iwgetid

iwgetid [interface] [-r | -f | -n]

-r, --raw
    Print ESSID/nickname without quotes in raw form

-f, --freq
    Print default carrier frequency (Hz/kHz/MHz/GHz)

-n, --nick
    Print nickname instead of ESSID

--help
    Display help message and exit

--version
    Display version information and exit

The iwgetid command is a utility from the Linux wireless-tools package used to query identifying details of wireless network interfaces, primarily the ESSID (network name) and nickname. By default, it displays the ESSID in quoted format for the first available wireless interface or a specified one.

It provides quick access to key wireless stats without the verbosity of iwconfig. Common uses include scripting to detect connected networks, check frequencies, or raw ESSID for parsing. Output is human-readable or raw for automation.

For example, running iwgetid might output "MyNetwork", while iwgetid wlan0 -r prints just MyNetwork. It's lightweight and essential for legacy wireless management on systems using older kernel drivers.

Note that modern systems favor the iw tool from the nl80211 stack, but iwgetid remains useful for compatibility with Wireless Extensions API.

Relies on deprecated Wireless Extensions; prefer iw on modern kernels. May fail if no wireless interface or incompatible drivers.

Without options, prints ESSID in double quotes (e.g., "network_name")

Omit interface to use first detected wireless device

Developed by Jean Tourrilhes as part of wireless-tools suite since 1996; widely used until nl80211 era (~2008), now legacy but maintained for compatibility.

iwconfig(8), iwlist(8), iw(8), iwspy(8)