wpa_supplicant

The wpa_supplicant package is installed by default on the base system. It includes utilities to configure wireless interfaces and handle wireless security protocols. To use wpa_supplicant, you will need to enable the wpa_supplicant service.

wpa_supplicant(8) is a daemon that manages wireless interfaces based on wpa_supplicant.conf(5) configuration files. An extensive overview of configuration options, including examples, can be found in /usr/share/examples/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf.

wpa_passphrase(8) helps create pre-shared keys for use in configuration files. wpa_cli(8) provides a CLI for managing the wpa_supplicant daemon.

WPA-PSK

To use WPA-PSK, generate a pre-shared key with wpa_passphrase(8) and append the output to the relevant wpa_supplicant.conf file:

# wpa_passphrase <MYSSID> <passphrase> >> /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf

WPA-EAP

WPA-EAP is often used for institutional logins, notably eduroam. This does not use PSK, but a password hash can be generated like this:

$ echo -n <passphrase> | iconv -t utf16le | openssl md4

WEP

For WEP configuration, add the following lines to your device's wpa-supplicant.conf:

network={
    ssid="MYSSID"
    key_mgmt=NONE
    wep_key0="YOUR AP WEP KEY"
    wep_tx_keyidx=0
    auth_alg=SHARED
}

The wpa_supplicant service

The wpa_supplicant service checks the following options in /etc/sv/wpa_supplicant/conf:

  • OPTS: Options to be passed to the service. Overrides any other options.
  • CONF_FILE: Path to file to be used for configuration. Defaults to /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf.
  • WPA_INTERFACE: Interface to be matched. May contain a wildcard; defaults to all interfaces.
  • DRIVER: Driver to use. See wpa_supplicant -h for available drivers.

If no conf file is found, the service searches for the following files in /etc/wpa_supplicant:

  • wpa_supplicant-<interface>.conf: If found, these files are bound to the named interface.
  • wpa_supplicant.conf: If found, this file is loaded and binds to all other interfaces found.

Once you are satisfied with your configuration, enable the wpa_supplicant service.

Using wpa_cli

When using wpa_cli to manage wpa_supplicant from the command line, be sure to specify which network interface to use via the -i option, e.g.:

# wpa_cli -i wlp2s0

Not doing so can result in various wpa_cli commands (for example, scan and scan_results) not producing the expected output.