Manual Pages  — IFCONFIG

The following options are available:

address
	For the DARPA -Internet family, the address is either a host name present in the host name data base, hosts(5), or a DARPA Internet address expressed in the Internet standard "dot notation". It is also possible to use the CIDR notation (also known as the slash notation) to include the netmask. That is, one can specify an address like 192.168.0.1/16. For the "inet6" family, it is also possible to specify the prefix length using the slash notation, like ::1/128. See the prefixlen parameter below for more information. The link-level ("link") address is specified as a series of colon-separated hex digits. This can be used to e.g. set a new MAC address on an ethernet interface, though the mechanism used is not ethernet-specific. If the interface is already up when this option is used, it will be briefly brought down and then brought back up again in order to ensure that the receive filter in the underlying ethernet hardware is properly reprogrammed.
address_family
	Specify the address family which affects interpretation of the remaining parameters. Since an interface can receive transmissions in differing protocols with different naming schemes, specifying the address family is recommended. The address or protocol families currently supported are "inet", "inet6", "atalk", "ipx", and "link". The default is "inet". "ether" and "lladdr" are synonyms for "link".
dest_address
	Specify the address of the correspondent on the other end of a point to point link.
interface
	This parameter is a string of the form "name unit", for example, "ed0".
groupname
	List the interfaces in the given group.

The following parameters may be set with :

add	Another name for the alias parameter. Introduced for compatibility with .Bsx .
alias	Establish an additional network address for this interface. This is sometimes useful when changing network numbers, and one wishes to accept packets addressed to the old interface. If the address is on the same subnet as the first network address for this interface, a non-conflicting netmask must be given. Usually 0xffffffff is most appropriate.
-alias
	Remove the network address specified. This would be used if you incorrectly specified an alias, or it was no longer needed. If you have incorrectly set an NS address having the side effect of specifying the host portion, removing all NS addresses will allow you to respecify the host portion.
anycast
	(Inet6 only.) Specify that the address configured is an anycast address. Based on the current specification, only routers may configure anycast addresses. Anycast address will not be used as source address of any of outgoing IPv6 packets.
arp	Enable the use of the Address Resolution Protocol (arp(4)) in mapping between network level addresses and link level addresses (default). This is currently implemented for mapping between DARPA Internet addresses and IEEE 802 48-bit MAC addresses (Ethernet, FDDI, and Token Ring addresses).
-arp
	Disable the use of the Address Resolution Protocol (arp(4)).
staticarp
	If the Address Resolution Protocol is enabled, the host will only reply to requests for its addresses, and will never send any requests.
-staticarp
	If the Address Resolution Protocol is enabled, the host will perform normally, sending out requests and listening for replies.
broadcast
	(Inet only.) Specify the address to use to represent broadcasts to the network. The default broadcast address is the address with a host part of all 1's.
debug	Enable driver dependent debugging code; usually, this turns on extra console error logging.
-debug
	Disable driver dependent debugging code.
promisc
	Put interface into permanently promiscuous mode.
-promisc
	Disable permanently promiscuous mode.
delete
	Another name for the -alias parameter.
down	Mark an interface "down". When an interface is marked "down", the system will not attempt to transmit messages through that interface. If possible, the interface will be reset to disable reception as well. This action does not automatically disable routes using the interface.
group group-name
	Assign the interface to a "group". Any interface can be in multiple groups. Cloned interfaces are members of their interface family group by default. For example, a PPP interface such as ppp0 is a member of the PPP interface family group, ppp.
-group group-name
	Remove the interface from the given "group".
eui64	(Inet6 only.) Fill interface index (lowermost 64bit of an IPv6 address) automatically.
ipdst	This is used to specify an Internet host who is willing to receive IP packets encapsulating IPX packets bound for a remote network. An apparent point to point link is constructed, and the address specified will be taken as the IPX address and network of the destination.
maclabel label
	If Mandatory Access Control support is enabled in the kernel, set the MAC label to label.
media type
	If the driver supports the media selection system, set the media type of the interface to type. Some interfaces support the mutually exclusive use of one of several different physical media connectors. For example, a 10Mbit/s Ethernet interface might support the use of either AUI or twisted pair connectors. Setting the media type to 10base5/AUI would change the currently active connector to the AUI port. Setting it to 10baseT/UTP would activate twisted pair. Refer to the interfaces' driver specific documentation or man page for a complete list of the available types.
mediaopt opts
	If the driver supports the media selection system, set the specified media options on the interface. The opts argument is a comma delimited list of options to apply to the interface. Refer to the interfaces' driver specific man page for a complete list of available options.
