Do not use Raspberry Pi Imager 1.9.4 to build an AllStarLink ASL3 Pi Appliance. There is a bug in the imager software with version 1.9.4 that breaks the WiFi network setup. Please use version 1.8.5 until there is a replacement for 1.9.4 that fixes the issue.
I have had a few bumpy rides when using the Pi-Imager over the last few years. The one I recall was when the admin password was set but then you couldn't login when the SD card was transferred to the Pi. Lots of fixes appeared talking about problems with the password hash.... use a generic hash and edit file x, y & z. It didn't work. I reverted to a very old version of the RPi imaging software where you couldn't even pick a username. You where stuck with the 'Life of pi' (aka pi) but it worked.
Thank you for the update. Looking at the imager download directory it's interesting they jump from v1.8.5 to v1.9.4. Last fall I had upgraded to v1.9.0. Can't be a coincidence that I posted about an issue with the Wi-Fi Manager after imaging with v1.9.0 back in December of last year. Wonder if the "bug" has been there for all of the v1.9.x versions. Double checked my current install and I had rolled back to v1.8.5.
interesting.
I have bult 3 nodes this last week using 1.8.5 and 3 of them would not work on wifi. my work around was to clone the sd card of the one I got working 3 weeks ago and change all the node numbers etc. I never could get the wifi to work on those otherwise.