Ubuntu wireless

[R13...]

I have recently installed ubuntu alongside my win 7, something to play around with and use some of the educational apps. My problem is that with my wireless router set not to broadcast the SSID, ubuntu doesn't give me the option to type it in. I go to settings, and pick other for hotspot, but it appears to think 'other' is a hotspot instead of giving me the option to enter the SSID.

I am a total noob having used linux (rather unix) more than 3 years ago. I have used ubuntu to recover a failed laptop running from cd, but that was all of 5 minutes.

Ubuntu 11.10

 

[Gambit]

Have you tried temporarily switching the SSID broadcast on the router back on so you can join the network and then disabling it again afterwards?

 

[Knyro]

At the top right corner next to the speaker icon there should be an icon consisting of a few waves if you are using wifi (arrows if you're using an ethernet cable). This is the Network Manager icon. If you click on it a menu will show up with all the available networks. There should be a "connect to hidden" wireless network option. Click on that and a window will pop up asking for the necessary details.

Personally I think Network manager is crap when it comes to wireless networking so if push comes to shove you may want to install Wicd and remove Network Manager.

 

[flarkit]

I have recently installed ubuntu alongside my win 7, something to play around with and use some of the educational apps. My problem is that with my wireless router set not to broadcast the SSID, ubuntu doesn't give me the option to type it in. I go to settings, and pick other for hotspot, but it appears to think 'other' is a hotspot instead of giving me the option to enter the SSID.

I am a total noob having used linux (rather unix) more than 3 years ago. I have used ubuntu to recover a failed laptop running from cd, but that was all of 5 minutes.

Ubuntu 11.10

Any specific reason for disabling the SSID broadcast? Some sites view this as superfluous, since a dedicated expert could still sniff out the WLAN. It's more important to have WPA2 security

http://blogs.technet.com/b/steriley/archive/2007/10/16/myth-vs-reality-wireless-ssids.aspx
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/ou/the-six-dumbest-ways-to-secure-a-wireless-lan/43

 

[R13...]

Any specific reason for disabling the SSID broadcast? Some sites view this as superfluous, since a dedicated expert could still sniff out the WLAN. It's more important to have WPA2 security

http://blogs.technet.com/b/steriley/archive/2007/10/16/myth-vs-reality-wireless-ssids.aspx
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/ou/the-six-dumbest-ways-to-secure-a-wireless-lan/43

I do have WPA2 enabled, I just thought it would help in case some bored teen decided to have a go at all the wireless hotspots he can pick up in the area. I use a strong password.

At the top right corner next to the speaker icon there should be an icon consisting of a few waves if you are using wifi (arrows if you're using an ethernet cable). This is the Network Manager icon. If you click on it a menu will show up with all the available networks. There should be a "connect to hidden" wireless network option. Click on that and a window will pop up asking for the necessary details.

Personally I think Network manager is crap when it comes to wireless networking so if push comes to shove you may want to install Wicd and remove Network Manager.

Will try this, thanks. If all else fails I will set the router to broadcast the ssid

 

[BigAl-sa]

Right-click on the network manager icon on top right, select edit connections, select wireless, select add, there you get an option to add SSID (unless of course NM is different in Ubuntu 11.10 to Debian wheezy).