-mediaopt opts
	If the driver supports the media selection system, disable the specified media options on the interface.
mode mode
	If the driver supports the media selection system, set the specified operating mode on the interface to mode. For IEEE 802.11 wireless interfaces that support multiple operating modes this directive is used to select between 802.11a ( 11a), 802.11b ( 11b), and 802.11g ( 11g) operating modes.
inst minst, instance minst
	Set the media instance to minst. This is useful for devices which have multiple physical layer interfaces (PHYs).
name name
	Set the interface name to name.
rxcsum, txcsum
	If the driver supports user-configurable checksum offloading, enable receive (or transmit) checksum offloading on the interface. Some drivers may not be able to enable these flags independently of each other, so setting one may also set the other. The driver will offload as much checksum work as it can reliably support, the exact level of offloading varies between drivers.
-rxcsum -, -txcsum
	If the driver supports user-configurable checksum offloading, disable receive (or transmit) checksum offloading on the interface. These settings may not always be independent of each other.
tso	If the driver supports tcp(4) segmentation offloading, enable TSO on the interface. Some drivers may not be able to support TSO for ip(4) and ip6(4) packets, so they may enable only one of them.
-tso
	If the driver supports tcp(4) segmentation offloading, disable TSO on the interface. It will always disable TSO for ip(4) and ip6(4).
lro	If the driver supports tcp(4) large receive offloading, enable LRO on the interface.
-lro
	If the driver supports tcp(4) large receive offloading, disable LRO on the interface.
wol, wol_ucast, wol_mcast, wol_magic
	Enable Wake On Lan (WOL) support, if available. WOL is a facility whereby a machine in a low power state may be woken in response to a received packet. There are three types of packets that may wake a system: ucast (directed solely to the machine's mac address), mcast (directed to a broadcast or multicast address), or magic (unicast or multicast frames with a ``magic contents''). Not all devices support WOL, those that do indicate the mechanisms they support in their capabilities. wol is a synonym for enabling all available WOL mechanisms. To disable WOL use -wol.
vlanmtu, vlanhwtag
	If the driver offers user-configurable VLAN support, enable reception of extended frames or tag processing in hardware, respectively. Note that this must be issued on a physical interface associated with vlan(4), not on a vlan(4) interface itself.
-vlanmtu -, -vlanhwtag
	If the driver offers user-configurable VLAN support, disable reception of extended frames or tag processing in hardware, respectively.
polling
	Turn on polling(4) feature and disable interrupts on the interface, if driver supports this mode.
-polling
	Turn off polling(4) feature and enable interrupt mode on the interface.
create
	Create the specified network pseudo-device. If the interface is given without a unit number, try to create a new device with an arbitrary unit number. If creation of an arbitrary device is successful, the new device name is printed to standard output unless the interface is renamed or destroyed in the same : invocation.
destroy
	Destroy the specified network pseudo-device.
plumb	Another name for the create parameter. Included for Solaris compatibility.
unplumb
	Another name for the destroy parameter. Included for Solaris compatibility.
metric n
	Set the routing metric of the interface to n, default 0. The routing metric is used by the routing protocol (routed(8)). Higher metrics have the effect of making a route less favorable; metrics are counted as additional hops to the destination network or host.
mtu n	Set the maximum transmission unit of the interface to n, default is interface specific. The MTU is used to limit the size of packets that are transmitted on an interface. Not all interfaces support setting the MTU, and some interfaces have range restrictions.
netmask mask
	(Inet only.) Specify how much of the address to reserve for subdividing networks into sub-networks. The mask includes the network part of the local address and the subnet part, which is taken from the host field of the address. The mask can be specified as a single hexadecimal number with a leading `0x', with a dot-notation Internet address, or with a pseudo-network name listed in the network table networks(5). The mask contains 1's for the bit positions in the 32-bit address which are to be used for the network and subnet parts, and 0's for the host part. The mask should contain at least the standard network portion, and the subnet field should be contiguous with the network portion. The netmask can also be specified in CIDR notation after the address. See the address option above for more information.
prefixlen len
	(Inet6 only.) Specify that len bits are reserved for subdividing networks into sub-networks. The len must be integer, and for syntactical reason it must be between 0 to 128. It is almost always 64 under the current IPv6 assignment rule. If the parameter is omitted, 64 is used. The prefix can also be specified using the slash notation after the address. See the address option above for more information.
