Unlike popular belief, Ubuntu and other Linux-based distributions don’t always require users to be familiar with the command prompt—or the terminal—as Linux folks like to call it. On the contrary, Linux distributions have been becoming more user-friendly with time. As a matter of fact, Linux distros such as Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and Debian allow users to carry out most of the tasks using a graphical user interface. So, whether you want to install software, change the desktop wallpaper, or connect to the Internet, you can do so without having to run several commands. Accordingly, it is no longer necessary to be tech-savvy if you want to get your hands on a Linux-based operating system. With that being said, there could be some cases where you’d want to use the Linux terminal to do a job. More specifically, if you have Ubuntu Server installed on your system, you’d have to connect to WiFi the CLI-way since there will be no desktop environment. If you aren’t familiar with the Linux terminal, you need not worry. In this article, we will teach you all about connecting to WiFi networks with the help of the Linux terminal. Also, note that you can follow our method whether you’re using Ubuntu Desktop or Ubuntu Server. Let’s have a look at the steps! Step 1: Finding your ESSID. Step 2: Connecting to Wi-Fi Network. Step 3: Enable Auto Connect. Obtaining a Static IP Address.
Step 1: Finding your ESSID.
In order to follow this procedure, the first thing that we have to do is find the ESSID, as it will be used in our next step. If you’re wondering what’s an ESSID, it’s just the network name identifier. If we have that clear, we can now get to identifying the ESSID with the help of the Linux terminal. Even if you’re new to the terminal, you need not worry as we’ll tell you all the commands to run. For this step, you need to follow this procedure:
Once you have noted down the ESSID, we can move on to our next step.
Step 2: Connecting to Wi-Fi Network.
Now, when it comes to actually connecting to your Wi-Fi network, you would need to take some help from wpa_supplicant. If wpa_supplicant doesn’t ring a bell, you should just know that it determines whether a computer can join a network. Another utility we’ll be using is the wpa_passphrase, which comes pre-installed with Linux. Once you’re done with this step, your computer should have successfully connected to your Wi-Fi network. So, here are the steps:
With this, your computer should now be connected to your Wi-Fi network. However, one thing to note here is that if your ESSID contains whitespace, your best is to write it inside double quotes so you don’t run into any errors.
Step 3: Enable Auto Connect.
Although it isn’t that difficult to connect to your Wi-Fi network through Linux terminal, following this procedure every time you turn on your PC could be a tad time-consuming. Considering this, this section will teach you how to make your computer automatically connect to your Wi-Fi network at boot time. However, for enabling auto connect, we’ll have to use the Nano text editor that comes with Ubuntu Linux. If you’re unfamiliar with Nano, you need not worry as we’ll also give you some basic guidelines on how to use it. Just follow these steps:
Obtaining a Static IP Address.
Although your computer should now be able to connect to the Internet, it is a good idea to get a static IP address for your connection. Getting one is possible by following these steps:
Using this, you have now connected to WiFi from the Terminal in Ubuntu Linux. As long as you carefully follow our instructions, you shouldn’t run into any issues. If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂
