Ubuntu

Feisty: How do I configure a new wifi connection on the fly?

Asked by C. F. Howlett

I finally got my broadcom wireless working with bcm43xx-fw solution in Feisty. I configured my connection for my home wifi and connected up.

When I'm out in the wild my network settings are set to the at home configuration. How do I

detect the new SSID on the fly and
configure for a new connection??

Redmond XP will auto detect the new network and configure then offer the option to join the network. Isn't there a similar capability in Ubuntu?

Thanks.

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Dennis Dirdjaja (dcd-ditsch) said : 		#1

Hello charlesh1609,

there should be a little applet in your gnome panel (nm-applet) showing the available networks. By selecting the network you want to connect to, a window shows up where you can enter encryption mode, password,...

The applet is part of NetworkManager, which is used by default in Ubuntu.

Hope this helps.

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Cesare Tirabassi (norsetto) said : 		#2

You should set your wireless configuration so that it accepts roaming. As an example (please refer to man iwconfig for more details):

iwconfig wlan0 mode Managed

(I assume wlan0 is your interface identifier)
I believe you need also to call iwconfig (or set your /etc/network/interfaces) with the following:

essid any
channel auto
ap auto

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Best C. F. Howlett (cfhowlett) said : 		#3

Thanks everyone. I am a complete ubuntu noob (unbunoob?) and I'm very uncomfortable punching in commands without knowing their context or intent.

That said, a little bit of searcing on my led me to - WIFI Radar! Who knew! A package SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED to accomplish exactly what I was after! I installed it, tested it, and, I'm happy to report, it does EXACTLY what I envisioned.

Just goes to show: it's not how much you know, it's whether or not you know where to look and who to ask.