range netrange
	Under appletalk, set the interface to respond to a netrange of the form startnet - endnet. Appletalk uses this scheme instead of netmasks though FreeBSD implements it internally as a set of netmasks.
remove
	Another name for the -alias parameter. Introduced for compatibility with .Bsx .
phase	The argument following this specifies the version (phase) of the Appletalk network attached to the interface. Values of 1 or 2 are permitted.
link [0-2]
	Enable special processing of the link level of the interface. These three options are interface specific in actual effect, however, they are in general used to select special modes of operation. An example of this is to enable SLIP compression, or to select the connector type for some Ethernet cards. Refer to the man page for the specific driver for more information.
-link [0-2]
	Disable special processing at the link level with the specified interface.
monitor
	Put the interface in monitor mode. No packets are transmitted, and received packets are discarded after bpf(4) processing.
-monitor
	Take the interface out of monitor mode.
up	Mark an interface "up". This may be used to enable an interface after an " down". It happens automatically when setting the first address on an interface. If the interface was reset when previously marked down, the hardware will be re-initialized.

The following parameters are specific to IEEE 802.11 wireless interfaces:

apbridge
	When operating as an access point, pass packets between wireless clients directly (default). To instead let them pass up through the system and be forwarded using some other mechanism, use -apbridge. Disabling the internal bridging is useful when traffic is to be processed with packet filtering.
authmode mode
	Set the desired authentication mode in infrastructure mode. Not all adaptors support all modes. The set of valid modes is none, open, shared (shared key), 8021x (IEEE 802.1x), and wpa (IEEE WPA/WPA2/802.11i). The 8021x and wpa modes are only useful when using an authentication service (a supplicant for client operation or an authenticator when operating as an access point). Modes are case insensitive.
bgscan
	Enable background scanning when operating as a station. Background scanning is a technique whereby a station associated to an access point will temporarily leave the channel to scan for neighboring stations. This allows a station to maintain a cache of nearby access points so that roaming between access points can be done without a lengthy scan operation. Background scanning is done only when a station is not busy and any outbound traffic will cancel a scan operation. Background scanning should never cause packets to be lost though there may be some small latency if outbound traffic interrupts a scan operation. By default background scanning is enabled if the device is capable. To disable background scanning, use -bgscan. Background scanning is controlled by the bgscanidle and bgscanintvl parameters. Background scanning must be enabled for roaming; this is an artifact of the current implementation and may not be required in the future.
bgscanidle idletime
	Set the minimum time a station must be idle (not transmitting or receiving frames) before a background scan is initiated. The idletime parameter is specified in milliseconds. By default a station must be idle at least 250 milliseconds before a background scan is initiated. The idle time may not be set to less than 100 milliseconds.
bgscanintvl interval
	Set the interval at which background scanning is attempted. The interval parameter is specified in seconds. By default a background scan is considered every 300 seconds (5 minutes). The interval may not be set to less than 15 seconds.
bintval interval
	Set the interval at which beacon frames are sent when operating in ad-hoc or ap mode. The interval parameter is specified in TU's (1024 usecs). By default beacon frames are transmitted every 100 TU's.
bmissthreshold count
	Set the number of consecutive missed beacons at which the station will attempt to roam (i.e., search for a new access point). The count parameter must be in the range 1 to 255; though the upper bound may be reduced according to device capabilities. The default threshold is 7 consecutive missed beacons; but this may be overridden by the device driver. Another name for the bmissthreshold parameter is bmiss.
bssid address
	Specify the MAC address of the access point to use when operating as a station in a BSS network. This overrides any automatic selection done by the system. To disable a previously selected access point, supply any, none, or - for the address. This option is useful when more than one access point uses the same SSID. Another name for the bssid parameter is ap.
burst	Enable packet bursting. Packet bursting is a transmission technique whereby the wireless medium is acquired once to send multiple frames and the interframe spacing is reduced. This technique can significantly increase throughput by reducing transmission overhead. Packet bursting is supported by the 802.11e QoS specification and some devices that do not support QoS may still be capable. By default packet bursting is enabled if a device is capable of doing it. To disable packet bursting, use -burst.
chanlist channels
	Set the desired channels to use when scanning for access points, neighbors in an IBSS network, or looking for unoccupied channels when operating as an access point. The set of channels is specified as a comma-separated list with each element in the list representing either a single channel number or a range of the form "a-b". Channel numbers must be in the range 1 to 255 and be permissible according to the operating characteristics of the device.
