diff --git a/package/network/services/hostapd/Makefile b/package/network/services/hostapd/Makefile
index 6d1c3cad82..48edbf3f34 100644
--- a/package/network/services/hostapd/Makefile
+++ b/package/network/services/hostapd/Makefile
@@ -613,6 +613,9 @@ ifeq ($(BUILD_VARIANT),supplicant-full-wolfssl)
   endef
 endif
 
+# Build hostapd-common before its dependents, to avoid
+# spurious rebuilds when building multiple variants.
+$(eval $(call BuildPackage,hostapd-common))
 $(eval $(call BuildPackage,hostapd))
 $(eval $(call BuildPackage,hostapd-basic))
 $(eval $(call BuildPackage,hostapd-mini))
@@ -636,7 +639,6 @@ $(eval $(call BuildPackage,wpa-supplicant-openssl))
 $(eval $(call BuildPackage,wpa-supplicant-wolfssl))
 $(eval $(call BuildPackage,wpa-cli))
 $(eval $(call BuildPackage,hostapd-utils))
-$(eval $(call BuildPackage,hostapd-common))
 $(eval $(call BuildPackage,eapol-test))
 $(eval $(call BuildPackage,eapol-test-openssl))
 $(eval $(call BuildPackage,eapol-test-wolfssl))