iwlist
Scan for available wireless networks
TLDR
Display the list of access points and ad-hoc cells in range
Display available frequencies in the device
List the bit-rates supported by the device
List the WPA authentication parameters currently set
List all the WPA encryption keys set in the device
List the encryption key sizes supported and list all the encryption keys set in the device
List the various power management attributes and modes of the device
List generic information elements set in the device (used for WPA support)
SYNOPSIS
iwlist [--help] <interface> { scan|frequency|channel|bitrate|txpower|retry|encryption|keys|power|ap|peers|event|auth|wpa|pmkid } [options]
PARAMETERS
scan
Scan for available networks and list details like ESSID, quality, encryption
escan
Enhanced scan (deprecated, similar to scan)
frequency
List supported frequencies/channels and current mode
channel
Synonym for frequency
bitrate
Show supported and current bitrates
txpower
Display TX power levels
retry
Show retry limits
encryption
List encryption capabilities
keys
Show current keys (limited security)
power
Power management settings
ap
Access point address and stats
peers
Peer stations in ad-hoc mode
event
Wireless event information
auth
Authentication details
wpa
WPA/WPA2 key info (if supported)
pmkid
PMKID cache
--help
Show usage summary
essid N
Scan specific ESSID (scan option)
last
Show last scan results (scan option)
DESCRIPTION
The iwlist command is a utility from the wireless-tools package used to display detailed information about wireless network interfaces on Linux systems. It queries the kernel's Wireless Extensions for data on available networks, frequencies, channels, bitrates, encryption settings, access points, and more.
Commonly used for network scanning via iwlist <interface> scan, it lists nearby Wi-Fi networks with details like ESSID, signal quality, encryption type, and supported rates. Other subcommands reveal interface capabilities, such as supported frequencies or TX power levels.
Originally designed for older wireless hardware supporting Wireless Extensions (WE), it provides a user-friendly way to inspect wireless state without low-level ioctls. However, it's largely deprecated for modern use, as kernel drivers shifted to nl80211 and cfg80211, favoring the iw tool instead. Still useful on legacy systems or for compatibility.
Output is human-readable, with verbose options for deeper insights, aiding network troubleshooting and configuration.
CAVEATS
Deprecated; use iw for modern drivers. Relies on legacy Wireless Extensions, may fail on nl80211-only hardware. Security risk listing keys.
EXAMPLES
iwlist wlan0 scan - Scan networks
iwlist wlan0 frequency - List channels
iwlist eth1 key 0123456789 - Manipulate keys (deprecated)
INSTALLATION
On Debian/Ubuntu: apt install wireless-tools
On Fedora: dnf install wireless-tools
HISTORY
Part of wireless-tools suite by Jean Tourrilhes, first released ~1996-2002 alongside Linux Wireless Extensions (WE 9-22). Peaked in 2.4/2.6 kernels; declined post-2010 with mac80211/nl80211 adoption.
