Ubuntu console wifi setup

Configure WiFi Connections

This section explains how to establish a WiFi connection. It covers creating and modifying connections as well as directly connecting.

Establish a Wireless Connection

This section will show how to establish a wifi connection to the wireless network. Note that directly connecting will implicitly create a connection (that can be seen with “nmcli c”). The naming of such will follow “SSID N” pattern, where N is a number.

First, determine the name of the WiFi interface:

$ nmcli d DEVICE TYPE STATE CONNECTION . wlan0 wifi disconnected -- 

Make sure the WiFi radio is on (which is its default state):

Then, list the available WiFi networks:

$ nmcli d wifi list * SSID MODE CHAN RATE SIGNAL BARS SECURITY . my_wifi Infra 5 54 Mbit/s 89 ▂▄▆█ WPA2 

As an example, to connect to the access point ‘my_wifi’, you would use the following command:

$ nmcli d wifi connect my_wifi password

is the password for the connection which needs to have 8-63 characters or 64 hexadecimal characters to specify a full 256-bit key.

Connect to a Hidden Network

A hidden network is a normal wireless network that simply does not broadcast it’s SSID unless solicited. This means that its name cannot be searched and must be known from some other source.

Issue the following command to create a connection associated with a hidden network :

$ nmcli c add type wifi con-name ifname wlan0 ssid $ nmcli c modify wifi-sec.key-mgmt wpa-psk wifi-sec.psk

Now you can establish a connection by typing:

is an arbitrary name given to the connection and is the password to the network. It needs to have between 8-63 characters or 64 hexadecimal characters in order to specify a full 256-bit key.

Further Information

You will find further information and more detailed examples on following pages:

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How to Connect to WiFi from the Terminal in Ubuntu

Ubuntu is a Linux-based, multi-purpose operating system designed specifically for PCs, mobile phones, and network servers. It is one of the most popular Linux distributions because of its well-designed, powerful, and easy-to-use GUI.

Nevertheless, the Ubuntu NetworkManager can sometimes be tricky, and the Graphical interface makes it difficult for you to connect to WiFi or ethernet.

You’re likely to face an issue starting the network manager or even connecting to an already known WiFi network.

While this problem can be pretty annoying, luckily, there are several command-line utilities available for managing wireless network interface in Linux systems. To add to that, it’s relatively easy too. Read below to configure an internet connection in Ubuntu PC operating system.

How Can I Connect to a Wireless Network through Ubuntu Terminal?

You can connect to a WiFi network using the Ubuntu terminal commands. But before we explain how to do that, you should bear two things in mind.

First, you shouldn’t hesitate to use terminals to edit files. Second, you should know the name of your WiFi access point (SSID) and, of course, the password.

Please read below to learn about a few command-line tools and how to use them.

NMCLI

NMCLI (NetworkManager Command-line) manages the network manager interface and identifies available internet connections. It can be used to activate, edit, and delete wireless network connections.

While connecting to a WiFi network through a terminal can be challenging (as some methods may require a PSK key and configuration files), NMCLI makes it easy.

All you need to know is your network’s SSID and password, and here’s what needs to be done.

Enable a Wireless Network Connection

You can only connect to your wireless network once you enable the connection. To check the status of your network interfaces, use the “nmcli dev status” command.

A list of available devices will be displayed along with their network information.

To check if your wi-fi is enabled or not, run the “nmcli radio wifi” command. If the result shows it as disabled, you can enable it by running the following command “nmcli radio wifi on”.

Spot Wi-Fi Access Point

At this step, you’d need to know the name of your wireless access point (WAP). If you do not know your SSID, run the following command, “nmcli dev wifi list.“

That’s it! A list with several networks will appear on display. You can note the one you want to connect to.

Connect Wi-Fi

Once you’ve identified your wireless network interface, you can connect to wifi by running the “sudo nmcli dev wifi connect network-ssid” command.

Remove the current SSID and enter the name of your network. If you have WiFi security on your network, you can enter the password, and you’re good to go.

After following the instructions above, your NetworkManager will save the connection, so you won’t have to run the command every time you need to get your WiFi working.

