Proxmox over WIFI (WLAN)

Don't do that. A host shouldn't have multiple IPs assigned to the same subnet. This will screw up routing. So either use 192.168.88.88/24, 192.168.88.99/24 or 192.168.88.89/24 but only one of them. In your case you probably want to use DHCP on wlx18a6f70bc768 for the 192.168.88.0/24 subnet and some other subnet for vmbr0.

Sorry but maybe I do not get the idea how it works.
I thought that the main server IP, for example for web access, should be the WiFi interface (wlx18a6f70bc768) IP address (192.168.88.89). If I use DHCP on that then I get web access on random IP address and everything becomes a bit complicated. Am I thinking the wrong way?

What subnet should I use for Bridge (vmbr0)? Does it have any restrictions instead of not being in the WiFi interface (wlx18a6f70bc768) network?
I've got 3 IPs on the server - Ethernet, WiFi and Bridge, should I transfer the Ethernet IP to another 3rd network if I even wanna use it?
Also should router be in the fourth network or is it OK for WiFi IP interface to be router subnet (192.168.88.0/24)?

Thank you for your help with goofy questions.
 
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If I use DHCP on that then I get web access on random IP address and everything becomes a bit complicated. Am I thinking the wrong way?
Wifi usually uses DHCP go grab a IP/gateway/DNS from your local DHCP server. To then get always the same IP you tell your WifiAPs DHCP server to set a static lease for it.

What subnet should I use for Bridge (vmbr0)? Does it have any restrictions instead of not being in the WiFi interface (wlx18a6f70bc768) network?
Choose one based on RFC 1918. Doesn'T matter which one as long as it won'T collide with existing subnets: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_network

should I transfer the Ethernet IP to another 3rd network if I even wanna use it?
Yes.

Also should router be in the fourth network or is it OK for WiFi IP interface to be router subnet (192.168.88.0/24)?
Wifi IP will have to be in your routers subnet or otherwise your PVE server would be isolated.
 
Hello, I hope my answer could be useful for those who shaking between the "What and how to configure my Wlan, routing table, and at the same time sharing internet connection to the VM's".
Here is my configuration:

auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

auto vmbr0
iface vmbr0 inet static
address 10.12.59.254/24
gateway 10.12.59.1
bridge-ports none
bridge-stp off
bridge-fd 0

auto wlp2s0
iface wlp2s0 inet dhcp
wpa-conf /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf

post-up echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward
post-up iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -s '10.12.59.0/24' -o vmbr0 -j MASQUERADE
post-down iptables -t nat -D POSTROUTING -s '10.12.59.0/24' -o vmbr0 -j MASQUERADE

up route add default dev wlp2s0

iface enp0s31f6 inet manual

iface wwan0 inet manual


source /etc/network/interfaces.d/*


#/etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf

network={
ssid="Your_ssid"
#key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
psk="Your_password"
priority=2
}
 
With the proliferation of higher bandwidth WIFI protocols (i.e. WIFI6E and WIFI7) providing higher speed network throughput than wired in some WIFI7 installations, Are there any plans (ROADMAP) for Proxmox to provide support for WIFI Networks in Proxmox?

As my networking knowledge grows, and higher bandwidth WIFI protocols become more standard... there needs to be more reliable support for WIFI... if not for primary connection... at least as a redundant or fallback for wired networking.

Has anyone heard if Proxmox is working on this... or is this something needed from the upstream (Debain) source?
 
I realize this thread is a bit old now, but a simple solution is to use something similar to ASUS wireless bridge mode - other manufacturers may have another name for it.

Basically, you configure a wireless (media bridge) router to bridge to your main high-speed WIFI network, then use its LAN ports to feed your Proxmox nodes.

Super simple solution... It is future proof'd too as faster more modern network bandwidths (~2Gbps+WIFI) can be accessed even now!

Although in my case I'm using an old deprecated router that was destined for the "trash bin"! It only supports the N-standard, but I typically can live with 300Mbps without too much pain anyway - even for high-speed gaming... FREE is FREE though! :cool:
 
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I realize this thread is a bit old now, but a simple solution is to use something similar to ASUS wireless bridge mode - other manufacturers may have another name for it.

Basically, you configure a wireless (media bridge) router to bridge to your main high-speed WIFI network, then use it's LAN ports to feed your Proxmox nodes.

Super simple solution... It is future proof'd too as faster more modern network bandwidths (~2Gbps+WIFI) can be accessed even now!

