Manual Start Wifi with a USB Dongle on Raspberry Pi 4B

Link to Groke post: https://x.com/i/grok/share/CUrXWVrQGq3wkfx5ABlSaua2m

My Manual Wifi notes

Note that the TP Link TL-WN823N rtl8192eu chip, has driver problems and does not connect with a Wifi Access Point using the wpa_supplicant program.

The "ifconfig wlan0 up scan"  does work to view nearby access points.

# edit 3 Files to add configuration lines into /boot/loader.conf /etc/rc.conf /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf
# for the file  /boot/loader.conf
# using Keyboard, change into the 'root' user, before editing.  on a stock FreeBSD snapshot the sudo command is not installed
su -
root_password

#use the ee, nano,or vi editor to edit the file /boot/loader.conf

#  pkg  install ee nano vi       ## CLI command to install 3 text editors`

#  See an example of manually setting up Realtek RTL8188eu wifi chipset at 

https://old-forums.ghostbsd.org 

https://old-forums.ghostbsd.org/viewtopic.php?f=64&t=526&sid=4ebd1daaa0dbba22e72a5c18c606e53f

ee /boot/loader.conf
if_rtwn_load="YES"
if_rtwn_usb_load="YES"
legal.realtek.license_ack=1


#/etc/rc.conf add 2 lines for TP Link TL-WN823N rtl8192eu chip
wlans_rtwn0="wlan0"
ifconfig_rtwn0="SYNC DHCP"

Bare minimum fields necessary for an encrypted Wi-Fi connection using wpa_supplicant command. Edit file /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf
network={
    #: my NetGear box
    ssid="NETGEAR59"
    psk="my_passkey_892"
    key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
}

#/etc/wpa_supplicant.conf example file for an Open Network connection to Wireless SSID name "innflux"
network={
   ssid="innflux"
   key_mgmt=NONE
}

#Manually issue the wpa_supplicant with the background Dameon option and dhclient commands
wpa_supplicant -B -i wlan0 -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf
dhclient wlan0

#Use the following line for testing with the Debug and Password debug printout options
wpa_supplicant -d -K -i wlan0 -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf
dhclient wlan0

#Problems running dhclient? Then kill the previously running dhclient.
killall dhclient
dhclient wlan0

#create rtwn0 device just one time issue this command
ifconfig wlan0 create wlandev rtwn0

#view the results of the above wlan0 creation

ifconfig -a -g wlan

ifconfig -g wlan

ifconfig  wlan0 channel 11 ssid "bslguest"

ifconfig wlan0 up scan 

 

cat /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf

network=

   ssid="bslguest"

   psk="meatloaf"

   key_mgmt=WPA-PSK

}

 

cat /etc/rc.conf

hostname="RPI3 generic fred"

sshd_enable="YES"

sendmail_enable="NONE"

growfs_enable="YES"

powerd_enable="YES"

dumpdev="AUTO"

wlans_rtwn0="wlan0"

 

ifconfig wlan0 create wlandev rtwn0 

wpa_supplicant -d -K -i wlan0 -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf    #debug the connection -d -K

or

wpa_supplicant -B -i wlan0 -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf   #operate as a daemon in the background -B

 dhclient wlan0   # get a DHCP IP number from the wifi access point

 

 

ifconfig wlan0 up scan list | grep -in bsl 

 

Use Python GUI program networkmgr   see  under   https://freshports.org 

https://www.freshports.org/search.php?query=networkmgr&search=go&num=10&stype=name&method=match&deleted=excludedeleted&start=1&casesensitivity=caseinsensitive 

To manually connect to a WiFi access point on FreeBSD using configuration files and the commands ifconfig, wpa_supplicant, and dhclient, follow these steps. This assumes your wireless interface is wlan0 (replace with your actual interface name, e.g., ath0 or iwn0, if different).

1. Identify Your Wireless Interface

Run:

shell

ifconfig

Look for your wireless interface, typically named wlan0 or similar. Confirm it supports WiFi (e.g., shows IEEE 802.11).

2. Configure wpa_supplicant

Create or edit the WPA supplicant configuration file at /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf. Add your WiFi network details:

shell

sudo ee /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf

Add:

network={
    ssid="Your_SSID"
    psk="Your_Password"
}

• Replace Your_SSID with your WiFi network name.
• Replace Your_Password with your WiFi password.
• For open networks, omit the psk line.
• For advanced configurations (e.g., WPA-Enterprise), refer to man wpa_supplicant.conf.

Save and exit. Secure the file:

shell

sudo chmod 600 /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf

3. Bring Up the Wireless Interface

Create the wlan0 interface and associate it with your physical WiFi device (e.g., ath0):

shell

sudo ifconfig wlan0 create wlandev ath0

• Replace ath0 with your actual WiFi device name (check ifconfig output).
• Set the interface up:

shell

sudo ifconfig wlan0 up

4. Start wpa_supplicant

Run wpa_supplicant to authenticate with the WiFi access point:

shell

sudo wpa_supplicant -i wlan0 -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf -B

• -i wlan0: Specifies the interface.
• -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf: Points to the configuration file.
• -B: Runs wpa_supplicant in the background.

Check if the connection is established:

shell

ifconfig wlan0

Look for status: associated and the SSID of your network.

5. Obtain an IP Address with dhclient

Request an IP address via DHCP:

shell

sudo dhclient wlan0

• This starts the DHCP client to obtain an IP address from the access point.
• Verify the IP assignment:

shell

ifconfig wlan0

Look for an inet line with an IP address (e.g., inet 192.168.1.100).

6. Test Connectivity

Ping a server to confirm connectivity:

shell

ping -c 4 8.8.8.8

If successful, you’re connected.

7. Optional: Automate on Boot

To make this persistent, edit /etc/rc.conf:

shell

sudo sysrc wlans_ath0="wlan0"
sudo sysrc ifconfig_wlan0="WPA DHCP"

• Replace ath0 with your WiFi device name.
• This configures wlan0 to use WPA and DHCP automatically on boot.

Ensure wpa_supplicant starts automatically:

shell

sudo sysrc wpa_supplicant_enable="YES"

Troubleshooting

• Interface not found: Verify the interface name with ifconfig.
• Authentication fails: Check /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf for correct SSID/password. Use wpa_supplicant without -B to see debug output.
• No IP address: Ensure dhclient is running (ps aux | grep dhclient) and the access point provides DHCP.
• Logs: Check /var/log/messages or run sudo dmesg for errors.

For more details, consult:

• man ifconfig
• man wpa_supplicant
• man dhclient
• FreeBSD Handbook: Wireless Networking