Can't connect to wireless with space in ssid

[a5sk4s]

I've read posts about problems with spaces in SSID, including those that suggest quotes, yet none of my attempts were successful so far. Other networks work fine. The use case requires to be able to easily connect to a variety of networks.

Is a space in the SSID possible using wpa_supplicant.conf?

Code: Select all

...
network={
  ssid="With A Space"
  psk="<redacted>"

  proto=RSN
  key_mgmt=WPA-PSK

  pairwise=CCMP

  auth_alg=OPEN
}
...

I've also tried "'With A Space'" and "\"With A Space\"" with the same result.

Here is the content of /etc/network/interfaces:

Code: Select all

auto wlan0

iface lo inet loopback
iface eth0 inet dhcp

allow-hotplug wlan0
iface wlan0 inet dhcp
wpa-conf /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf
iface default inet dhcp

Any suggestions that allow me to maintain a configuration for multiple networks are welcome. Thanks in advance.

Trying to change things using wicd_curses brings down the RPi (which might be another post another day).

[DougieLawson]

Drop all the quotes ("), escaped quotes (\") and aposts (').

Code: Select all

ssid=Some SSID with spaces goes here

[a5sk4s]

After removal and reboot, still no success story (I had the no-space-ssids wrapped in " as well and they worked). Any other diagnostic steps I could take to get to the bottom of this? Any other tools aside from wicd_curses, which fails dramatically, when using 'connect'?

[DougieLawson]

Use wpa_gui (on the desktop) to write a /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf file for you.

Stick

Code: Select all

auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
auto eth0
iface eth0 inet dhcp
allow-hotplug wlan0
iface wlan0 inet manual
post-up iwconfig wlan0 power off
wpa-roam /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf
iface default inet dhcp

in /etc/network/interfaces

[a5sk4s]

Thanks, I will try the wpa_gui app over the weekend.

Ultimately, I would like to just ssh in, either through direct ethernet cable (which works with hard coded ip address), or via wireless where known and added. The former is to add wireless networks in locations where I won't have a monitor connected to the RPi.

Also, I won't be at the 'space' network before next Friday, so will have a hard time testing the feature.

[B.Goode]

Also, I won't be at the 'space' network before next Friday, so will have a hard time testing the feature.

Do you have access to an Access Point that you can configure? You could plant your own spaced-out ssid for testing. If you have another RPi you could use that as a wifi HotSpot to test against.

[a5sk4s]

Over the weekend, I was able to connect to one network with a space in the SSID.

It took lots of trial and errors, mostly because the old linksys befw11s4 apparently doesn't support DHCP and WEP (it's old) at the same time (so it is unsecured at the moment). I also couldn't easily find an example with the correct network settings for an unsecured network required in wpa_supplicant.conf and the priority was needed to avoid that the other wireless network was always faster in it's response:

Code: Select all

network={
  ssid="With A Space"
  proto=WPA
  key_mgmt=NONE
  priority=5
}

Thank you for your support and suggestions - without it, I would probably have given up, which I don't easily do.

This still leaves the question why it does not work on the other network. It is in a co-working space and requires confirmation via the browser. Could this be the issue? How would I be able to deal with such a situation preferably without or with minimal user intervention?

Any more ideas on how to diagnose this situation are welcome.

[DougieLawson]

This still leaves the question why it does not work on the other network. It is in a co-working space and requires confirmation via the browser. Could this be the issue? How would I be able to deal with such a situation preferably without or with minimal user intervention?

Any more ideas on how to diagnose this situation are welcome.

Get a Louisville Slugger, go and visit the network administrator using the Slugger in an appropriate way to help give him/her a clue about network admin.

If there's a web page login you may be able to spoof that with a bit of HTML and some JavaScript.

But the best option would be to get the network administrator to add your MAC address to the pre-authorised or exempt from authorisation list.

I like the baseball bat as a clue stick approach myself.