diff --git a/include/net/mac80211.h b/include/net/mac80211.h
index 00b7204708bd681d7bb8baf241b23557460f1a09..5f5327452c9a03122af32b2bb75c67c978b23d8a 100644
--- a/include/net/mac80211.h
+++ b/include/net/mac80211.h
@@ -2381,6 +2381,13 @@ enum ieee80211_rate_control_changed {
  *	to vif. Possible use is for hw queue remapping.
  * @unassign_vif_chanctx: Notifies device driver about channel context being
  *	unbound from vif.
+ * @start_ap: Start operation on the AP interface, this is called after all the
+ *	information in bss_conf is set and beacon can be retrieved. A channel
+ *	context is bound before this is called. Note that if the driver uses
+ *	software scan or ROC, this (and @stop_ap) isn't called when the AP is
+ *	just "paused" for scanning/ROC, which is indicated by the beacon being
+ *	disabled/enabled via @bss_info_changed.
+ * @stop_ap: Stop operation on the AP interface.
  */
 struct ieee80211_ops {
 	void (*tx)(struct ieee80211_hw *hw,
@@ -2406,6 +2413,9 @@ struct ieee80211_ops {
 				 struct ieee80211_bss_conf *info,
 				 u32 changed);
 
+	int (*start_ap)(struct ieee80211_hw *hw, struct ieee80211_vif *vif);
+	void (*stop_ap)(struct ieee80211_hw *hw, struct ieee80211_vif *vif);
+
 	u64 (*prepare_multicast)(struct ieee80211_hw *hw,
 				 struct netdev_hw_addr_list *mc_list);
 	void (*configure_filter)(struct ieee80211_hw *hw,
diff --git a/net/mac80211/cfg.c b/net/mac80211/cfg.c
index 95bf3d5d009fdfb1b5dcbc539e8ca0c5b2b4ac41..34fd3eba30909393de773514efcfa54c0e8ad328 100644
--- a/net/mac80211/cfg.c
+++ b/net/mac80211/cfg.c
@@ -922,6 +922,15 @@ static int ieee80211_start_ap(struct wiphy *wiphy, struct net_device *dev,
 		return err;
 	changed |= err;
 
+	err = drv_start_ap(sdata->local, sdata);
+	if (err) {
+		old = rtnl_dereference(sdata->u.ap.beacon);
+		if (old)
+			kfree_rcu(old, rcu_head);
+		RCU_INIT_POINTER(sdata->u.ap.beacon, NULL);
+		return err;
+	}
+
 	ieee80211_bss_info_change_notify(sdata, changed);
 
 	netif_carrier_on(dev);
@@ -979,6 +988,8 @@ static int ieee80211_stop_ap(struct wiphy *wiphy, struct net_device *dev)
 	sta_info_flush(local, sdata);
 	ieee80211_bss_info_change_notify(sdata, BSS_CHANGED_BEACON_ENABLED);
 
+	drv_stop_ap(sdata->local, sdata);
+
 	/* free all potentially still buffered bcast frames */
 	local->total_ps_buffered -= skb_queue_len(&sdata->u.ap.ps.bc_buf);
 	skb_queue_purge(&sdata->u.ap.ps.bc_buf);
diff --git a/net/mac80211/driver-ops.h b/net/mac80211/driver-ops.h
index 77407b31e1ffb7120927f872f24ce5276904c5fe..1701ad7013a442e0fb717a4c88200bb9309caa77 100644
--- a/net/mac80211/driver-ops.h
+++ b/net/mac80211/driver-ops.h
@@ -936,4 +936,29 @@ static inline void drv_unassign_vif_chanctx(struct ieee80211_local *local,
 	trace_drv_return_void(local);
 }
 
