To most of us Ubuntu starting the Wi-Fi connection automatically on log-in is a great boon – it lets us get online much quicker.
For some, however, it is an annoyance.
Below is an easy guide for disabling the auto feature, instead allowing you to manually turn Wi-Fi on when you so choose (which is a great way to save battery life).
This feature annoyed Pablo from usemoslinux, who is sharing his relatively simple solution with OMG! reader.
How to disable auto-start Wi-Fi
Let’s get down to business. Open up the gedit text editor (Applications > Accessories) and enter the following text:
dbus-send – system – type = method_call – dest = org.freedesktop.NetworkManager / org / freedesktop / NetworkManager org.freedesktop.DBus.Properties.Set string: string org.freedesktop.NetworkManager: WirelessEnabled variant: boolean: false
Double check you’ve copied it correctly and proceed to save the file as ‘disable WiFi’.
We now need to give it permissions to run. Open up the file browser and locate the file you just saved. Right click on it and select ‘Properties’ followed by the ‘Permissions’ tab. Check the box next to ‘Allow executing file as a program.’. Click ‘Okay’.
To get WiFi to be disabled on boot we need to add the script to the start-up roster.
Head up to System> Preferences> Startup Applications.
Click the Add button and enter a name for the script (something like ‘Disable WiFi’ is good). In the ‘command’ field you need to enter the path to the file. E.G.: –
/home/scripts/disable wifi
Once you’re all done click ‘Okay’ and et voila – No more WiFi auto-starting on boot! To turn WiFi on you simply need to click on the Network Manager icon and choose ‘Enable wireless’.
Thanks to Pablo