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is there a way to change the wifi channel of the iPhone mobile hotspot? It's default is channel 6 and I don't want that.

Adam

• 7 min read
is there a way to change the wifi channel of the iPhone mobile hotspot? It's default is channel 6 and I don't want that.
ChatGPT image instructions: That's weird 🤔💭🍎Apple does got give the users more control of their network, can you generate an infographic for my blog post. I'm sure lots of people have the same question as this
You said:

Even when I try setting the channel to something else on the client, it does not change channels.

ChatGPT said:

On iPhone, the Wi-Fi channel used by the Personal Hotspot cannot be changed manually. iOS manages it automatically, and it almost always defaults to channel 6 on 2.4 GHz. That’s why when you try to set the client to another channel, it doesn’t affect the hotspot—the hotspot is the access point, so the client must follow whatever channel the AP is broadcasting on.

A few details:

  • 2.4 GHz hotspot (most common): iOS typically fixes this to channel 6. There’s no user-facing setting to move it to channel 1 or 11.
  • 5 GHz hotspot (if supported & enabled): Some iPhones can serve hotspot over 5 GHz instead of 2.4 GHz. In that case, the channel is chosen automatically by iOS (often channel 36, 40, or 149 depending on region). Again, not configurable by the user.
  • Clients can’t override the AP: A client (like a laptop) can only request a connection; the access point dictates the channel. That’s why changing the client’s channel setting has no effect.

👉 Workarounds:

  • If interference on channel 6 is your concern, try forcing the hotspot to 5 GHz mode. On newer iOS versions, this is under:
    Settings → Personal Hotspot → Maximize Compatibility (turning this off usually enables 5 GHz, leaving it on forces 2.4 GHz).
  • For complete control, you’d need to use an external travel router or dedicated hotspot device, where you can set the channel manually.

Would you like me to show you how to force your iPhone’s hotspot into 5 GHz mode (when possible), so at least you get away from 2.4 GHz channel 6?

You said:

No, because, that is not useful for my setup right now and I'm using OpenWRT on an old school Broadcom chipset. 5Ghz is disabled

ChatGPT said:

Got it 👍 — since you’re locked into 2.4 GHz only and the iPhone Personal Hotspot is hard-coded to channel 6, you’re basically at the mercy of Apple’s firmware. There’s no way to override it on iOS (no jailbreak tweak, no config profile, nothing exposed in settings). That’s why OpenWrt isn’t seeing any change no matter what you try from the client side.

So the reality is:

  • iPhone → always master: it dictates the channel.
  • Clients → must follow: any “force channel” option on the client only applies when that client is running its own AP, not when joining one.
  • OpenWrt relay/repeater mode: if you’re trying to use your OpenWrt box to repeat/bridge the iPhone hotspot, it also has to sit on channel 6 because that’s where the iPhone is broadcasting. You can’t pick channel 1 or 11 unless you introduce a different upstream AP.

The only knobs you can tweak with your setup are:

  1. Channel width – If your OpenWrt device is relaying, you might limit it to 20 MHz instead of 40 MHz to reduce interference (since channel 6 overlaps a lot of spectrum).
  2. Antenna placement / isolation – shifting your OpenWrt unit away from noisy environments helps, because you can’t escape channel 6 itself.
  3. Different upstream – If you want a non-channel-6 backhaul, you’d need a different phone, a MiFi hotspot, or tethering over USB (then you’re free to run your OpenWrt AP on any channel).

👉 In short: you can’t move the iPhone hotspot off channel 6 on 2.4 GHz. The only real workaround is to avoid using it as the backhaul in Wi-Fi repeater mode — instead, use USB tethering from iPhone → OpenWrt, then let OpenWrt broadcast its own SSID on whatever channel you like. That gives you full channel control again.

Do you want me to sketch out how to set up USB tethering from iPhone into OpenWrt so your router can rebroadcast on a clean channel (1 or 11) instead of being locked to 6?

You said:

yes, sketch out how to set up USB tethering from iPhone into OpenWrt so my router can rebroadcast on a clean channel 1 or 11 instead of being locked to 6

ChatGPT said:

Perfect — USB tethering from iPhone into your OpenWrt box is the cleanest workaround 🚀. Once the iPhone is tethered over USB, the phone stops acting as an access point. Your OpenWrt router then becomes the AP, and you can pick any Wi-Fi channel you like (1 or 11, no Apple restrictions).

