pyrox.dev
1# Wireless Networks {#sec-wireless}
2
3For a desktop installation using NetworkManager (e.g., GNOME), you just
4have to make sure the user is in the `networkmanager` group and you can
5skip the rest of this section on wireless networks.
6
7NixOS will start wpa_supplicant for you if you enable this setting:
8
9```nix
10{ networking.wireless.enable = true; }
11```
12
13NixOS lets you specify networks for wpa_supplicant declaratively:
14
15```nix
16{
17 networking.wireless.networks = {
18 # SSID with no spaces or special characters
19 echelon = {
20 psk = "abcdefgh";
21 };
22 # SSID with spaces and/or special characters
23 "echelon's AP" = {
24 psk = "ijklmnop";
25 };
26 # Hidden SSID
27 echelon = {
28 hidden = true;
29 psk = "qrstuvwx";
30 };
31 free.wifi = { }; # Public wireless network
32 };
33}
34```
35
36Be aware that keys will be written to the nix store in plaintext! When
37no networks are set, it will default to using a configuration file at
38`/etc/wpa_supplicant.conf`. You should edit this file yourself to define
39wireless networks, WPA keys and so on (see wpa_supplicant.conf(5)).
40
41If you are using WPA2 you can generate pskRaw key using
42`wpa_passphrase`:
43
44```ShellSession
45$ wpa_passphrase ESSID PSK
46network={
47 ssid="echelon"
48 #psk="abcdefgh"
49 psk=dca6d6ed41f4ab5a984c9f55f6f66d4efdc720ebf66959810f4329bb391c5435
50}
51```
52
53```nix
54{
55 networking.wireless.networks = {
56 echelon = {
57 pskRaw = "dca6d6ed41f4ab5a984c9f55f6f66d4efdc720ebf66959810f4329bb391c5435";
58 };
59 };
60}
61```
62
63or you can use it to directly generate the `wpa_supplicant.conf`:
64
65```ShellSession
66# wpa_passphrase ESSID PSK > /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf
67```
68
69After you have edited the `wpa_supplicant.conf`, you need to restart the
70wpa_supplicant service.
71
72```ShellSession
73# systemctl restart wpa_supplicant.service
74```