
 allow-hotplug wlan0
 ifname wlan0
 source-address 
 netmask 255.255.255.0
 wireless-mode Ad-hoc
 wireless-essid Your_Adhoc_Network_Name
 wpa-conf /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf

Replace with the static IP address you want to assign to the Raspberry Pi. Make sure that the IP addresses of all the Raspberry Pis in the network are unique.

Step 4: Restart the Network Services

Restart the network services on each Raspberry Pi using the following command:

Step 5: Verify the Network Configuration

Verify that each Raspberry Pi can connect to the Ad-hoc network by checking the network interfaces using the following command:

You should see the wireless interface (wlan0) with the correct IP address and the Ad-hoc network SSID.

In this article, we learned how to set up an Ad-hoc Wi-Fi network with multiple Raspberry Pi 5s using the nmclinmtui command-line tool. We configured static IP addresses for each Raspberry Pi and did not set up a default route. This setup is useful when you want to create a local network without the need for a DHCP server or an internet connection.