In today's tech-savvy world, mastering the art of connecting to WiFi networks via the terminal is a valuable skill for any Linux user. Whether you're troubleshooting network issues, configuring headless systems, or just prefer the command line interface, knowing the right commands can save time and effort. In this guide, we'll walk through the process of connecting to WiFi networks step by step, using simple commands in the terminal.

Step 1: Identify Your Wireless Interface

Before connecting to a WiFi network, you need to know the name of your wireless interface. Open a terminal and type the following command:

iwconfig

Look for the interface name associated with your WiFi adapter (e.g., wlan0 or wlp2s0).

Step 2: Scan for Available WiFi Networks

To see a list of available WiFi networks, use the iwlist command. Replace your_interface with the name of your wireless interface:

sudo iwlist your_interface scan | grep ESSID

This command will display a list of nearby WiFi networks along with their SSIDs (network names).

Step 3: Connect to a WiFi Network

Now, let's connect to a WiFi network. Replace your_interface with your wireless interface name and your_network_name and your_password with the SSID and password of the network you want to connect to:

sudo wpa_supplicant -B -i your_interface -c <(wpa_passphrase your_network_name your_password)

This command configures the wpa_supplicant service with the network details.

Step 4: Obtain an IP Address

After configuring wpa_supplicant, obtain an IP address for your interface using the dhclient command. Replace your_interface with your wireless interface name:

sudo dhclient your_interface

This command requests an IP address from the DHCP server of the WiFi network.

Step 5: Verify Connection

To verify that you're connected to the WiFi network, you can use the ping command to check internet connectivity:

ping -c 4 google.com

If the ping command returns responses, congratulations! You've successfully connected to the WiFi network.

Conclusion

With just a few simple commands in the terminal, you can easily connect to WiFi networks on your Linux system. Whether you're managing servers remotely, configuring IoT devices, or troubleshooting network issues, knowing how to connect to WiFi from the terminal is a valuable skill. Practice these commands, and soon you'll be navigating the digital world with ease, all from the comfort of your command line interface.