How do I schedule the on/off time of the wifi radio?
By starting with a google search https://www.google.com/search?q=openwrt+wifi+onoff and looking at the first link it returns 
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EDIT: There seems to be a luci-app package for this, didn't try it.
If you are looking after a scheduled on/off at specific hours, you could use a CRON job. More details on "Wifi Schedule on OpenWrt Help".
More detailed version there (be sure to replace reboot by wifi up for your case):
https://cucumberwifi.io/community/tutorials/openwrt-schedueling-tasks.html
And finally, one last link on CRON general information from OpenWrt:
https://wiki.openwrt.org/doc/howto/cron
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Thanks...just one question: in my case (attached pic) the names of wireless interfaces are radio0 and radio1?
Did you try to install the Wifi Scheduler that has a gui? It should be the easiest way to go and take care of that automatically.
On the software package manager in the gui you can install these:
https://openwrt.org/packages/table/start?dataflt[Name_pkg-dependencies*~]=Wifischedule
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Ok...I'll try with this package and not with cron job
just cronjob:
echo "0 23 * * * uci set wireless.@wifi-device[0].disabled=1; wifi" >> /etc/crontabs/root
echo "0 7 * * * uci set wireless.@wifi-device[0].disabled=0; wifi" >> /etc/crontabs/root
echo "root" > /etc/crontabs/cron.update
/etc/init.d/cron enable
/etc/init.d/cron start
/etc/init.d/cron restart
wireless.@wifi-device[0] probably is radio0, wireless.@wifi-device[1] probably is radio1 (this is by convention)
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I'm using the following small snippet on my boxes, maybe others find this useful, too:
#!/bin/sh
#
# ap-toggle script
# written by Dirk Brenken (dev@brenken.org)
# usage:
# ap-toggle.sh on <radio> => switch the AP on all radios "on", you can limit this with the optional <radio>-parm
# ap-toggle.sh off <radio> => switch the AP on all radios "off", you can limit this with the optional <radio>-parm
# reference this script in /etc/crontabs/root and restart cron service afterwards, e.g.:
# 0 00 * * * /usr/bin/ap-toggle.sh off
# 0 06 * * * /usr/bin/ap-toggle.sh on
#
# This is free software, licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.
# You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
# along with this program. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
# set initial defaults
#
LC_ALL=C
PATH="/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin"
apt_ver="0.5"
apt_sysver="$(ubus -S call system board | jsonfilter -e '@.release.description')"
apt_action="${1}"
apt_radio="${2}"
. "/lib/functions.sh"
# f_prepare: gather wireless information & enable/disable AP interfaces
#
f_prepare()
{
local config="${1}"
local mode="$(uci -q get wireless."${config}".mode)"
local radio="$(uci -q get wireless."${config}".device)"
local disabled="$(uci -q get wireless."${config}".disabled)"
if [ "${mode}" = "ap" ] && ([ -z "${apt_radio}" ] || [ "${apt_radio}" = "${radio}" ])
then
if [ "${apt_action}" = "on" ] && ([ -z "${disabled}" ] || [ "${disabled}" = "1" ])
then
uci -q set wireless."${config}".disabled=0
elif [ "${apt_action}" = "off" ] && ([ -z "${disabled}" ] || [ "${disabled}" = "0" ])
then
uci -q set wireless."${config}".disabled=1
fi
fi
}
config_load wireless
config_foreach f_prepare wifi-iface
# commit & reload all changes, write final log message
#
if [ -n "$(uci -q changes wireless)" ]
then
uci -q commit wireless
ubus call network reload
apt_radio="${apt_radio:="all radios"}"
logger -t "ap-toggle-[${apt_ver}] info " "AP on ${apt_radio} has been switched '${apt_action}' (${apt_sysver})"
fi
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Some feedback for Netgear R7800 on 17.01.4: Installed wifischedule with luci support, working fine. I am only using 5ghz with one VAP and power consumption went down from 6,9W to 5,7W when wifi is off.
The experimental option with unloading modules didn't work (automatically detected: ath10k_pci,
ath10k_core, compat), wifi didn't came up.
The WRT1900ACS factory firmware only allows the scheduling of both radios; however, I wish to have the two radios turned off/on on different schedules. As far as I have read about CRON or the OpenWRT gui, they also have a single control for both radios. Would someone please confirm this to save me from having to install OpenWRT - since that is the only feature I seek in a non-factory firmware? Thank you!
I've got a WRT1900ACS also and am able to turn the radios off independently via 'wifi down radio0' etc.
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Thank you, pbel! Am I correct to assume that you're running 18.06.1 and that the schedules need to be set with the command line interface and not a gui?
Correct, I am using 18.06.1. You can use the GUI to schedule the on/off (just go to System->Scheduled Tasks in luci... that lets you edit the crontab entries in your web browser)
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You've given me enough information for me to delve into OpenWRT. I'm looking forward to not having to turn off/on 5 gHz twice daily! Much appreciated, phil!
Is there a reason not to use
crontab -e
with eg
0 23 * * * /sbin/wifi down
0 10 * * * /sbin/wifi restart
5 10 * * * /sbin/reboot
Does a reboot start wifi in any case? In this case the 2nd line would be useless.
I think it is not possible to start the router with a cronjob, if so I would prefer halt instead of "wifi down"
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Yes, if you are still connected and don't want a forced wifi shutdown at a fixed time.
I have set up 2 different SSIDs. One is for me, the other one for my kids.
I want do enable and disable only the kids SSID by time schedule. with wifi-schedule you cannot disable a specific SSID. Only all WIFI-connections or none. Does anybody know another plugin?
normal cron
Pretty closely explained in message 7 of this thread.
(the message contains commands to create rows to the crontab file, which you could naturally also edit by hand)
That enables the whole radio, not a single SSID, so you would need to modify the command a bit. Not the whole radio, but just the SSID you want to disable.
wireless.default_radio1.disabled='1'
You can use " uci show wireless " to see properly your current config.
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So if I wanted to disable a specific ssid I would use something like this? :
0 23 * * * uci set wireless.wifinet2.disabled=1; wifi
0 7 * * * uci set wireless.wifinet2.disabled=0; wifi
this is the output of my uci show wireless:
wireless.radio0=wifi-device
wireless.default_radio0.ssid='Admin2.5g'
wireless.default_radio1.ssid='Admin5g'
wireless.wifinet2=wifi-iface
wireless.wifinet2.device='radio1'
wireless.wifinet2.ssid='Kids5g'
wireless.wifinet2.network='KidsLan'
wireless.wifinet3.device='radio0'
wireless.wifinet3.ssid='Kids2.5g'
wireless.wifinet3.network='KidsLan'
Looks right to me. Kids would lose 5 GHz wifi for the night.