I'm new to Linux and I have a question about WiFi

badbackcom1 · 07-13-2015, 01:18 PM

So, I use Kali Linux. I tried this command to connect to WiFi:

Code:

root@kali-#: iw dev
nl80211 not found

So does this mean I can't install what I need to connect to WiFi? How do I do this?

273 · 07-13-2015, 01:32 PM

I don't know where to start. Why are you usong Kali? Why haven't you asked who ever told you to use Kali for help?
I suggest starting again with a distribution like Linux Mint (I have no idea whixh network drivers you need but non-free are available in Mint) if you want to start using Linux.

Head_on_a_Stick · 07-13-2015, 02:21 PM

As 273 intimates, Kali is for expert users only.

Apart from the technical considerations, it runs a GUI desktop for root as the default user.

This is *not* something a n00b should be doing.

I second the Mint recommendation.
http://www.linuxmint.com/

ardvark71 · 07-13-2015, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by badbackcom1

So does this mean I can't install what I need to connect to WiFi?

Not necessarily. The first thing to ascertain here is the wireless adapter you're using. Please open a terminal and post the output of...

Code:

lspci -nnk | grep -i net -A2

If this is a USB adapter, then...

Code:

lsusb

Welcome to the forum

Regards...

badbackcom1 · 07-13-2015, 07:41 PM

I'm using Kali because I needed a version of Linux for the computer security club. Linux Mint you recommend? They said any version of Linux would work.

badbackcom1 · 07-13-2015, 07:42 PM

I tried what you put:

Code:

root@kali:~# lspci -nnk | grep -i net -A2

I got this as output:

Code:

grep: Z: invalid context length argument

syg00 · 07-13-2015, 08:07 PM

That's a numeric 2, not a capital Z at the end of the command.
Messages are for reading.

When you need to understand a command use "man <command>" - it's the *nix "help". Use "q" to quit back to the terminal (no quote in those commands).
As for kali, if it's for a security club, why not ?

Head_on_a_Stick · 07-14-2015, 02:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by badbackcom1

I'm using Kali because I needed a version of Linux for the computer security club

Kali themselves recommend running it live from a USB stick.

As I say, it is not suited for general day-to-day usage.

273 · 07-14-2015, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by badbackcom1

I'm using Kali because I needed a version of Linux for the computer security club. Linux Mint you recommend? They said any version of Linux would work.

If any version will work then, yes, initially at least you might find Linux Mint easier to install and use (more likely to install wireless drivers etc.). Kali is a security and penetration testing distribution which:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kali Website

... is NOT a recommended distribution if you’re unfamiliar with Linux...

http://docs.kali.org/introduction/sh...use-kali-linux
That isn't to say you should not use Kail, especially if you are using it for security testing, just that it can be harder work to get going than other distributions and isn't really suited to any other purpose than security testing.

JaseP · 07-14-2015, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Apart from the technical considerations, it runs a GUI desktop for root as the default user.

This is *not* something a n00b should be doing.

Actually,... This is not something ANYONE should be doing.

273 · 07-14-2015, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaseP

Actually,... This is not something ANYONE should be doing.

There's nothing wrong with running a GUI desktop as root on a live penetration testing distribution when you're carrying out penetration testing...

Shadow_7 · 07-15-2015, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 273

There's nothing wrong with running a GUI desktop as root on a live penetration testing distribution when you're carrying out penetration testing...

Nothing wrong if you can restore it in short order to a "known" state, and don't plan on running it unattended for years on end.

As far as wifi as with any distro you need networking tools and drivers. NetworkManager is decent if you have blessed hardware (driver + firmware that works and is installed by default). Otherwise wpa_suppicant, ip, iw, ifconfig, iwconfig, and many other means to an end depending on distro and distro age.

badbackcom1 · 07-24-2015, 05:55 PM

network manager will also let me detect wifi networks in terminal?

273 · 07-24-2015, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by badbackcom1

network manager will also let me detect wifi networks in terminal?

I really don't recall whether network manager has any command line tools -- I would search for wireless networks on the command line with the following.

Code:

iwlist wlan0 scan

What is it you are trying to do here? Connect to a wireless network or scan for networks to penetration test a network you own?

Timothy Miller · 07-24-2015, 07:43 PM

network manager does have comand line tools, in some distros. For instance, in Mageia, there is cnetworkmanager, in debian there is nm-cli. Never used them personally, but definitely exist.