I have spent a lot of time researching wireless networks. When connecting to a wireless access point, what determines how to choose a suitable application tool is the Linux release version and hardware devices I use. Some of these tools can be used independently. There are also some components of a special toolset that works with other desktop computers.
For many mobile users in Linux, the biggest problem with connecting to a wireless network is finding a suitable tool. In this article, I provide ten tools that can help you run Linux laptops to connect to wireless networks. If one is not easy to use (or install), replace the other. Eventually, you will be connected to the network.
1. GNOME Network Manager
This is a nm-applet tool. In many releases (GNOME by default), it is the default connection method, which can be said to be the best of all tools. The nm-applet resides on the GNOME panel and can easily and effectively match the wireless connection tool of OS X. This tool is excellent, and I even found it can run without relying on GNOME. For example, when I open the Enlightenment window manager, I can open a terminal window, start the nm-applet, and connect to a configured wireless network. To this end, I opened an entry under the E16 menu and didn't see anything after I clicked it (no graphic interface to open a text file), but the connection was successful. Of course, in this case, if a new wireless network is connected, it cannot work. Therefore, you must enter GNOME and set the connection through the GNOME Network Manager. Generally, it is compatible with most encryption schemes.
2. wireless network connection management tool Wicd
It is one of my favorite wireless network connection management tools. Wicd supports many release versions and desktop environments/Window managers. I used this tool on All My laptops. Similar to GNOME Network Manager, Wicd Supports Wireless and wired networks and is compatible with most encryption solutions. Compared with the GNOME Network Manager, Wicd allows you to choose your own encryption solution. One of the most convenient aspects of Wicd is that it does not rely on the default Gnome or KDE tool of the system, which makes it easier to use.
3. Wifi-wiz that can be run in the background
If you are using a Debian system, you should make full use of this tool without worrying about the desktop environment. I have a special laptop that uses wifi-wiz as a wireless network connection tool. I found this tool in the Elive Linux release version. Wifi-wiz is an application based on python-gtk. The front-end includes features such as iwconfig, iwlist, ifconfig, ifup, and ifdown. Wi-Fi-wiz provides a unique function, which can run a monitoring process in the background and check the network connection status at any time. If the connection is interrupted, it will find other available networks and connect to them.