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connect to wifi from command line

Other posts seems to be addressing more complicated network connection issues from the command line.

The Unity panel Network indicator/button doesn't respond too well sometimes - it keeps trying to connect to a network even when i click on
"disconnect", stuff like that.

So I want to go command line for the control. I don't like GUIs anyway.

Is there not some simple command line tool which can do something like the following?

wifi connect MyNetworkNameA

wifi disconnect
wifi connect MyNetworkNameB

wireless command-line network-manager panel

asked May 6 '14 at 15:20

cmo
743 2 8 13

3 Depends , what wireless security ? This is covered in detail here -

help.ubuntu.com/community/NetworkConfigurationCommandLine/ bodhi.zazen May 6 '14 at 15:27

2 Answers

I think you want to keep using managed interface (by NetworkManager). nmcli is a command
line tool for controlling NetworkManager.

To see list of saved connections, use ( <SavedWiFiConn> )

nmcli c

To see list of available WiFi hotspots ( <WiFiSSID> )

nmcli d wifi list

or:
sudo iwlist wlan0 scanning

To see list of interfaces ( <WifiInterface> )

ifconfig -a

Just change <WifiInterface> , <WiFiSSID> , <WiFiPassword> in the following commands to

reflect your setup. If WiFi info already saved, easier way using <SavedWiFiConn> name of
connection as it was saved in NetworkManager.

Ubuntu 16.04

##disconnect
nmcli d disconnect <WifiInterface>
##connect
nmcli d connect <WifiInterface>

Another way:

##disconnect
nmcli c down <SavedWiFiConn>

##connect
nmcli c up <SavedWiFiConn>

Ubuntu 15.10 & previous

##disconnect
nmcli d disconnect iface <WifiInterface>

##connect
nmcli d wifi connect <WiFiSSID> password <WiFiPassword> iface <WifiInterface>

Another way:

##disconnect:
nmcli c down id <SavedWiFiConn>

##connect:
nmcli c up id <SavedWiFiConn>

Reference: man nmcli

edited Jun 20 '16 at 21:47 answered May 6 '14 at 15:36

user.dz
30k 11 70 147

1 Works like a charm! And, as suspected, the command line responds immediately, while the GUI can be sluggish,
uncooperative, and unresponsive sometimes. cmo May 6 '14 at 15:55

1 Saved my day when I lost my Unity dash and taskbar, and the Network Settings dialog kept on crashing upon any
kind of network connection establishment. Janaka Bandara Nov 27 '14 at 1:21

1 @kirill_igum , sorry to be late quiet busy, You may use cron for scheduling wifi scan using iwlist wlan0
scanning or nmcli d wifi list then nmcli to connect to the corresponding wifi network depending on your
needs. user.dz Jan 11 '16 at 21:59

1 The command that I was issuing was giving an error. I was issuing this command: nmcli c up id "Apollo III
Connect" It gave an error. When I leave out the word id and typed this it connects without error: nmcli c
"Apollo III Connect" . I understand how to connect it now. You're saying id as the parameter and saying
replace the word id with the name of the connection, which you are naming <WiFiConn>. Thanks! L. D. James
Jun 15 '16 at 22:48

1 mcli tool, version 1.2.0 L. D. James Jun 15 '16 at 23:48

If your wi-fi access point is saved, it will auto-connect. Turn wireless on or off with a simpler
command:

nmcli nm wifi on
nmcli nm wifi off

on newer version:

nmcli radio wifi on

nmcli radio wifi off

For reference, see man nmcli .

edited Apr 1 '16 at 18:30 answered Mar 4 '15 at 20:16

user.dz LinuxLearner
30k 11 70 147 139 1 2

Yep, this the best (simpler then mine :) ) when working with single WiFi network. user.dz Apr 13 '15 at 8:27

1 How do you make NM enable wifi automatically during boot? Every time I reboot, Network Manager starts with wifi
disabled. Cerin Jul 25 '15 at 21:46

@Cerin, you may try adding this command to startup applications, see askubuntu.com/questions/243139/
user.dz Jan 11 '16 at 21:47

1 Note the nm option has been removed or replaced (?) in newer versions of nmcli dgorissen Mar 18 '16 at 14:30

1 @dgorissen, yes it seems changed on newer version, replace nm with radio . I've updated this answer. user.dz
Apr 1 '16 at 18:31
protected by Community May 25 at 2:43
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