Verifying Wifi Status with Terminal Command

In the world of network troubleshooting, the command line interface (CLI) is a powerful tool that can provide detailed information about your connection. This article will guide you through various terminal commands that you can use to verify your WiFi status.

Using nmcli

nmcli is a command-line client for NetworkManager. It allows controlling NetworkManager and reporting its status.

Checking Connectivity Status

To check the overall connectivity status of your system, use the following command:

nmcli general status

This command will give you a snapshot of your system’s network interfaces and their current status.

Checking WiFi Status

To specifically check the WiFi status, use:

nmcli radio wifi

This command will show whether your WiFi is enabled or disabled.

Checking Active Connections

To see the active connections, use:

nmcli connection show --active

This command will display a list of all active network connections.

Checking Available WiFi Networks

To get information about available WiFi networks, use:

nmcli device wifi

This command will provide a list of all WiFi networks in your vicinity, along with details like signal strength, security, and more.

Using rfkill

rfkill is a tool for enabling and disabling wireless devices.

Checking WiFi Block Status

To check if your WiFi is blocked (either by software or hardware), use:

rfkill list

Look for the “Wireless LAN” entry in the output and check if it is ‘soft’ or ‘hard’ blocked. Soft block means the device is turned off by the operating system, while hard block means the device is physically turned off.

Using ifconfig or ip address

These commands are used to display or configure network interfaces.

Checking Wireless Interface Status

To check if your wireless interface is up and running, use:

ifconfig

or

ip addr

Look for your wireless interface (usually named ‘wlan0’ or similar) and check if its state is ‘UP’.

Using iwlist

iwlist is used to display detailed information from a wireless network interface.

Scanning for Available WiFi Networks

To scan for available WiFi networks, use:

iwlist scanning

This command will provide a list of all available WiFi networks, along with detailed information about each network.

Using nmtui

nmtui is a text user interface for NetworkManager. It provides a simple way to configure network connections.

Checking Network Information

To check network information, install nmtui if not already installed:

sudo apt-get install nmtui

Then run:

nmtui

This command will open a user-friendly interface where you can see connectivity, access point, properties, IP settings, and more.

In conclusion, the terminal provides a range of commands that can help you verify your WiFi status and troubleshoot network issues. By understanding and using these commands, you can gain a deeper insight into your network and solve problems more efficiently.