wpa_cli

Interactive frontend for wpa_supplicant

TLDR

Scan for available networks

$ sudo wpa_cli scan

Show scan results

$ sudo wpa_cli scan_results

Add a new network

$ sudo wpa_cli add_network

Set network SSID

$ sudo wpa_cli set_network 0 ssid '"[MyNetwork]"'

Set network password

$ sudo wpa_cli set_network 0 psk '"[password]"'

Enable a network

$ sudo wpa_cli enable_network 0

Save configuration

$ sudo wpa_cli save_config

Show connection status

$ sudo wpa_cli status

SYNOPSIS

wpa_cli [-p path] [-g socket] [-i ifname] [-hvB] [-a file] [command]

wpa_cli is a text-based frontend for interacting with wpa_supplicant. It can query network status, modify configuration, and handle authentication requests. It operates in interactive mode with a prompt or command-line mode with arguments.

PARAMETERS

-p PATH

Specify path to control sockets

-g PATH

Connect to the global control socket at the indicated path

-i IFNAME

Select network interface

-a FILE

Run in daemon mode with action file for events

-B

Run as background daemon

-P FILE

Set the location of the PID file

-G INTERVAL

Set ping interval in seconds

status

Show current connection status

scan

Initiate a network scan

scan_results

Display scan results

list_networks

List configured networks

add_network

Add a new network (returns network ID)

set_network ID PARAM VALUE

Set network parameter

enable_network ID

Enable a network

disable_network ID

Disable a network

select_network ID

Select and enable a network, disabling others

save_config

Save current configuration to file

reconfigure

Reload configuration file

disconnect

Disconnect from current network

reassociate

Force reconnection

terminate

Stop wpa_supplicant

CAVEATS

Requires root privileges or proper group membership for the control interface. The control interface can be configured to allow non-root access through the ctrlinterface GROUP parameter in wpasupplicant.conf.

HISTORY

wpa_cli is part of wpa_supplicant, a WPA and WPA2 supplicant for Linux, BSD, and Windows, commonly used for wireless network authentication.