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Wi-Fi — user guide

Scottina's Wi-Fi screen joins the Pi to a wireless network headless — no keyboard, no HDMI, no nmcli over a serial console. It's the screen that closes the "pulled a Pi off the rack and need to get it online" gap: connect here, and the moment you're on, the IP appears in the header to SSH straight to.

It's always on the Home screen (built-in). Wi-Fi is managed through NetworkManager (nmcli) under the hood.

The screen

Tap the Wi-Fi tile. Top to bottom:

Control What it does
Wi-Fi ON / OFF Toggles the radio. Turning it on triggers a scan; off clears the list.
Rescan Re-scans visible networks (disabled while a scan is in flight).
Network list Every SSID heard, strongest first. Each row shows signal bars, channel, security, a saved tag for known networks, and a ✓ on the one you're connected to. Secured networks show a 🔒.

Connecting

Tap a network row:

  • Open or already-saved network → connects immediately (a "Connecting…" toast, then "Connected" / "Failed").
  • New secured network → the on-screen keyboard opens for the passphrase (masked). Enter it and confirm; Scottina saves the connection so next time it's a one-tap reconnect.

Signal bars are colour-graded (green = strong). The connected network floats to the top with a ✓.

Typical session

Join a rack Pi to the bench Wi-Fi: Open Wi-Fi, make sure it says Wi-Fi ON, tap your SSID, type the password on the on-screen keyboard, confirm. When the ✓ appears the header shows the Pi's new IP — SSH to it directly.

Notes

  • The list refreshes on a slow cadence while the screen is open; Rescan forces a fresh sweep.
  • Saved networks persist in NetworkManager, so a known SSID reconnects with a single tap (no password re-entry).
  • This screen manages the Pi's uplink radio (wlan0). Passive monitoring of other networks lives on the separate WiFi Sniff screen and uses a second adapter — the two never fight over the same radio.

Troubleshooting

Symptom Fix
No networks listed Confirm the toggle reads Wi-Fi ON, then Rescan. A weak antenna or a 5 GHz-only AP out of range shows nothing.
"Failed: …" toast Wrong passphrase, or the AP rejected the association. Tap the row again to re-enter the password.
Connected but no IP in header DHCP may still be assigning; give it a few seconds. Check the AP hands out addresses.
Can't hit the right row after the 180° flip Calibrate touch in Settings → Touch (see the main README).