Ecosyste.ms: Awesome

An open API service indexing awesome lists of open source software.

Awesome Lists | Featured Topics | Projects

https://github.com/evie-lau/unifi-gateway-wpa-supplicant

Setup wpa_supplicant on Unifi Gateways to bypass ATT modem
https://github.com/evie-lau/unifi-gateway-wpa-supplicant

att-fiber bypass network ubiquiti udm udm-pro udm-se udr udw unifi unifi-os unifios uxg-lite uxg-pro wpa-supplicant

Last synced: about 2 months ago
JSON representation

Setup wpa_supplicant on Unifi Gateways to bypass ATT modem

Awesome Lists containing this project

README 

        
# Unifi Gateway wpa_supplicant bypass for ATT fiber modem

Use this guide to setup wpa_supplicant with your Unifi gateway to bypass the ATT modem.



This will work on any modern [Unifi Console or Gateway](https://www.reddit.com/r/Ubiquiti/comments/1870ryr/unifi_gateways_explained_as_simple_as_possible/). To my knowledge, that includes everything except the original USG which will have a different process that is already well documented over the years (check [Additional resources](#additional-resources)).



> [!IMPORTANT]

> Take note of your Unifi gateway's WAN port interface name. In the rest of the guide, I'll be using `eth1` because that is the WAN interface for the UXG Lite. If using another Unifi gateway, replace the interface name appropriately.



Here are some known interfaces for Unifi gateways, for use in the rest of the guide. Double check with your device to be sure.

- UXG Lite or UX  - eth1

- UXG Pro - eth0 (WAN1, RJ-45), eth2 (WAN2, SFP+)

- UXG Max - eth4

- UCG Ultra - eth4

- UDR and UDM-Base (the egg) - eth4

- UDM Pro or SE - eth8 (WAN1, RJ-45), eth9 (WAN2, SFP+)



### Prerequisites:

- extracted and decoded certificates from an ATT modem



Instructions to [extract certs from BGW210/BGW320](https://github.com/0x888e/certs)



## Table of Contents

- [Install wpa_supplicant](#install-wpa_supplicant-on-unifi-gateway) - install wpasupplicant on your Unifi gateway

- [Copy certs and config](#copy-certs-and-config-to-unifi-gateway) - copy files generated from mfg_dat_decode tool into Unifi gateway

- [Spoof MAC Address](#spoof-mac-address) - spoof Unifi WAN port to match original ATT gateway MAC address

- [Setup network](#setup-network) - set required network settings (VLAN0) in Unifi dashboard

- [Test wpa_supplicant](#test-wpa_supplicant) - test wpasupplicant

- [Setup wpa_supplicant service for startup](#setup-wpa_supplicant-service-for-startup) - start wpasupplicant on Unifi gateway bootup

- [Survive firmware updates](#survive-firmware-updates) - automatically restore and setup wpasupplicant after firmware updates wipe it



## Install wpa_supplicant on Unifi gateway

SSH into your Unifi gateway.



> [!TIP]

> Unlike all my other Unifi devices, my SSH private key didn't work with my username, but worked with the `root` user instead. Or user + password defined in `Settings` -> `System` -> `Advanced` -> `Device Authentication`.



The Unifi gateways run a Debian-based distro, so we can install the `wpasupplicant` package.

```

> apt update -y

> apt install -y wpasupplicant

```



Create a `certs` folder in the `/etc/wpa_supplicant` folder.

```

> mkdir -p /etc/wpa_supplicant/certs

```



We'll copy files into here in the next step.



## Copy certs and config to Unifi gateway

Back on your computer, prepare your files to copy into the Unifi gateway.



These files come from the mfg_dat_decode tool:

- CA_XXXXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXXXX.pem

- Client_XXXXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXXXX.pem

- PrivateKey_PKCS1_XXXXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXXXX.pem

- wpa_supplicant.conf



```

> scp *.pem :/etc/wpa_supplicant/certs

> scp wpa_supplicant.conf :/etc/wpa_supplicant

```



> [!IMPORTANT]

Make sure in the `wpa_supplicant.conf` to modify the `ca_cert`, `client_cert` and `private_key` to use **absolute paths**. In this case, prepend `/etc/wpa_supplicant/certs/` to the filename strings. It should look like the following...

```

...

network={

        ca_cert="/etc/wpa_supplicant/certs/CA_XXXXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXXXX.pem"

        client_cert="/etc/wpa_supplicant/certs/Client_XXXXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXXXX.pem"

        ...

        private_key="/etc/wpa_supplicant/certs/PrivateKey_PKCS1_XXXXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXXXX.pem"

}

```



## Spoof MAC address

We'll need to spoof the MAC address on the WAN port (interface `eth1` on the UXG-Lite) to successfully authenticate with ATT with our certificates.