Here’s the step-by-step sketch:

1. Enable USB tethering on iPhone

  • Plug the iPhone into your OpenWrt router’s USB port.
  • On the iPhone: Settings → Personal Hotspot → Allow Others to Join → On.
  • Then toggle USB Only mode (or just plug into USB and trust the computer).
  • You should see a new network interface appear on OpenWrt (often eth1, usb0, or similar).

2. Verify interface on OpenWrt

SSH into OpenWrt and run:

ifconfig -a

or

ip link

Look for a new interface that shows up when the iPhone is connected. It’ll typically look like eth1 or usb0.

3. Configure WAN over USB

In LuCI (web UI):

  • Network → Interfaces → Add new interface
  • Name: wan_usb
  • Protocol: DHCP client
  • Interface: choose the new USB interface (eth1/usb0 etc.)

Or in /etc/config/network, add:

config interface 'wan_usb'

Then reload network:

/etc/init.d/network restart

At this point, OpenWrt should pull an IP from the iPhone and have internet access.

4. Set Wi-Fi AP on clean channel

Now configure your OpenWrt Wi-Fi to broadcast your own SSID:

  • Network → Wireless → Edit your radio.
  • Mode: Access Point
  • Channel: pick 1 or 11 (avoid 6 entirely).
  • Bandwidth: 20 MHz (to reduce interference).
  • Encryption: WPA2/WPA3 as you prefer.

Save & apply.

5. (Optional) Disable old WAN

If you don’t want WAN conflicts, disable the old WAN interface (e.g., wan over Ethernet) unless you’re using multi-WAN/failover.

✅ Now your iPhone provides internet over USB → OpenWrt handles it as WAN → OpenWrt broadcasts Wi-Fi on any channel you choose.
Apple’s hotspot is bypassed completely, so you’re free from the channel 6 lock.

Want me to put this into a ready-to-run OpenWrt config snippet (so you can paste into /etc/config/network and /etc/config/wireless) to auto-set it up for USB WAN + Wi-Fi AP on channel 1?

You said:

yes

ChatGPT said:

Thought for 25s
Awesome. Here’s a copy-paste, one-liner that sets up iPhone-over-USB as your WAN on OpenWrt and makes your router rebroadcast Wi-Fi on channel 1 (20 MHz). It auto-detects the USB interface (e.g., usb0/eth1) and wires up firewall/DHCP correctly.

Run as root on OpenWrt (no sudo needed).

nano /root/setup-iphone-usb-wan.sh && chmod +x /root/setup-iphone-usb-wan.sh && /root/setup-iphone-usb-wan.sh

Paste this into the editor when it opens:

#!/bin/sh
set -e

echo "📦 Installing iPhone USB tether deps…"
opkg update
opkg install kmod-usb-net kmod-usb-net-ipheth usbmuxd

# Make sure usbmuxd runs at boot
/etc/init.d/usbmuxd enable || true
/etc/init.d/usbmuxd start || true

echo "🔌 Detecting iPhone USB network interface…"
# Wait a moment in case the phone was just plugged in/trusted
sleep 2

# Try to find a candidate that isn't lo/br-lan/lan/wan and looks like a USB/Ether iface
CANDIDATES="$(ip -o link show | awk -F': ' '{print $2}' | sed 's/@.*//' | grep -Ev '^(lo|br-|bond|docker|veth|ifb|lan|wan)$')"

USB_IF=""
for ifc in $CANDIDATES; do
# Skip bridges and obvious non-phys
case "$ifc" in
br-*|ifb*|veth*|bond* ) continue ;;
esac
# Prefer common ipheth names
case "$ifc" in
usb0|eth1|enx* ) USB_IF="$ifc"; break ;;
* ) [ -z "$USB_IF" ] && USB_IF="$ifc" ;;
esac
done

if [ -z "$USB_IF" ]; then
echo "❌ Could not detect USB NIC. Plug iPhone via USB, enable Personal Hotspot, tap 'Trust' if prompted, then rerun."
exit 1
fi
echo "✅ Using USB WAN interface: $USB_IF"

echo "🌐 Creating WAN-over-USB interface wan_usb (DHCP)…"
# Remove any old wan_usb to avoid duplicates
uci -q delete network.wan_usb

# Use 'device' key for DSA-based OpenWrt (22.03+); OpenWrt still accepts 'ifname' for older targets.
uci set network.wan_usb="interface"
uci set network.wan_usb.proto="dhcp"
uci set network.wan_usb.device="$USB_IF"

