Wicd - Wired and Wireless Network manager for Ubuntu

Wicd is an open sourcewired and wireless network manager for Linux which aims to provide asimple interface to connect to networks with a wide variety ofsettings.

Wicd’s features

• No Gnome dependencies (although it does require GTK), so it is easy to use in XFCE, Fluxbox, Openbox, Enlightenment, etc.

• Ability to connect to wired and wireless networks

• Profiles for each wireless network and wired network

• Many encryption schemes, some of which include WEP/WPA/WPA2

• Remains compatible with wireless-tools

• Tray icon showing network activity and signal strength

Installing Wicd in Ubuntu

First you need to edit the /etc/apt/sources.list file

sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

Add the following line for gutsy user

deb http://apt.wicd.net gutsy extras

Add the following line for hardy user

deb http://apt.wicd.net hardy extras

Save and exit the file

where gutsy is your version of Ubuntu in lowercase (dapper, edgy, feisty, gutsy, hardy).

Now you need to update the source list using the following command

sudo aptitude update

Install wicd using the following command

sudo aptitude install wicd

Please note that this will remove network-manager, which is thedefault GNOME network manager and may cause loss of network connectiontemporarily.

In GNOME, to get the tray icon to automatically appear at boot, goto System > Preferences > Sessions. In the “Startup Programs”tab, click the “New” button. Give it a name (“Wicd” works fine). Forthe command, enter “/opt/wicd/tray.py”.

Using Wicd

To use wicd, launch it from the Application menu; for example, Applications -> Internet -> wicd in GNOME.

In the wicd program window you’ll see a list of the wirelessnetworks that the software has detected. Wicd doesn’t always pick upall of the networks that are in range when it starts; click the Refreshicon on tool bar to get a full list.

From there, click the Connect link beneath the name of the networkthat you want to use. After a few seconds, you should be connected thenetwork.

If the network is encrypted, you need to do a little more work. Wicdsupports the following encryption schemes: WPA, WEP, LEAP, TTLS, EAP,and PEAP.

Click the arrow beside the name of the encrypted network to whichyou want to connect, then click Advanced Settings. From there, clickthe Use Encryption checkbox, select an encryption method from thedropdown list, and enter the required password in the Key field.