> [!TIP]

> I know there's an option in the Unifi dashboard to spoof MAC address on the Internet (WAN) network, but this didn't seem to work when I tested it.

> If the setting works for you, the rest of this section can be skipped.



Instead, I had to manually set it up, based on these [instructions to spoof mac address](https://www.xmodulo.com/spoof-mac-address-network-interface-linux.html).



SSH back into your gateway, and create the following file.



`vi /etc/network/if-up.d/changemac`



```

#!/bin/sh



if [ "$IFACE" = eth1 ]; then

  ip link set dev "$IFACE" address XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX

fi

```

Replace the mac address with your gateway's address, found in the `wpa_supplicant.conf` file.



Set the permissions:

```

> sudo chmod 755 /etc/network/if-up.d/changemac

```

This file will spoof your WAN mac address when `eth1` starts up. Go ahead and run the same command now so you don't have to reboot your gateway.

```

> ip link set dev "$IFACE" address XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX

```



## Setup network



### Set VLAN ID on WAN connection

ATT authenticates using VLAN ID 0, so we have to tag our WAN port with that.



In your Unifi console/dashboard, under `Settings` -> `Internet` -> `Primary (WAN1)` (or your WAN name if you renamed it), Enable `VLAN ID` and set it to `0`.



> [!WARNING]

> Before applying, note that this change will prevent you from accessing the internet until after running `wpa_supplicant` in the next step. If you need to restore internet access before finishing this setup guide, you can always disable `VLAN ID`.



![Alt text](vlan0.png)



Apply the change, then unplug the ethernet cable from the ONT port on your ATT Gateway, and plug it into the WAN port on your Unifi gateway.



## Test wpa_supplicant

While SSHed into the gateway, run this to test the authentication.

```

> wpa_supplicant -i eth1 -D wired -c /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf

```

Breaking down this command...

- `-i eth1` Specifies `eth1` (UXG-Lite WAN port) as the interface

- `-D wired` Specify driver type of `eth1`

- `-c /wpa_supplicant.conf` The config file



You should see the message `Successfully initialized wpa_supplicant` if the command and config are configured correctly.



Following that will be some logs from authenticating. If it looks something like this, then it was successful!

```

eth1: CTRL-EVENT-EAP-PEER-CERT depth=0 subject='/C=US/ST=Michigan/L=Southfield/O=ATT Services Inc/OU=OCATS/CN=aut03lsanca.lsanca.sbcglobal.net' hash=XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

eth1: CTRL-EVENT-EAP-PEER-ALT depth=0 DNS:aut03lsanca.lsanca.sbcglobal.net

eth1: CTRL-EVENT-EAP-SUCCESS EAP authentication completed successfully

eth1: CTRL-EVENT-CONNECTED - Connection to XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX completed [id=0 id_str=]

```

> [!TIP]

> If you don't see the `EAP authentication completed successfully` message, try checking to make sure the MAC address was spoofed successfully.



`Ctrl-c` to exit. If you would like to run it in the background for temporary internet access, add a `-B` parameter to the command. Running this command is still a manual process to authenticate, and it will only last until the next reboot.



## Setup wpa_supplicant service for startup

Now we have to make sure wpa_supplicant starts automatically when the Unifi gateway reboots.



Let's use wpa_supplicant's built in interface-specific service to enable it on startup. More information [here](https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Wpa_supplicant#At_boot_.28systemd.29).



Because we need to specify the `wired` driver and `eth1` interface, the corresponding service will be `[email protected]`. This service is tied to a specific .conf file, so we will have to rename our config file.



Back in `/etc/wpa_supplicant`, rename `wpa_supplicant.conf` to `wpa_supplicant-wired-eth1.conf`.

```

> cd /etc/wpa_supplicant

> mv wpa_supplicant.conf wpa_supplicant-wired-eth1.conf

```



Then start the service and check the status.

```

> systemctl start wpa_supplicant-wired@eth1



> systemctl status wpa_supplicant-wired@eth1

```

If the service successfully started and is active, you should see similar logs as when we tested with the `wpa_supplicant` command.



Now we can go ahead and enable the service.

```

> systemctl enable wpa_supplicant-wired@eth1

```



Try restarting your Unifi gateway if you wish, and it should automatically authenticate!



## Survive firmware updates

Firmware updates will nuke the packages installed through `apt` that don't come with the stock Unifi OS, removing our `wpasupplicant` package and service. Since we'll no longer have internet without wpa_supplicant authenticating us with ATT, we can't reinstall it from the debian repos.



Let's cache some files locally and create a system service to automatically reinstall, start, and enable wpa_supplicant again on bootup.



