The regular network manager does wifi just dandy, but NetworkManager is the sh*t for lappies that travel.
alt+f2, gksudo synaptic, and install
network-manager
network-manager-gnome
network-manager-pptb (not sure if this is crucial, but why not? :P)
then edit your /etc/network/interfaces file as with your fave text editor as root:
gksudo gedit
edit out with the "#" symbol anything that isnt "auto lo"
Mine now reads:
Quote# This file describes the network interfaces available on your system
# and how to activate them. For more information, see interfaces(5).
# The loopback network interface
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
# This is a list of hotpluggable network interfaces.
# They will be activated automatically by the hotplug subsystem.
# The primary network interface
# iface eth0 inet dhcp
# wireless-* options are implemented by the wireless-tools package
wireless-mode managed
wireless-essid default
# auto eth0
restart your boxen and youll get a cool applet in your systray that lets you view and choose networks. :ptu:
(http://static.flickr.com/112/269033757_0e99b6ea79_o.png)