Roam is a local-only, privacy-first Linux application for automatic roaming between saved Wi-Fi networks. It watches NetworkManager and can switch between different SSIDs, or between access points using the same SSID, when the currently connected network becomes weak or unstable; you choose the saved profiles it may use, and no mesh network is required.
If your Linux laptop stays connected to a weak saved Wi-Fi network while a stronger known network is nearby, Roam is designed for that situation.
Linux laptops can remain connected to a Wi-Fi network after its signal becomes weak or unstable, even when another known network is available with a much better signal. This can happen in large homes, offices, warehouses, schools, laboratories, hotels, and other buildings with several access points or saved Wi-Fi networks.
Roam lets you choose which saved NetworkManager Wi-Fi profiles are eligible. It can switch to a clearly better eligible network when the current connection deteriorates. It works with ordinary NetworkManager profiles and independent access points: no mesh networking is required. Different SSIDs and multiple BSSIDs under one SSID are supported.
- Linux laptop users moving between rooms or floors.
- People working in buildings with several Wi-Fi networks or access points.
- Users with multiple saved Wi-Fi profiles who want to choose which may be used.
- Users whose laptop stays attached to a weak network for too long.
- Anyone who wants automatic Wi-Fi switching without a mesh network.
- Users looking for a local-only solution without cloud services.
Roam is not a mesh networking system, Wi-Fi access point, VPN, cloud monitoring service, password manager, or replacement for NetworkManager. NetworkManager continues to manage the actual Wi-Fi connection; Roam observes it and applies your selected roaming policy through NetworkManager.
Available now: build from source. No GitHub Releases or downloadable release artifacts have been published yet. Debian/Ubuntu packages, a Fedora-family RPM, and an Arch/AUR package are also not published. The repository contains draft Debian, RPM, and Arch packaging definitions; they have not been released through distro repositories or the AUR.
The GitHub release workflow creates a prerelease with a Linux x86_64 archive
and checksums from a matching version tag. No release has been published yet.
To prepare one, update the workspace version in Cargo.toml, commit the
release changes, then create and push the matching immutable tag (for example,
v0.1.0):
git tag -a v0.1.0 -m "Roam v0.1.0"
git push origin v0.1.0Pushing the tag starts the release workflow. Alternatively, use
Actions → Linux release → Run workflow and enter a tag that already exists
on GitHub; a missing tag stops with an explanatory error. The workflow checks
out that tag, runs formatting, lint, test,
and release-build checks, packages and validates the archive, then creates or
updates the GitHub prerelease. Rerun the same tag from the corrected default
branch when the workflow needs a fix; the tag stays in place and artifacts
are rebuilt from that tag's commit. The archive is not a distro package;
after extracting one, run scripts/install-archive.sh from the extracted
directory to install or update it.
Roam requires Linux, NetworkManager, systemd user services, GTK4, and
libadwaita. It does not support iwd-only, ConnMan, or raw wpa_supplicant
installations.
Install build dependencies:
# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install build-essential pkg-config libgtk-4-dev libadwaita-1-dev
# Fedora
sudo dnf install gcc pkg-config gtk4-devel libadwaita-devel
# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S base-devel pkgconf gtk4 libadwaitaCI pins third-party GitHub Actions to full commit SHAs. To update
dtolnay/rust-toolchain, review the intended commit in the official upstream
repository, confirm it is on the upstream master history, and replace the SHA
consistently in both workflows. Keep toolchain: stable so the action code is
pinned while Rust continues to track the stable channel.
Build and install the applications and user service (installing binaries in
/usr/bin requires administrator privileges; Roam itself still runs as your
user):
scripts/install-local.shPackage upgrades, scripts/install-local.sh, and the release archive installer
stop Roam for logged-in users when it is active before replacing the binaries,
then start it again afterward. If the service was already inactive, they leave
it inactive. Package hooks cover Debian packages, RPM packages, and the Arch
PKGBUILD. They operate only on active user service managers; users who are
logged out do not have a running Roam process to restart.