+static inline int drv_start_ap(struct ieee80211_local *local,
+			       struct ieee80211_sub_if_data *sdata)
+{
+	int ret = 0;
+
+	check_sdata_in_driver(sdata);
+
+	trace_drv_start_ap(local, sdata, &sdata->vif.bss_conf);
+	if (local->ops->start_ap)
+		ret = local->ops->start_ap(&local->hw, &sdata->vif);
+	trace_drv_return_int(local, ret);
+	return ret;
+}
+
+static inline void drv_stop_ap(struct ieee80211_local *local,
+			       struct ieee80211_sub_if_data *sdata)
+{
+	check_sdata_in_driver(sdata);
+
+	trace_drv_stop_ap(local, sdata);
+	if (local->ops->stop_ap)
+		local->ops->stop_ap(&local->hw, &sdata->vif);
+	trace_drv_return_void(local);
+}
+
 #endif /* __MAC80211_DRIVER_OPS */
diff --git a/net/mac80211/pm.c b/net/mac80211/pm.c
index 9f404ac901ab60cb3d9ee69e0eb9d7516e8484f5..0f1c434638bcb26eb85fd4afbd335a4da75ac391 100644
--- a/net/mac80211/pm.c
+++ b/net/mac80211/pm.c
@@ -135,6 +135,10 @@ int __ieee80211_suspend(struct ieee80211_hw *hw, struct cfg80211_wowlan *wowlan)
 		ieee80211_bss_info_change_notify(sdata,
 			BSS_CHANGED_BEACON_ENABLED);
 
+		if (sdata->vif.type == NL80211_IFTYPE_AP &&
+		    rcu_access_pointer(sdata->u.ap.beacon))
+			drv_stop_ap(local, sdata);
+
 		/* the interface is leaving the channel and is removed */
 		ieee80211_vif_release_channel(sdata);
 		drv_remove_interface(local, sdata);
diff --git a/net/mac80211/trace.h b/net/mac80211/trace.h
index 0638541b625f155d0299998a8edbd457858f36e0..5e74e77cba9a0caf7242a62d3fd139206846fc68 100644
--- a/net/mac80211/trace.h
+++ b/net/mac80211/trace.h
@@ -1396,6 +1396,43 @@ DEFINE_EVENT(local_sdata_chanctx, drv_unassign_vif_chanctx,
 	TP_ARGS(local, sdata, ctx)
 );
 
+TRACE_EVENT(drv_start_ap,
+	TP_PROTO(struct ieee80211_local *local,
+		 struct ieee80211_sub_if_data *sdata,
+		 struct ieee80211_bss_conf *info),
+
+	TP_ARGS(local, sdata, info),
+
+	TP_STRUCT__entry(
+		LOCAL_ENTRY
+		VIF_ENTRY
+		__field(u8, dtimper)
+		__field(u16, bcnint)
+		__dynamic_array(u8, ssid, info->ssid_len);
+		__field(bool, hidden_ssid);
+	),
+
+	TP_fast_assign(
+		LOCAL_ASSIGN;
+		VIF_ASSIGN;
+		__entry->dtimper = info->dtim_period;
+		__entry->bcnint = info->beacon_int;
+		memcpy(__get_dynamic_array(ssid), info->ssid, info->ssid_len);
+		__entry->hidden_ssid = info->hidden_ssid;
+	),
+
+	TP_printk(
+		LOCAL_PR_FMT  VIF_PR_FMT,
+		LOCAL_PR_ARG, VIF_PR_ARG
+	)
+);
+
+DEFINE_EVENT(local_sdata_evt, drv_stop_ap,
+	TP_PROTO(struct ieee80211_local *local,
+		 struct ieee80211_sub_if_data *sdata),
+	TP_ARGS(local, sdata)
+);
+
 /*
  * Tracing for API calls that drivers call.
  */
diff --git a/net/mac80211/util.c b/net/mac80211/util.c
index ea8a6744a9dbffeb9ac71307bab763d2d8eb4fbd..dd0e6f20fc51f713348d138a18cda88f2a2a8f94 100644
--- a/net/mac80211/util.c
+++ b/net/mac80211/util.c
@@ -1467,9 +1467,13 @@ int ieee80211_reconfig(struct ieee80211_local *local)
 		case NL80211_IFTYPE_AP:
 			changed |= BSS_CHANGED_SSID;
 
-			if (sdata->vif.type == NL80211_IFTYPE_AP)
+			if (sdata->vif.type == NL80211_IFTYPE_AP) {
 				changed |= BSS_CHANGED_AP_PROBE_RESP;
 
+				if (rcu_access_pointer(sdata->u.ap.beacon))
+					drv_start_ap(local, sdata);
+			}
+
 			/* fall through */
 		case NL80211_IFTYPE_MESH_POINT:
 			changed |= BSS_CHANGED_BEACON |