force connect to hidden wireless network

[tmetro-blu-5a1Jt6qxUNc at public.gmane.org (Tom Metro)]

Jerry Feldman wrote:
> iwconfig wlan0 essid "my ssid"
> Most of the time, setting this allowed network manager to connect.

I tried that in rc.local, and it didn't seem to help., Maybe my
assumption that rc.local runs well before X starts is incorrect.

I've had a bit better luck with:

# force set ESSID so hidden WLAN is found
iwconfig wlan0 essid $SSID
until iwlist wlan0 scan | fgrep -q ESSID:\"$SSID\" ; do
  sleep 2;
done
echo "Wireless connection established to $SSID WLAN"


I don't know what impact "iwconfig wlan0 essid" has when you are in a
foreign location seeking to connect to any available WLAN, but I know my
solution won't handle that well, so I'd like to find a better solution.

 -Tom

-- 
Tom Metro
Venture Logic, Newton, MA, USA
"Enterprise solutions through open source."
Professional Profile: http://tmetro.venturelogic.com/