The first service start creates ~/.config/roam/config.toml with Automatic
mode, Medium responsiveness, and no eligible profiles. Open Roam and select the
saved profiles you want it to consider. The enabled user service starts at each
login and keeps running when the GUI closes. The service runs as your user and
does not require the whole application to run as root. The draft package
definitions enable the service for user logins; a first source install enables
and starts it. Launching the GUI also starts it in the current
session if needed. Logging out stops the normal user session, and the service
starts again at the next login. To opt out for this user, run
systemctl --user mask --now roam.service; to resume, run
systemctl --user unmask roam.service && systemctl --user start roam.service.
- Mode: Automatic switches when the policy finds a stable, clearly better eligible access point. Confirm asks before activation.
- Responsiveness: Low favors stability, Medium balances stability and earlier roaming, and High considers alternatives earlier.
- Eligible networks: Only checked saved NetworkManager profiles are candidates. Unknown access points are ignored.
Automatic roaming waits until the current connection has stayed degraded for 30 seconds (Low), 20 seconds (Medium), or 12 seconds (High). A brief signal seconds before Roam clears it. Signal decisions use the median of up to eight samples, with samples spaced at least five seconds apart. Recovery needs at least three samples whose median stays above the recovery threshold; one brief good reading cannot restart the timer. Medium and High begin seeking alternatives at lower points in the UI's Weak signal range than before. The alternative must also remain visible and stable for at least 20, 12, or 8 seconds respectively, and reach a good signal level. While searching or waiting for the current connection's dwell time, Roam requests a scan at most every 10 seconds. The status changes to “Candidate ready” when a candidate is qualified but the current connection's dwell time has not elapsed. The current and candidate labels show the filtered signal percentage so you can report what the policy is using during a delayed switch.
Roam activates a specific visible access point with NetworkManager's D-Bus
ActivateConnection method. It does not disconnect first, edit profiles, or
read Wi-Fi secrets. A failed activation leaves the current connection alone.
Roam monitors the current Wi-Fi connection and can switch between saved NetworkManager Wi-Fi profiles selected by you when the connection becomes weak or unstable.
Choose which saved Wi-Fi profiles Roam may use. It can activate a significantly better eligible profile when the current connection deteriorates.
Roam supports automatic switching between different saved NetworkManager Wi-Fi profiles selected by you. It also supports multiple access points under the same SSID.
No. Roam works with ordinary independent access points and saved Wi-Fi networks.
No. NetworkManager remains responsible for the actual Wi-Fi connection. Roam adds a user-controlled roaming policy and asks NetworkManager to activate a selected profile.
No. Roam is designed to work locally and makes no cloud or API calls.
No. Roam uses existing NetworkManager profiles and does not persist Wi-Fi credentials.
Roam stores its mode, responsiveness, and eligible NetworkManager profile UUIDs
in ~/.config/roam/config.toml. Signal and connection observations used by
the decision engine exist only in memory. Roam does not persist credentials,
SSID/BSSID or signal history, location, IP/DNS history, or connection history.
There is no telemetry, analytics, crash upload, cloud/API call, or update
tracking. Logs omit SSIDs, BSSIDs, passwords, and network addresses.
NetworkManager's standard D-Bus access point object reports signal strength as a percentage quality value. Roam keeps it on that scale; it is not dBm. Policy thresholds are internal starting points and have not been validated across real hardware.
The workspace contains roam-core (policy and deterministic tests),
roam-networkmanager (direct D-Bus access), roamd (background user service
and local Unix socket IPC), and roam-ui (GTK4/libadwaita client). The daemon
reacts to NetworkManager D-Bus signals and uses a 10-second fallback check.
It requests scans only while seeking candidates, with a rate limit.
cargo fmt --all -- --check
cargo clippy --workspace --all-targets --all-features
cargo test --workspace
cargo build --workspaceRoam uses the logged-in user's system D-Bus access to NetworkManager and does not install a privileged helper. NetworkManager and Polkit decide whether a requested connection activation is allowed. See SECURITY.md for vulnerability reporting and docs/index.html for the English project landing page.