How-To: Quick Wireless Setup With Ubuntu 8.04

The following assumes that your wireless networking card has been properly detected by Ubuntu and all you want to do is connect to your network at this point. I have an older Dell Inspiron 6000 and the Intel PROset wireless detects with no problem whatsoever. Other from-OEM wireless cards should also detect properly as well. If you have a USB-based wireless card, you probably will encounter problems having it detect. I strongly suggest visiting the wireless networking area of UbuntuHCL to see if your card is supported or not if this is the case. This is not a document about wireless networking card detection but rather how to use it once working.

Wireless networking is very easy to do in Ubuntu 8.04, but it may not be readily obvious where to go to set it up. In Windows XP what we’re used to doing is either using a third-party app provided by the wireless card manufacturer or having to dive into the Control Panel to get it working.

In Ubuntu you don’t have to do this. All the wireless networking setup can be performed direct from the Application bar.

By default you will see this:

Note the icon to the right of the speaker icon at the top. Your networking is there and ready to use but isn’t configured just yet, hence the small orange triangle.

If we LEFT-CLICK this icon, you see this:

Your wireless network may be listed unless you have your router name not broadcasted. Being that I don’t have my router name broadcasted, I click Connect to Other Wireless Network…

Above: Setting up the connection. You put in your network name, what type of wireless security you’re using and the password.

Note: You will get asked to enter in a “keyring” on a separate pop-up dialog. This is a password you enter in for that specific Ubuntu PC. I suggest making it different from the router password for security reasons.

Above: When connected you’ll see the network icon change to bars indicating signal strength. Your network connection is officially working at this point.

Above: Launch the Firefox web browser and it will land on start.ubuntu.com, a live internet site – proving (again) you’re connected to the internet.

If you can get to the point where your wireless card is detected, it is this easy to connect to your home wireless network.

How Many Connections Can A Wireless Router Handle?

Read Next

7 thoughts on “How-To: Quick Wireless Setup With Ubuntu 8.04”

jason says:

April 22, 2010 at 10:17 pm

I just loaded ubuntu on a pc that had win xp crash on it. Instead of going back with windows, I thought I would use linux. Its installed, but I can’t access the net via wireless. So, after reading many websites and posts, I am stuck.

1. When I goto System–>Administration—>?? Should I have “Network” available? All I have for networking is “Network Tools.”

I am all ears at this point..I can answer questions if you have any…

Norm Randall says:

December 22, 2009 at 9:16 pm

My computer stopped showing available networks. wherd it go? It used to look exactly like it does in the wireless tutorial above

April says:

May 12, 2009 at 11:57 am

I am running Ubuntu 8.04 on one machine, using Linksys wmp54gs wireless network adaper card. Connecting to a wireless network on another machine in the next room, running Windows XP SP3. One the XP machine I am using a Westell 6100 DSL modem as a bridge and a Linksys 54gs wirelss router. Evrything works ok I connect to the internet on XP machine. On the Ubuntu machine I can connect to the wireless network just fine. The only trouble is I have no signal, which there for no internet on the Ubuntu machine. Have had classes, but this my first time of actually setting up a network. I am also new to Ubuntu, only a few weeks. I am learning as I go. Any help would great, thanks in advance………..

DylanDog says:

April 16, 2009 at 6:02 pm

I have something very similar, version 8.10, I can see wireless connections from my neigborhood (secured unfortunately) but not mine

pujung says:

April 17, 2009 at 12:02 am

Hi Dylan,
Mine is works now. I use this method on other forums:
http://www.uluga.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1042646

See if it is solved. But I don’t know if you need to do something with previous instalation.

pujung says:

February 28, 2009 at 4:27 am

Hi,
I just installed the 8.10 version. But I can not see the wireless network under the wired network? For sure we have wireless network and I am using it with windows normally.
Please advice

Ray says:

January 18, 2009 at 2:18 pm

This is all very well if you don’t try and update once you have installed 8.04. My wireless worked as indicated absolutely fine, but after the upgrade (almost expected now with ubuntu!) I see no wireless options by rh mouse button click.