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Network Manger

Network Manger CLI (nmcli)

The NetworkManger CLI allows you to manage your network interfaces and configuration via a single command line tool. This is the command line interface (CLI) version for the NetworkManager, a widely used Linux network control manager. I’ve included some very helpful commands to allow you to configure less common network features (like AP mode) via the CLI.

Note: You can also install and use the nmtui tool to do much of this configuration without a GUI, which is the NetworkManger Text User Interface tool.

Edit NetworkManager Conenctions Directly via Configuration Files

  • Files found under /etc/NetworkManager/system-connnections 
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    sudo vim /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/<your connection file>

Create and Enable Linux Hotspot via nmcli Method 1

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nmcli connection add type wifi ifname wlan0 con-name local-ap autoconnect yes ssid test-ap mode ap
nmcli connection modify con-name 802-11-wireless.mode ap 802-11-wireless-security.key-mgmt wpa-psk ipv4.method shared 802-11-wireless-security.psk 'PASSWORD'
nmcli connection up con-name

Hotspot Method 2

  • Note: tkip could be used instead of ccmp for reduced security.
  • Note: WPA3 is also configurable on most modern distributions. 
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    nmcli connection add \
    con-name local-ap \
    ifname wlan0 \
    type wifi \
    autoconnect yes \
    ipv4.method shared \
    802-11-wireless-security.proto rsn \
    802-11-wireless-security.pairwise ccmp \
    802-11-wireless-security.group ccmp \
    802-11-wireless.band g \
    802-11-wireless.mode ap \
    802-11-wireless.ssid "test-ap" \
    802-11-wireless-security.key-mgmt wpa-psk \
    802-11-wireless-security.psk "PASSWORD" \
    802-11-wireless.hidden no

Search for Access Points

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nmcli dev wifi list

Show/Share nmcli WiFi via QR Code

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nmcli dev wifi show-password

List Active Connections

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nmcli con

Show Details of a Connection

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nmcli con show local-ap

Set an IP on an Interface

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nmcli con modify local-ap ipv4.addresses "192.168.21.10/24"

Stop and Start a Connection by Name

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nmcli conn down local-ap
nmcli conn up !$

Spoof a MAC Address

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sudo nmcli con modify local-ap 802-3-ethernet.cloned-mac-address 00:12:34:56:78:9b