Member Avatar for efmesch

I had no problems connecting to wi-fi with my Ubuntu OS. The first time I set up, my computer effortlessly identified and connected to my home network. However, I would like to scan the air to find out if there are any other networks in my range. How does one one get Ubuntu to scan the waves even though it is already connected to a network?

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As suggested, a CLI scan is a good way to enumerate access points and ’s follow‑up confirms the scan can legitimately return only the home AP. Seeing a single SSID from a scan is not necessarily an error—it’s a symptom that can have several clear causes and a few straightforward checks.

Common reasons a scan returns only the associated network:

  • No other APs are physically close enough to be heard.
  • Nearby networks are on 5 GHz while the client radio supports only 2.4 GHz.
  • SSIDs are hidden (some tools show a blank/hidden ESSID instead of a name).
  • The wireless driver/firmware performs limited scans while associated (some vendor drivers are conservative about in‑service scanning).
  • Regulatory settings or channel differences prevent the card from seeing certain channels.

Practical checks and useful commands (replace the interface name as appropriate):

ip link show
nmcli device wifi rescan
nmcli device wifi list
iw dev wlan0 scan | less

A couple of pragmatic tips: forcing a full scan by temporarily disconnecting the interface or bringing it down can reveal networks that in‑service scans miss; creating a short phone hotspot is a fast way to verify that scanning actually reports nearby SSIDs; inspecting dmesg and the wireless chipset (via lspci/lsusb) clarifies whether a proprietary driver or missing firmware is limiting results. If a driver is suspected, try the distro’s “Additional Drivers” or install the vendor‑recommended firmware.

If these checks still show only the home AP, the simplest explanation is that no other APs are within effective range or on a compatible band. For troubleshooting beyond this, include the wireless chipset, driver name, and Ubuntu/NetworkManager version to narrow down driver/firmware limitations.

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Member Avatar for nonshatter

Have you tried

sudo iwlist scan

Or if not, there may be some gui options available in network-manager?

Member Avatar for efmesch

Thanks nonshatter---I'm not home right now but should be there on Sunday. I'll try your suggestion and let you know if you've solved this thread.

Member Avatar for efmesch

I tried your suggestion---it seems to work. The reason I don't give a firmer statement is that the scan only showed my local wi-fi network and not any others. But it could well be that there are no other networks within range and therefore no others showed up.
I would say you have solved my problem.

Thanks very much

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