# wpa\_supplicant: GUI and wpa\_action

DevFeed: [wpa\_supplicant: GUI and wpa\_action](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/wpa-supplicant-gui-and-wpa-action-21890.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://blog.nelhage.com/2008/09/wpa_supplicant-gui-and-wpa_action/>)

Author: Nelson Elhage

Published: 2008-09-18T12:07:49Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Nelson Elhage](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/nelson-elhage.md>)

Topics: [GUI](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/gui.md>), [configuration](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/configuration.md>), [Networks](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/networks.md>), [networking](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/networking.md>), [DHCP](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/dhcp.md>), [Debian](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/debian.md>), [interfaces](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/interfaces.md>), [Ubuntu](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ubuntu.md>)

Tags: [configuration](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/configuration.md>), [debian](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/debian.md>), [dhcp](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/dhcp.md>), [gui](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/gui.md>), [networking](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/networking.md>), [networks](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/networks.md>), [ubuntu](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ubuntu.md>), [ui](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ui.md>), [wifi](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/wifi.md>)

## AI overview

This article describes using wpa_gui to scan for and add wireless networks to wpa_supplicant's configuration without root privileges. It also explains a wpa_action-based setup that brings virtual interfaces up or down to trigger DHCP or static network configuration when associations change, while noting that the author's roaming experience was unreliable.

## Source excerpt

I've made two new interesting discoveries about wpa_supplicant since writing my last blog post on the subject. (Actually, I pretty much made both of them while reading documentation in order to write it, and have been lame about writing them up). Using wpa_gui It turns out that wpa_gui not only allows you to select existing networks, but also to scan for and add new networks to your configuration file. In addition, you can run it as yourself, without needing to sudo it.