The WiFi Pineapple Pager has multiple ways to connect to networks and devices:

  • USB-C
  • Wi-Fi Client Mode
  • Wi-Fi Management Access Point
  • USB Ethernet

Connecting via USB-C

The USB-C port of the Pager presents as a USB Ethernet device, allowing you to connect the Pager directly to a PC or laptop. The USB-C port is also used for charging.

Internally to a Realtek RTL8153 Ethernet chip, chosen because it is supported by all current operating systems (Linux, BSD, Windows, and macOS) and should not required additional driver installation.

The Pager uses the 172.16.52.0/24 IP range, and will automatically assign a DHCP address to devices connected via the USB-C port.

Devices connected to the USB-C port are allowed to connect to the SSH server and the Virtual Pager page.

Connecting to Wi-Fi as a client

The Pager can also act as a Wi-Fi client device and connect to existing WiFi networks.

In client mode, the WiFi Pineapple Pager will connect to an existing access point and obtain an IP address via DHCP.

The Pager in client mode will act as a normal network device - payloads on the Pager will be able to access the network (and the Internet, assuming the connection has connectivity), and the Pager itself can fetch firmware updates directly.

Pager mode can be enabled in the Pineapple Pager Settings panel, under Settings > Network > Client Mode Setup. It can also be configured via SSH using the WIFI_CONNECT command.

For example,

  root@pager:/mmc/root# WIFI_CONNECT wlan0cli 'MyHomeNetwork' psk2 'Beansbeansbans' ANY

You can run WIFI_CONNECT --help for more information on using the shell setup commands.

Connecting via Wi-Fi Management

The WiFi Pineapple Pager can optionally enable a management Wi-Fi network. This network is protected by WPA2-PSK or WPA3-SAE, and allows you to connect to the Pager from any Wi-Fi capable device.

The management network can be enabled via the Pineapple Pager Settings panel, under Settings > Network > Management AP Setup. It can also be configured via SSH using the WIFI_MGMT_AP command.

For example,

  root@pager:/mmc/root# WIFI_MGMT_AP wlan0mgmt 'PagerManagement' sae-mixed 'SuperSecret_PagerPassword'

You can run WIFI_MGMT_AP --help for more information on using the shell setup commands.

Devices connected to the Wi-Fi Management access point are allowed to connect to the SSH server and the Virtual Pager page.

USB Ethernet

The Pager supports most USB Ethernet chipsets. A USB Ethernet adapter can be plugged into the WiFi Pineapple Pager A port, and the Pager will automatically use it for network connectivity.