# Add wan_usb to firewall 'wan' zone
if ! uci -q get firewall.@zone[0] > /dev/null; then
echo "⚠️ No firewall zones found; creating a basic wan zone."
uci add firewall zone
uci set firewall.@zone[-1].name="wan"
uci set firewall.@zone[-1].input="REJECT"
uci set firewall.@zone[-1].output="ACCEPT"
uci set firewall.@zone[-1].forward="REJECT"
uci set firewall.@zone[-1].masq="1"
uci set firewall.@zone[-1].mtu_fix="1"
fi

# Find 'wan' zone index
WAN_IDX="$(uci show firewall | awk -F= '/firewall\.@zone\[[0-9]+\]\.name=.wan$/ {gsub(/firewall\.@zone\[|\]\.name=.wan/,""); print $1}' | head -n1)"
[ -z "$WAN_IDX" ] && WAN_IDX="0" # fallback to first zone

# Ensure wan_usb is in the wan zone's network list
NETS="$(uci -q get firewall.@zone[$WAN_IDX].network || echo "")"
case " $NETS " in
*" wan_usb "*) : ;;
*) uci set firewall.@zone[$WAN_IDX].network="$(echo "$NETS wan wan6 wan_usb" | xargs -n1 | sort -u | xargs)";;
esac

echo "📡 Configuring Wi-Fi AP on channel 1 @ 20 MHz…"
# Ensure wireless is present
[ -f /etc/config/wireless ] || wifi config

# Pick first radio (radio0); adjust if you use radio1 for 2.4 GHz
RADIO="radio0"
if ! uci -q get wireless.$RADIO >/dev/null; then
# fall back to whatever the first radio is
RADIO="$(uci show wireless | awk -F. '/=wifi-device/{print $2; exit}')"
fi

# Force 2.4 GHz clean channel (1) and 20 MHz width
uci set wireless.$RADIO.channel="1"
uci set wireless.$RADIO.htmode="HT20"
# Some targets need explicit band
uci -q get wireless.$RADIO.band >/dev/null || uci set wireless.$RADIO.band="2g"

# Ensure an AP iface exists
IF_SECTION="$(uci show wireless | awk -F. '/=wifi-iface/ {print $2; exit}')"
if [ -z "$IF_SECTION" ]; then
IF_SECTION="$(uci add wireless wifi-iface)"
uci set wireless.$IF_SECTION.device="$RADIO"
uci set wireless.$IF_SECTION.mode="ap"
uci set wireless.$IF_SECTION.ssid="OpenWrt-USB-AP"
uci set wireless.$IF_SECTION.encryption="psk2"
uci set wireless.$IF_SECTION.key="ChangeMe1234"
uci set wireless.$IF_SECTION.network="lan"
else
# Update existing iface minimally
uci set wireless.$IF_SECTION.mode="ap"
uci -q set wireless.$IF_SECTION.network="$(uci -q get wireless.$IF_SECTION.network || echo lan)"
fi

echo "💾 Committing & restarting network/Wi-Fi/firewall…"
uci commit network
uci commit wireless
uci commit firewall

/etc/init.d/network restart
/etc/init.d/firewall restart
wifi reload || wifi

echo "🎉 Done!
- WAN over USB interface: $USB_IF (DHCP from iPhone)
- Firewall: wan_usb added to 'wan' zone with NAT
- Wi-Fi AP: channel 1, HT20, SSID 'OpenWrt-USB-AP' (key: ChangeMe1234)

👉 Now: Settings > Personal Hotspot on iPhone, plug USB, tap 'Trust' if asked.
🔁 Your router will have Internet via USB, and you can change Wi-Fi channel to 1 or 11 anytime."

What this gives you

  • Backhaul: iPhone → USB → OpenWrt (wan_usb via DHCP).
  • LAN Wi-Fi: OpenWrt AP on channel 1 @ 20 MHz (no Apple channel-6 lock).
  • Firewall/NAT: wan_usb is in the wan zone, so clients get Internet.

Change to channel 11 later

uci set wireless.radio0.channel='11'

Notes & tips

  • If you run multi-WAN (mwan3), add wan_usb there as a member per your policy.

If the USB NIC name differs, the script auto-detects it; you can also hard-set it by editing:

uci set network.wan_usb.device='usb0'

If your 2.4 GHz radio is radio1, either change RADIO="radio1" in the script or run:

uci set wireless.radio1.channel='1'

Want me to tailor this to your exact OpenWrt version/target (so I can switch device→ifname if you’re on pre-DSA or lock radio1 if that’s your 2.4 GHz)?