---
name: "interfaces-wifi"
section: "5"
platform: "linux"
package: "ifupdown-ng"
version: "0.12.1-7"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/interfaces-wifi"
---

# interfaces-wifi(5)

WiFi vocabulary for the interfaces(5) file format

## NAME

**interfaces-wifi** - WiFi vocabulary for the [interfaces(5)](/interfaces/5.md) file format

## DESCRIPTION

Wi-Fi (the IEEE 802.11 family of protocols) is a commonly used wireless networking standard.  The following options allow for configuration of Wi-Fi client interfaces.

WPA-secured networks are managed using [**wpa\_supplicant**(8)](/wpa_supplicant/8.md), while insecure networks are managed directly with [**iwconfig**(8)](/iwconfig/8.md).

## WIFI-RELATED OPTIONS

**wifi-config-path** *path*

Denotes the absolute *path* to a **wpa\_supplicant** configuration file. If no path is given, */run/wpa\_supplicant.\<interface\>.conf* will be used for a temporary configuration file.  This option may not be used with other configuration options.

**wifi-ssid** *ssid*

The SSID the Wi-Fi client should connect to.

**wifi-psk** *psk*

The passphrase for connecting to the Wi-Fi network.  If unset, the client will connect without WPA2 encryption.

## EXAMPLES

A typical setup may involve connecting to a home and work network.  To achieve this, we can define a pair of virtual interfaces called **wifi-home** and **wifi-work**, which connect to their respective wifi networks:

```
iface wifi-home
	use dhcp
	wifi-ssid HomeNetwork
	wifi-psk ExamplePassphrase
iface wifi-work
	use dhcp
	wifi-config-path /etc/network/wpa-work.conf
```

The virtual interfaces can be used with **ifup** and **ifdown**:

```
# ifup wlan0=wifi-home
# ifdown wlan0
# ifup wlan0=wifi-work
```

## SEE ALSO

[**iwconfig**(8)](/iwconfig/8.md)\
 [**wpa\_supplicant**(8)](/wpa_supplicant/8.md)

## AUTHORS

Ariadne Conill \<ariadne@dereferenced.org\>