Although in my case I'm using an old deprecated router that was destined for the "trash bin"! It only supports the N-standard, but I typically can live with 300Mbps without too much pain anyway - even for high-speed gaming... FREE is FREE though! :cool:
pdwittman,
I had tried this using Debian documentation to manually edit the networking files on the node to add WIFI.... and it seemed to work at first... but, my experience was that once you do any subsequent edits to the network from the Proxmox GUI, the manual changes you made to add/configure the WIFI were backed out (removed)....or made unusable after the Proxmox GUI edit. How did you over come this? Please provide examples of the configuration. Thanks.

I would love to have a WIFI connection as a backup to the Wired Ethernet on my Proxmox nodes....
 
pdwittman,
I had tried this using Debian documentation to manually edit the networking files on the node to add WIFI.... and it seemed to work at first... but, my experience was that once you do any subsequent edits to the network from the Proxmox GUI, the manual changes you made to add/configure the WIFI were backed out (removed)....or made unusable after the Proxmox GUI edit. How did you over come this? Please provide examples of the configuration. Thanks.

I would love to have a WIFI connection as a backup to the Wired Ethernet on my Proxmox nodes....

You can always add

Code:
source /etc/network/interfaces.d/*

to the bottom of your interfaces file and then create a new file in the /etc/network/interfaces.d that should be left untouched by Proxmox VE
 
Perhaps this helps someone. My laptop I wanted to run proxmox on didn't have a wired NIC, so my battle was to get WPA supplicant loaded. Eventually I found you can just tether your phone via usb. Simple as bringing the interface up and requesting a dhcp lease and voila. Perhaps this is common knowledge, but it took me lots of digging to find this.
 
Hello.
I am new to Proxmox and have read numerous articles advising against the use of Wi-Fi. However, in my case, running a cable across the entire living room is not an option. Therefore, I purchased an affordable Mercusys ME60X (30$) Wi-Fi repeater with an Ethernet port and connected my home laboratory to it. Everything is functioning properly. Zero effort to make the network work, just set repeater router address as gateway.
I think 300mb is limit of my wifi5 network, later I'm going to try it with wifi 6.
 

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so you only have 1 IP for the proxmox ve server and you can't use lxc or vm in you network, right?
 
I can, but in order to obtain different IP addresses for each virtual machine, we still need to set the router address as the gateway. I had difficulties accessing via ssh, but chatgt helped me set up access within the virtual machine.
ssh_dhcp.png

gateway.png

```md
# Proxmox + antiX (runit) — Full, minimal, copy-pasteable setup
Goal: each VM gets its own IP on your LAN (192.168.0.0/24) and is reachable via SSH.

**Your topology**
- Router (gateway & DHCP): `192.168.0.1`
- Wi-Fi repeater (bridge only, DHCP off): `192.168.0.222` *(do NOT use as gateway)*
- Proxmox host: `192.168.0.33`
- VMs: e.g. `192.168.0.31`, `192.168.0.32`, …

---

## 1) Proxmox host network: create/verify bridge `vmbr0`
**Why:** VMs must be on the same L2 network as your router.

### GUI (recommended)
- **Datacenter → Node → System → Network**
- Create or edit **Linux Bridge `vmbr0`**
- **Bridge ports:** your physical NIC (e.g. `enp3s0`/`eno1`)
- **IPv4/CIDR:** `192.168.0.33/24`
- **Gateway (IPv4):** `192.168.0.1` *(the router, not the repeater)*
- **Apply Configuration** → reboot host (safe).

### CLI (alternative)
Edit `/etc/network/interfaces` on the host:
```

auto enp3s0
iface enp3s0 inet manual

auto vmbr0
iface vmbr0 inet static
address 192.168.0.33/24
gateway 192.168.0.1
bridge-ports enp3s0
bridge-stp off
bridge-fd 0

```
Apply:
```

ifreload -a # Proxmox has ifupdown2; this is the right way

```

### Verify on the host
```

ip -br a
ip route
ping -c 3 192.168.0.1
ping -c 3 1.1.1.1

```
Expect `vmbr0` = `192.168.0.33/24`, default route via `192.168.0.1`.

---

## 2) Create an antiX VM
- **Create VM** → **OS**: antiX ISO.
- **System/Disk/CPU/RAM**: as needed.
- **Network**:
- **Bridge**: `vmbr0`
- **Model**: `VirtIO (paravirtualized)`
- After install, in **Options** set **Qemu Agent = Enabled** (we’ll install it in the guest below).

---

## 3) VM network addressing
### Option A — DHCP (easiest)
- Ensure DHCP is enabled on the **router**.
- VM will obtain an IP automatically (e.g. `192.168.0.31`).

### Option B — Static IP (outside DHCP pool)
Inside the VM edit `/etc/network/interfaces` (replace interface name with yours, often `ens18`):
```

