Seamless WPA2-Enterprise Setup on Arch Linux: A Step-by-Step Guide
During my recent Arch Linux install, the hardest part I encountered was dealing with WPA2-Enterprise WiFi. There wasn’t a consolidated step by step guide available on the internet and after having been through the struggle myself, I want to share how to properly setup WiFi on your Arch Linux install so you can start ricing as soon as possible.
Phase 1: ISO Stage
- Access
iwctl
Terminal
— Typeiwctl
in the terminal. Commands prefixed with[iwd]#
are executed inside theiwctl
interactive prompt. To exit, typeexit
.
2. List Wireless Devices
[iwd]# device list
3. Scan and List Networks
— Replace <name>
with your device name (e.g., wlan0
):
[iwd]# station <name> scan
[iwd]# station <name> get-networks
4. Connect to a Network
— To connect to a network, use its SSID
:
[iwd]# station <name> connect <ssid>
— To disconnect:
[iwd]# station <name> disconnect
5. Configure WPA2-Enterprise Network
— Create and edit a network configuration file:
touch /var/lib/iwd/<ssid>.8021x
nano /var/lib/iwd/<ssid>.8021x
— Add the following details in the editor:
[Security]
EAP-Method=PEAP
Identity=<username>
EAP-PEAP-Phase2-Method=MSCHAPV2
EAP-PEAP-Phase2-Identity=<username>
EAP-PEAP-Phase2-Password=<password>
[Settings]
AutoConnect=true
6. Restart iwd
Service
systemctl restart iwd
7. Reconnect to Network
iwctl
[iwd]# station <name> connect <ssid>
[iwd]# station <name> show
8. Enable NetworkManager Daemon
systemctl enable NetworkManager
For more details, visit the Arch Linux Iwd Guide.
Phase 2: Post-Arch Installation
After successfully installing the Linux firmware and rebooting into arch Linux, you might realize that you have lost your internet connection once again. So here we go again.
- Check Network Devices
nmcli d
2. Add a New Connection
— Replace <device>
with your device name, and <connection_name>
with a name of your choice:
nmcli con add type wifi ifname <device> con-name <connection_name> ssid <ssid>
3. Configure and Connect
— Enter the nmcli
interactive prompt:
nmcli con edit id <connection_name>
— Set up the connection details:
[nmcli]# set ipv4.method auto
[nmcli]# set 802–1x.eap peap
[nmcli]# set 802–1x.phase2-auth mschapv2
[nmcli]# set 802–1x.identity <username>
[nmcli]# set 802–1x.password <password>
[nmcli]# set wifi-sec.key-mgmt wpa-eap
[nmcli]# save
[nmcli]# activate
Original post by user123456 on Ask Ubuntu.