How to Configure Ubuntu/Kubuntu with WPA using Network-Manager

For Ubuntu:

sudo apt-get install network-manager-gnome

For Kubuntu (will install knetworkmanager):

sudo apt-get install network-manager-kde

Logout/Reboot.

Ubuntu users should now see the NetworkManager Applet in the Gnome notification area. Kubuntu users will probably have to run knetworkmanager before they see NetworkManager in the systray.

If instead, you get a "The NetworkManager applet could not find some required resources. It cannot continue." message, then:

sudo gtk-update-icon-cache -f /usr/share/icons/hicolor

Once Network-Manager is installed, click on the NM icon in the notification area (default is at the top right of Ubuntu/Gnome). Choose your network, then enter your passphrase. Type a password for the keyring, and you're set.

If you don't see your network, click "Create New Wireless Network...", type your essid/networkname, then choose "WPA Personal" for wireless security.

• Note: If you installed Kubuntu then installed ubuntu-desktop & network-manager-gnome, you may not be able to use network-manager in Gnome, if at all. In this case, you may have to use WPA Supplicant and do some manual editing of conf files to get WPA up and running.

• Note: When you first log into Gnome/KDE, the keyring application will ask for a password. Future revisions of Network-Manager should resolve this.

How to enable WPA with Ndiswrapper driver

• First, make sure the Ndiswrapper driver works by itself without encryption.

• Create a file called /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf, and paste in the following. Modify the ssid and psk values.

ctrl_interface=/var/run/wpa_supplicant
network={
  ssid="YourWiFiSSID"
  psk="YourWiFiPassword"
  key_mgmt=WPA-PSK
  proto=WPA
  pairwise=TKIP
}

• Test it. Make sure your router is broadcasting its SSID.

sudo wpa_supplicant -Dwext -iwlan0 -c/etc/wpa_supplicant.conf -dd

• If your WPA works. Load it automatically when you reboot.

gksudo gedit /etc/network/interfaces

• Change your wlan0 section to the following.

If you are using static IP:

auto wlan0
iface wlan0 inet static
address 192.168.1.20
netmask 255.255.255.0
gateway 192.168.1.1
pre-up wpa_supplicant -Bw -Dwext -iwlan0 -c/etc/wpa_supplicant.conf
post-down killall -q wpa_supplicant

or this, if you are using dhcp.

auto wlan0
iface wlan0 inet dhcp
pre-up wpa_supplicant -Bw -Dwext -iwlan0 -c/etc/wpa_supplicant.conf
post-down killall -q wpa_supplicant

• Reboot