NMTUI

NMTUI (NetworkManager Text User Interface) is another handy tool that allows you to connect to a wireless interface without hassle.

While it lacks several features provided by the NMCI tool, it’s still wonderful to perform basic tasks. Follow the steps below to configure your network interface in the Ubuntu server.

Run NMTUI

To use NMTUI, run the “nmtui” command in your terminal. A new tab will open with Active a Connection right in the middle. Click on it and choose Ok.

Connect to WiFi

Next, a list with several network interfaces will appear. Here, you need to identify your network connection and connect.

If your Wi-Fi is protected, you’ll need to type the password, press enter, and you’re all set! You can select Quit after you’re done with the steps.

The new network will be saved to your device. Hence, you won’t have to go through the command process every time you connect to WiFi.

Netplan

You can easily configure a WiFi connection with Netplan. It generates the required connection for you by creating a YAML file that specifies the interface details. Here’s how you can use Netplan to connect to a WiFi terminal

Identify the Wireless Network Interface Name

There are various ways to know the wireless interface name. For instance, you can run the “ifconfig” command.

The available interfaces will appear on display. Typically, the name begins with “w” and can be iwconfig wlan0 or wlp3so (depends on your Ubuntu system)

Remember this name for the next step.

Navigate the Config File

Next, you need to find out the correct configuration files. Remember that the configuration file is located in /etc/

The name of the configuration file might be: “0.1-network-manager-all.yaml”, or it can be “50-cloud-init-yaml”.

Modify Netplan Configuration File

Once you navigate the Netplan configuration file, you’ll need to edit it. First, you have to replace ESSID with your SSID and enter the password. You’ll need to enter the following lines.

However, make sure that you keep the alignment similar; otherwise, the output might turn out wrong.

Connect to WiFi

Once you’ve followed the steps above, you can connect to the wireless interface by running the command sudo netplan apply in the command prompt.

If you get stuck by some unfortunate output, you can establish a “sudo netplan – debug apply”, or you can restart your Ubuntu system and generate Netplan again.

If your system is already running the Netplan service, you probably may come across a warning sign (if you apply Netplan again) as it will update the config file.

You can run the IP command and check to confirm that you’ve successfully connected to a WiFi network.

Ping

The primary purpose of the ping command is to troubleshoot the connectivity and reachability of a particular connection. Here’s how you can use this software to check your Wi-Fi network.

• Establish terminal on Ubuntu
• Type a website’s ping command; for instance, you can type “ping google.com” and hit enter.
• Each line of output will show a ping command in milliseconds if your WiFi is working.
• If your WiFi is not working, you’ll see “unknown host” appear on your display.

Ifconfig

Ifconfig is yet another command used to configure a network interface. You can use it at boot time to set up an internet connection. Also, it can check the given IP address of a particular server.

• Launch terminal on Ubuntu
• Type the command “ifconfig” andpress enter
• If your WiFi is working, you’ll see the IPv4 and IPv6 addresses below “eth1″

If you own an older Linux distribution, you’ll use the Ifconfig command; otherwise, you’ll run the IP command.

Iwconfig

You can use the iwconfig command for network configuration on your Ubuntu server. Follow the instructions below.

• Run the terminal session
• Enter “iwconfig” in the command prompt
• Below the iwconfig output section, find Mood
• If your WiFi connection is working, you’ll see the following things: access points, network frequencies, and your WiFi’s Extended Service Set Identification (ESSI)

Wrap Up

There are several command lines that you can utilize to connect a wireless network on Ubuntu. Hopefully, you’ll be able to configure your WiFi interface by following the instructions above.

Patrick Dobbins

Patrick Dobbins is a technology writer with over eight years of experience in the online market. He specializes in exploring apple products and talks about the latest features for the MacOs, iPhone, and iPad. Although his main area of expertise lies in Mac and iOS, he doesn’t stray far from Windows. In addition to writing for RottenWifi, Patrick has also made editorial contributions to other forums, including Business 2 Community and Tweak Your Biz. Apart from his work, Patrick is a husband and a father of two who enjoys heavy metal. He also knows his way around a piano, but he’s not as good at it as he is at writing.

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