• WiFi
• FAQ

I just want my WiFi working!

The chapter about wireless networking in the FreeBSD Handbook is a wonderful source of information. Sometimes, however, bits go crazy and you simply cannot diagnose a simple networking issue. Don't be afraid to ask the community if you're stuck. System configuration in a console happens to be intimidating to newcomers.

1. Getting started

• Read the chapter related to wireless networking in the FreeBSD Handbook. It should be enough to set up a wireless connection on a FreeBSD machine.

2. FAQ

2.1. Drivers

• It might be a good idea to check out Laptops. Maybe someone with a similar machine described how to set up a wireless device.

2.1.1. ifconfig doesn't show my wireless card

You're probably looking for sysctl -n net.wlan.devices.

Also, make sure you've actually read the wireless networking chapter.

2.1.2. My wireless card does not show up in sysctl -n net.wlan.devices

A driver might be missing. Check out the output of pciconf -lv and look for devices with the network class.

2.1.3. I've added the driver-related lines to /boot/loader.conf but it still doesn't work

Well, here are a couple of ideas:

• Some drivers require the user to explicitly acknowledge the firmware license. Check out the manual page of the driver you're using for details.
• Remember to load required firmware if needed. Consult your manual.

2.1.4. Where is the urtwn driver? It is mentioned on many websites

It was replaced by rtwn(4).

2.1.5. I've got some problems with the iwm(4) driver

• As of 2018.04.25 some people report that iwm(4) causes a kernel panic when configured via loader.conf(5). So, although the manual says to add

  if_iwm_load="YES"
  iwm3160fw_load="YES"

  to loader.conf(5), it is sometimes better to add the following line to rc.conf(5) instead:

  kld_list="if_iwm iwm3160fw"

  (Of course, this is just an example in which we assume that you need firmware for an Intel Corporation Wireless 3160 card.)

• iwm(4) devices do not start automatically for some users when system boots so they add the following command to crontab(1):

  @reboot ifconfig wlan0 create wlandev iwm0

2.2. wpa_supplicant

• wpa_supplicant.conf(5)

• wpa_supplicant(8)

• There are a lot of example configurations for all sort of setups in /usr/share/examples/etc/wpa_supplicant.conf.

2.2.1. How to configure Eduroam?

An example configuration has been added to the wpa_supplicant.conf(5) manual page in FreeBSD 12-CURRENT.

2.2.2. I am sure I put correct password into /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf but it still doesn't work

wpa_supplicant.conf(5) has a couple of syntactic subtleties, which might be causing this:

• The value of psk should be either a "-quoted passphrase (e.g. "password") or a 256-bit pre-shared WPA key (e.g. c4c5b44ebb507f6c8b10ea42eb30521465c1cc000e432748fa9f87eb68b63cc1). Also, check out wpa_passphrase(8).

2.3. Tools that you wish you knew existed

• bsdconfig(8)

  • Configure WiFi:

    bsdconfig netdev

• wpa_cli(8)

  • Intimidating at first, it is not actually that bad.

  • This utility is why you put ctrl_interface=/var/run/wpa_supplicant in wpa_supplicant.conf(5).

3. Community support

You may seek help on the following communication channels.

3.1. Mailing lists

• freebsd-wireless@freebsd.org (lists.freebsd.org)

3.2. IRC

• Libera IRC:

• EFNet:

  • #freebsd-wifi

See IRC/Channels for a list of all the FreeBSD IRC channels.

4. See also

• Device drivers wiki pages

CategoryHowTo CategoryWiFi