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'''Wireless tools for Linux''' is a package of [[Linux]] commands to facilitate the manipulation of the [[Linux Wireless Extension]]. It is a fundamental set of simple text-based utilities/tools for configuring wireless devices. It is intended to support the full wireless extension<ref>[http://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Jean_Tourrilhes/Linux/Tools.html Wireless Tools for Linux]</ref>. It is maintained by [[Jean Tourrilhes]] and sponsored by [[Hewlett-Packard]].
== Adoption ==
It is included with most [[Linux distribution]]s.
In many GNU/Linux distributions, this package is included by default, or based on whether a wireless card is present. If it is not automatically installed by the distribution, it is usually easy to find in binary form.
==
Due to the relative complexity of requiring several separate commands for one task (e.g. iwlist and iwconfig to find and sync with a wireless access point), some<ref>[[Linux Journal]] Marcel Gagne's ''Cooking With Linux'' 2005-07-28 edition, http://www.linuxjournal.com/node/8355/print</ref> recommend using frontends provided by [[GNOME]] and [[KDE]], or an application called NetGo, to manipulate these settings.
==
=== ifrename ===
ifrename allows to rename wireless network interfaces based on various static criteria to assign a consistent name to each interface.
By default, interface names are dynamic, and each [[network card|network adapter]] is assigned the first available name (eth0, eth1...) while the order network interfaces are created may vary. Now ifrename allows the user to decide what name a network interface will have. It can use a variety of selectors to to match interface names to the network interfaces on the system, the most common selector is the interface [[MAC address]].
ifrename must be run before interfaces are brought up, which is why it's mostly useful in various scripts ([[init]], [[hotplug]]) but is seldom used directly by the user. By default it renames all present system interfaces using mappings defined in /etc/iftab.
=== iwconfig ===
iwconfig is used to display and change the parameters of the network interface which are specific to the wireless operation (e.g. interface name, [[frequency]], [[Service set identifier|SSID]]). It may also be used to display the wireless statistics (extracted from /proc/net/wireless).
In the free [[Berkeley Software Distribution]] [[UNIX]] operating systems, the role of iwconfig is performed by an expanded [[ifconfig]] command.
==== Sample <code>iwconfig</code> output ====
The following command displays information about the currently associated wireless network.
<code>
$ iwconfig eth1
eth1 IEEE 802.11g ESSID:"OSU_PUB"
Mode:Managed Frequency:2.427 GHz Access Point: 00:0D:9D:C6:38:2D
Bit Rate=48 Mb/s Tx-Power=20 dBm Sensitivity=8/0
Retry limit:7 RTS thr:off Fragment thr:off
Power Management:off
Link Quality=91/100 Signal level=-39 dBm Noise level=-87 dBm
Rx invalid nwid:0 Rx invalid crypt:860 Rx invalid frag:0
Tx excessive retries:0 Invalid misc:39 Missed beacon:8
</code>
=== iwlist ===
<code>iwlist</code> is used to scan for available wireless networks and display additional information about them that is not displayed by iwconfig. The main argument is used to select a category of information, iwlist displays in detailed form all information related to this category, including information already shown by iwconfig.
The command is primarily used to generate a list of nearby [[wireless access point]]s and their [[MAC address]]es and SSIDs.
==== Sample <code>iwlist</code> output ====
The following screen dialog shows the result of scanning for nearby wireless access points.
<code>
$ iwlist eth1 scan
eth1 Scan completed :
Cell 01 - Address: 00:12:17:46:E6:AF
ESSID:"lookmanohands"
[[Protocol (computing)|Protocol]]:IEEE 802.11bg
Mode:Master
Channel:1
Encryption key:off
[[bit rate|Bit Rate]]:1 Mb/s
Bit Rate:2 Mb/s
Bit Rate:5.5 Mb/s
Bit Rate:6 Mb/s
Bit Rate:9 Mb/s
Bit Rate:11 Mb/s
Bit Rate:12 Mb/s
Bit Rate:18 Mb/s
Bit Rate:24 Mb/s
Bit Rate:36 Mb/s
Bit Rate:48 Mb/s
Bit Rate:54 Mb/s
Quality=82/100 Signal level=-48 dBm
Extra: Last beacon: 36ms ago
</code>
This scan yields only one nearby wireless access point. Helpful information in this scan includes [[ESSID]], the type of network, and signal quality.
=== iwpriv ===
It is used to manipulate parameters and setting of the Wireless Extension specific to each driver (as opposed to iwconfig which deals with generic ones).
Without any argument, iwpriv lists the available private commands available on each interface, and the parameters that they require. Using this information, the user may apply those interface specific commands on the specified interface.
=== iwspy ===
iwspy is used to monitor a set list of nodes and record the link quality of each of them.
The information gathered is the same as that available in <code>/proc/net/wireless</code>: quality of the link, signal strength and noise level. This information is updated each time a new packet is received, so each address of the list adds some overhead in the driver. Note that this functionality works only for nodes part of the current wireless cell, you can not monitor access points you are not associated with (you can use Scanning for that) and nodes in other cells. In Managed mode, in most case packets are relayed by the access point, in this case you will get the signal strength of the access point. For those reasons this functionality is mostly useful in [[Wireless ad hoc network|ad hoc]] and master mode.
== See also ==
* [[NdisWrapper]]
* [[NetworkManager]]
== External links ==
* [http://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Jean_Tourrilhes/Linux/Tools.html Wireless Tools for Linux homepage]
Manpages:
* {{man|8|ifrename|die.net}}
* {{man|8|iwconfig|die.net}}
* {{man|8|iwlist|die.net}}
* {{man|8|iwpriv|die.net}}
* {{man|8|iwspy|die.net}}
== References ==
<references/>
{{Linux}}
{{Linux-stub}}
[[Category:Linux software]]
[[Category:Network-related software]]
[[Category:Routing]]
[[pl:Wireless tools]]
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