Xfce Forum

gilgamesh

Member

Registered: 2023-06-06

Posts: 48

[Solved]Connect to a specific Wi-Fi network at startup

Hello,
I'm using Debian 13 with two Wi-Fi networks: nk1 and nk2. I want my laptop to automatically connect to nk1 at startup. I tried adding the wpa_supplicant command in Settings > Session and Startup > Applications to Launch Automatically, specifying command=
“/usr/sbin/wpa_supplicant” and trigger="on login". Wpa_supplicant service is enabled. It didn't work.

~$ whereis wpa_supplicant
wpa_supplicant: /usr/sbin/wpa_supplicant /etc/wpa_supplicant /usr/share/man/man8/wpa_supplicant.8.gz

~$ systemctl status wpa_supplicant.service
● wpa_supplicant.service - WPA supplicant
     Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/wpa_supplicant.service; enabled; preset: enabled)
     Active: active (running) since Tue 2026-07-28 17:17:13 CEST; 43min ago
......CGroup: /system.slice/wpa_supplicant.service
             └─960 /usr/sbin/wpa_supplicant -u -s -O "DIR=/run/wpa_supplicant GROUP=netdev"

~$ getent group netdev
netdev:x:101:<user>

Is this because I need to be root to use this command, or is there another reason?

PS: I created a file named /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf and entered the SSID and PSK in it:

> network={
        ssid="xxx"
        psk="yyyyy"
}

Last edited by gilgamesh (2026-07-28 22:12:28)

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Debian 13

daffyduck

Banned

Registered: 2026-06-25

Posts: 118

Re: [Solved]Connect to a specific Wi-Fi network at startup

Um ... I don't use Debian 13, so I'll just be guessing.

The best way to setup a network is to use a dedicated GUI application for that task.

I use an application called "NetworkManager Applet", which I believe is the standard app for what you want to do. You can probably install it via APT if it is not installed yet.

When installed, it automatically appears in your Xfce main panel, in the "Notification area" (i.e. in the "XApp Status Plugin" for the panel). If the icon for it does not automatically show up in the panel, then add "XApp Status Plugin" to the panel.

Added later 13 min 37 s:
Also, "NetworkManager Applet" is actually just a status indicator and launcher. The actual GUI program that manages networks is "nm-connection-editor", so you should ascertain that it is installed, and then run it to set up network connections.

Last edited by daffyduck (2026-07-28 17:37:34)

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               . ' -__- '            it easier for others to find solutions.

gilgamesh

Member

Registered: 2023-06-06

Posts: 48

Re: [Solved]Connect to a specific Wi-Fi network at startup

...........
The actual GUI program that manages networks is "nm-connection-editor", so you should ascertain that it is installed, and then run it to set up network connections.

Yes, you're right—upon closer inspection, I noticed there was a conflict between what I was trying to do on my own and what was configured in the connection editor. I resolved that conflict, and everything is now working properly.

Thanks for your reply.

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Debian 13