iwinfo
Get wireless interface information
TLDR
List all available wireless interfaces
Display detailed information on a specific wireless interface
Scan for nearby wireless networks visible to the interface
List connected devices
List channels supported by the interface
List available transmit power levels for the interface
Display help
SYNOPSIS
iwinfo [interface] [command]
PARAMETERS
assoclist
List MAC addresses of associated stations
chanlist
List valid channels for the interface
country
Print current country code
encinfo
Print encryption and authentication info
freqlist
List valid frequencies
hwmode
Print current hardware mode (e.g., AP, Client)
info
Comprehensive interface information dump
phyname
Print phy device name
radio
Print radio index
scan
Trigger scan and print access points
signal
Print current signal/noise quality
stationlist
Detailed list of associated stations
survey
Print wireless survey data
txpower
Print current TX power
txpwcal
Print TX power calibration table
help
Show usage help
DESCRIPTION
iwinfo is a lightweight command-line tool for retrieving comprehensive information about wireless network interfaces, primarily on OpenWrt and systems using libiwinfo. It offers a unified way to access WiFi hardware and connection data across various drivers, avoiding the inconsistencies of tools like iwconfig or iw.
Key features include querying signal strength, hardware modes (e.g., AP, client), encryption details, associated stations, channel/frequency lists, scan results, TX power, and surveys. Running without arguments displays basic info for all wireless interfaces. Specifying an interface and command, like iwinfo wlan0 info, provides detailed statistics useful for monitoring, debugging, or scripting wireless networks on routers and embedded devices.
Unlike kernel nl80211-based tools, iwinfo abstracts driver-specific quirks, making it ideal for firmware environments. It's efficient, human-readable, and script-friendly, outputting parseable text for automation.
CAVEATS
Mainly available on OpenWrt/LEDE; requires libiwinfo. Not standard on desktop Linux. Some commands need root or CAP_NET_ADMIN.
BASIC USAGE EXAMPLES
iwinfo
Lists all wireless interfaces with summary.
iwinfo wlan0 info
Detailed stats for wlan0.
iwinfo wlan0 scan
Scan nearby networks.
HISTORY
Developed for OpenWrt project around 2010 as part of libiwinfo to unify wireless info across drivers like Madwifi, Atheros, Broadcom. Evolved with nl80211 support; widely used in router firmwares.
