Build hostapd in buildroot

[dankrause]

We're currently using a statically compiled hostapd from PQI's stock firmware. Due to the need to use an old kernel version, the newest buildroot doesn't support building a working hostapd out of the box. We'll need to get it building an old version of hostapd that works for us.

[hillct]

Just for completeness of notes here, the issue is compilation of libnl https://github.com/tgraf/libnl which requires IFLA_CAN_BERR_COUNTER which was introduced in kernel 2.6.34 so we're out of luck until we can use kernels newer than 2.6.32 which is Dmitry's build. Regarding kernel builds, we should certainly investigate the Transcend firmware 1.8 which may ease use of a newer kernel (Dmitry's work was based upon firmware 1.6)

[dankrause]

Sadly, the kernel version in Trancend 1.8 is 2.6.32.28 - it's unlikely that any other kernel version will ever surface for these devices, so unless someone can write some open source replacements for the device drivers, we're stuck with it. Hopefully, we'll be able to replace hostapd with wpa_supplicant anyway.

[hillct]

I've been testing various mode=2 wpa_supplicant configurations for over a week and haven't been able to come up with one that even initiates the AP at all. My poorly constructed (with errors email to the hostap mailing list got no response probably because at that time I hadn't assembled appropriate debugging logs etc, and I mistakenly referenced mode 3 (which doesn't exist) rather than mode 2. I'm constructing a new inquiry to that list with supporting logs etc, shortly. Certainly, if we can utilize wpa_supplicant alone to handle the AP fallback that will be vastly simplify fallback management.