auto ens18
iface ens18 inet static
address 192.168.0.120/24
gateway 192.168.0.1
dns-nameservers 1.1.1.1 8.8.8.8

```
Apply:
```

ifdown ens18 && ifup ens18 # or: /etc/init.d/networking restart

```
*(Tip: For fixed DHCP addresses, set “DHCP reservation” on the router by the VM’s MAC shown in Proxmox → VM → Hardware → Network Device.)*

---

## 4) Inside antiX (runit): install Guest Agent + SSH and enable services
**Find your interface name**
```

ip -br a

```

**Install QEMU Guest Agent (to show IP in Proxmox Summary)**
```

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y qemu-guest-agent

# enable via runit (link service directory if present)

\[ -d /etc/sv/qemu-guest-agent ] && sudo ln -s /etc/sv/qemu-guest-agent /etc/service/ || true
sudo sv status qemu-guest-agent || true

```

**Install and enable OpenSSH server**
```

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y openssh-server

# enable (runit): link service directory into /etc/service/

\[ -d /etc/sv/ssh ] && sudo ln -s /etc/sv/ssh /etc/service/ 2>/dev/null || true
\[ -d /etc/sv/sshd ] && sudo ln -s /etc/sv/sshd /etc/service/ 2>/dev/null || true

# verify service and port

sudo sv status ssh 2>/dev/null || sudo sv status sshd
ss -lntp | grep ':22' || true

```

**If it listens only on 127.0.0.1:22, open it to LAN**
```

sudo sed -i 
-e 's/^#?Port .*/Port 22/' 
-e 's/^#?AddressFamily .*/AddressFamily any/' 
-e 's/^#?ListenAddress .\*/ListenAddress 0.0.0.0/' 
/etc/ssh/sshd\_config
sudo sv restart ssh 2>/dev/null || sudo sv restart sshd
ss -lntp | grep ':22'

```

---

## 5) Confirm IP inside the VM
```

ip -br a
ip route | head -n1 # should be: default via 192.168.0.1
hostname -I
ping -c 3 192.168.0.1

```

---

## 6) Connect via SSH from your LAN PC (or from the Proxmox host)
```

# From Proxmox host (quick test)

nc -vz 192.168.0.31 22 # should say "succeeded"

# From your PC

ssh antix1\@192.168.0.31

```

---

## 7) Quick troubleshooting
- **Gateway must be 192.168.0.1** on host & VMs; the repeater `192.168.0.222` is *not* a router.
- **No DHCP for multiple VMs?** Some repeaters in “client” mode pass only one MAC from their Ethernet port.
Fix: put repeater into true *bridge/WDS* mode, update firmware, or connect Proxmox directly to router/switch.
- **Proxmox Firewall:** disable at Datacenter/Node/VM while testing.
- **Correct device/IP:** compare VM MAC (in Proxmox) with `ip neigh show 192.168.0.xx` from the host.
- **Port open:** `ss -lntp | grep ':22'` must show LISTEN on `0.0.0.0:22` or `[::]:22`.

✅ Done — each antiX VM gets its own LAN IP and accepts SSH.
```
 
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I realize this thread is a bit old now, but a simple solution is to use something similar to ASUS wireless bridge mode - other manufacturers may have another name for it.

Basically, you configure a wireless (media bridge) router to bridge to your main high-speed WIFI network, then use its LAN ports to feed your Proxmox nodes.

Super simple solution... It is future proof'd too as faster more modern network bandwidths (~2Gbps+WIFI) can be accessed even now!

Although in my case I'm using an old deprecated router that was destined for the "trash bin"! It only supports the N-standard, but I typically can live with 300Mbps without too much pain anyway - even for high-speed gaming... FREE is FREE though! :cool:
yes, i think this is a better aproach instead of struggling with local wifi adapters & issues.

have a look at https://forum.proxmox.com/threads/p...idge-adapters-which-work-with-proxmox.161124/ and report your own findings/experience with different wifi bridges in "client mode"
 
I have an old laptop that I want to use as a Quorum device and also as an administrative terminal, which can work both inside and outside my rack if needed. I found that if I install Proxmox using the ISO and then create a VM using OpenWRT, I can get that to act as a bridge for the wireless card, to have then Proxmox can use that interface as a failover to the wired NIC(s). I also found that I can install another VM using EVDEV for the mouse and keyboard and PCI-e passthrough for the video card to make the system work as a "laptop" without having to mangle the Proxmox install, but I digress off topic.