First download the required packages (with missing dependencies) from debian into a persisted folder. These are the resources if you wish to pull the latest download links. Make sure to get the `arm64` package.

- https://packages.debian.org/bullseye/arm64/wpasupplicant/download

- https://packages.debian.org/bullseye/arm64/libpcsclite1/download



```

> mkdir -p /etc/wpa_supplicant/packages

> cd /etc/wpa_supplicant/packages

> wget http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/pool/main/w/wpa/wpasupplicant_2.9.0-21_arm64.deb

> wget http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/pool/main/p/pcsc-lite/libpcsclite1_1.9.1-1_arm64.deb

```



> As of the 3.1.15 -> 3.1.16 firmware update, my `/etc/wpa_supplicant` folder did not get wiped, so these should persist through an update for us to reinstall.



Now let's create a service to install these packages and enable/start wpa_supplicant:



```

> vi /etc/systemd/system/reinstall-wpa.service

```



Paste this as the content:

```

[Unit]

Description=Reinstall and start/enable wpa_supplicant

AssertPathExistsGlob=/etc/wpa_supplicant/packages/wpasupplicant*arm64.deb

AssertPathExistsGlob=/etc/wpa_supplicant/packages/libpcsclite1*arm64.deb

ConditionPathExists=!/sbin/wpa_supplicant

After=basic.target sysinit.target

Wants=basic.target sysinit.target



[Service]

Type=oneshot

ExecStartPre=/bin/sh -c 'dpkg -Ri /etc/wpa_supplicant/packages'

ExecStart=/bin/sh -c 'systemctl start wpa_supplicant-wired@eth1'

ExecStartPost=/bin/sh -c 'systemctl enable wpa_supplicant-wired@eth1'

Restart=on-failure



[Install]

WantedBy=multi-user.target

```

Now enable the service.

```

> systemctl daemon-reload

> systemctl enable reinstall-wpa.service

```

This service should run on startup. It will check if `/sbin/wpa_supplicant` got wiped, and if our package files exist. If both are true, it will install and startup wpa_supplicant.



(Optional) If you want to test this...



```

> systemctl stop wpa_supplicant-wired@eth1

> systemctl disable wpa_supplicant-wired@eth1

> apt remove wpasupplicant -y

```



Now try restarting your gateway. Upon boot up, SSH back in, and check `systemctl status wpa_supplicant-wired@eth1`.

- Alternatively, without a restart, run `systemctl start reinstall.service`, wait until it finishes, then `systemctl status wpa_supplicant-wired@eth1`.)



You should see the following:

```

Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/[email protected]; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)

Active: active (running) ...

...

Dec 29 23:20:00 UXG-Lite wpa_supplicant[6845]: eth1: CTRL-EVENT-EAP-SUCCESS EAP authentication completed successfully

```



## File list

For my own sanity, here's a final list of files created or copied into the gateway during this guide:



```

etc

├── network

│   └── if-up.d

│       └── **changemac** (if needed for MAC spoof)

├── systemd

│   └── system

│       └── **reinstall-wpa.service**

└── wpa_supplicant

    ├── **wpa_supplicant-wired-eth1.conf**

    ├── certs

    │   ├── CA_XXX.pem

    │   ├── Client_XXX.pem

    │   └── PrivateKey_PKCS1_XXX.pem

    └── packages

        ├── wpasupplicant_..._arm64.deb

        └── libpcsclite1_..._arm64.deb

```



## Troubleshooting



Some problems I ran into...






  OpenSSL: tls_connection_ca_cert



    > OpenSSL: tls_connection_ca_cert - Failed to load root certificates error:02001002:system library:fopen:No such file or directory



- Make sure in the wpa_supplicant config file to set the absolute path for each certificate, mentioned [here](#copy-certs-and-config-to-unifi-gateway).



## Additional resources

Special thanks to many of these resources I used to learn all this (nearly from scratch).

- [Guide for USG wpa_supplicant](https://wells.ee/journal/2020-03-01-bypassing-att-fiber-modem-unifi-usg/)

- [ArchWiki wpa_supplicant guide](https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Wpa_supplicant) where I learned to use wpa_supplicant

- [Spoofing MAC on interfaces](https://www.xmodulo.com/spoof-mac-address-network-interface-linux.html) for spoofing MAC

- [DigitalOcean Systemd unit files](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/understanding-systemd-units-and-unit-files) for info on systemd unit files

- [Post by /u/superm1](https://www.reddit.com/r/Ubiquiti/comments/18rc0ag/att_modem_bypass_and_unifios_32x_guide/) who posted a similar approach to mine a few days after. I adapted the reinstall service with some extra checks and improvements to also start/enable wpasupplicant after installing.