NetworkManager

Scanning and connecting through nmcli

Scanning

To scan for available networks:

$ nmcli device wifi

Connecting

New network

To connect to a new network and create a profile for it:

$ nmcli device wifi connect "<SSID>" --ask

The --ask flag lets nmcli ask for any necessary details, like a password.

Network with an existing profile

While it is possible to connect to a network with an existing profile just like to an old network, it is generally more convenient to run:

# nmcli connection up "<connection ID - usually the SSID>"

Network profile modification

Network profile location

The network profiles are located in /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/. The permissions on this folder are 700 for user and group root. Following changes to

MAC address randomisation

In section [wifi]:

(...)
[wifi]
cloned-mac-address=random
(...)