10 tools to connect to wireless networks in Linux
I spend much of my time on wireless networks. The distribution of Linux I’m using and the hardware I’m using will dictate which application I use to connect to any given access point. Some of these tools are distribution independent. Some are not. Some were created for a specific desktop but will still work with other desktops.
For many mobile Linux users, being able to connect via wireless is just a matter of finding the right tool. Here are 10 of them that will help you connect your Linux laptop to a wireless access point. If one doesn’t work (or install), try another. Eventually you’ll get connected.
1: GNOME Network Manager
This is the nm-applet tool. It’s the default connection method in many distributions (that default to GNOME) and is one of the most well done of all the tools. The nm-applet resides in the GNOME panel and matches the OS X wireless connection tool for simplicity and reliability. This tool is so good I have found it can be run without GNOME running. Say, for example, I am in the Enlightenment window manager. I can open up a terminal window and issue the command nm-applet and connect to a wireless access point that has previously been configured. To that end, I place a menu entry in the E16 menu for nm-applet, and when it is clicked I see nothing (no GUI opens no text flies by) — yet I am connected. Of course, this won’t work with a wireless access point you haven’t previously connected to. For that, you will have to be in GNOME and set that connection up through the GNOME Network Manger. Works with most encryption schemes.
2: Wicd
This is one of my favorite wireless network managers.
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