Lose the NEtwork Manager

stanjam · **Posted:** Tue Apr 07, 2009 9:47 pm

Network manager isn't all that great. It is slow to connect to wireless networks, and doesn't always work. However, this is Linux, and you do have options! The best one I have found so far is called Wicd (pronounced Wicked). It works really nicely, and it connects to known wireless networks at boot instead of after log in. That means by the time I have logged in and am ready to start using the computer, I am already connected to my WPA wireless network!

For me it was as easy as using apt-get (sudo apt-get install wicd). However I have found some Ubuntu users don't have the required repositories. I am not sure which one of the repositories it is, so if someone figures that out, please post. By the time I was ready to install, I already had the repo.

It will install, and it will REMOVE Network Manager in the process. Don't panic though! Just log out, and log back in, and wicd will start, just click on the icon to see the available networks and connect. If you choose the option to automatically connect, then the next time you start the machine in that area, it will be connected by the time you log in.

So if Network Manager is giving you fits, try wicd. I really like it!

vredley · **Posted:** Tue Apr 07, 2009 10:47 pm

The repo is:

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

You should also add the key:

wget -q http://apt.wicd.net/wicd.gpg -O- | sudo apt-key add -

See: http://wicd.sourceforge.net/download.php

stanjam · **Posted:** Wed Apr 08, 2009 12:23 am

Thanks for the info. Like I said, I already had it, but for those that do not, it would be good to have so that they can keep updated on the software.

monsteroyd · **Posted:** Mon Apr 20, 2009 9:54 pm

Thanks for this tip. Much nicer with wicd, and I'm a n00b and your instructions worked for me.

]Monty[

TRiPgod · **Posted:** Tue Apr 21, 2009 5:02 pm

Another reason to use wicd instead of nm:
NM can't distinguish between two access points that have the same ESSID. Wicd was able to separate both access points and show me the BSSID so that I could further identify.

cryptcredo · **Posted:** Sat Jul 11, 2009 11:16 am

Im also using wicd since a couple of days back. Network manager used to lose the wifi connection a couple of times a day but so far that has never happened with wicd. However i cant find any way to install VPN connection? I have installed the pptp and openvpn through synapsis but cant add vpn connection in wicd. I want to get my ivacy connection working :cry:

Lose the NEtwork Manager

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