channel number
	Set a single desired channel. Channels range from 1 to 255, but the exact selection available depends on the region your adaptor was manufactured for. Setting the channel to 0, any, or - will give you the default for your adaptor. Some adaptors ignore this setting unless you are in ad-hoc mode. Alternatively the frequency, in megahertz, may be specified instead of the channel number. When there are several ways to use a channel the channel number/frequency may be appended with attributes to clarify. For example, if a device is capable of operating on channel 6 with 802.11n and 802.11g then one can specify that g-only use should be used by specifying ``6:g''. Similarly the channel width can be specified by appending it with ``/''; e.g. ``6/40'' specifies a 40MHz wide channel, These attributes can be combined as in: ``6:ht/40''. The full set of flags specified following a `:'' are: a (802.11a), b (802.11b), d (Atheros Dynamic Turbo mode), g (802.11g), h or n (802.11n aka HT), s (Atheros Static Turbo mode), and t (Atheros Dynamic Turbo mode, or appended to ``st'' and ``dt''). The full set of channel widths following a '/' are: 5 (5MHz aka quarter-rate channel), 10 (10MHz aka half-rate channel), 20 (20MHz mostly for use in specifying ht20), and 40 (40MHz mostly for use in specifying ht40), In addition, a 40MHz HT channel specification may include the location of the extension channel by appending ``+'' or ``-'' for above and below, respectively; e.g. ``2437:ht/40+'' specifies 40MHz wide HT operation with the center channel at frequency 2437 and the extension channel above.
doth	Enable inclusion of an 802.11h country information element in beacon frames transmitted when operating as an access point. By default 802.11h is enabled if the device is capable. To disable 802.11h use -doth.
deftxkey index
	Set the default key to use for transmission. Typically this is only set when using WEP encryption. Note that you must set a default transmit key for the system to know which key to use in encrypting outbound traffic. The weptxkey is an alias for this request; it is provided for backwards compatibility.
dtimperiod period
	Set the DTIM period for transmitting buffered multicast data frames when operating in ap mode. The period specifies the number of beacon intervals between DTIM and must be in the range 1 to 15. By default DTIM is 1 (i.e., DTIM occurs at each beacon).
dturbo
	Enable the use of Atheros Dynamic Turbo mode when communicating with another Dynamic Turbo-capable station. Dynamic Turbo mode is an Atheros-specific mechanism by which stations switch between normal 802.11 operation and a ``boosted'' mode in which a 40MHz wide channel is used for communication. Stations using Dynamic Turbo mode operate boosted only when the channel is free of non-dturbo stations; when a non-dturbo station is identified on the channel all stations will automatically drop back to normal operation. By default, Dynamic Turbo mode is not enabled, even if the device is capable. Note that turbo mode (dynamic or static) is only allowed on some channels depending on the regulatory constraints; use the list chan command to identify the channels where turbo mode may be used. To disable Dynamic Turbo mode use -dturbo.
fragthreshold length
	Set the threshold for which transmitted frames are broken into fragments. The length argument is the frame size in bytes and must be in the range 256 to 2346. Setting length to 2346, any, or - disables transmit fragmentation. Not all adaptors honor the fragmentation threshold.
hidessid
	When operating as an access point, do not broadcast the SSID in beacon frames or respond to probe request frames unless they are directed to the ap (i.e., they include the ap's SSID). By default, the SSID is included in beacon frames and undirected probe request frames are answered. To re-enable the broadcast of the SSID etc., use -hidessid.
ff	Enable the use of Atheros Fast Frames when communicating with another Fast Frames-capable station. Fast Frames are an encapsulation technique by which two 802.3 frames are transmitted in a single 802.11 frame. This can noticeably improve throughput but requires that the receiving station understand how to decapsulate the frame. Fast frame use is negotiated using the Atheros 802.11 vendor-specific protocol extension so enabling use is safe when communicating with non-Atheros devices. By default, use of fast frames is enabled if the device is capable. To explicitly disable fast frames, use -ff.
list active
	Display the list of channels available for use taking into account any restrictions set with the chanlist directive. See the description of list chan for more information.
list caps
	Display the adaptor's capabilities, including the operating modes supported.
list chan
	Display the list of channels available for use. Channels are shown with their IEEE channel number, equivalent frequency, and usage modes. Channels identified as `11g' are also usable in `11b' mode. Channels identified as `11a Turbo' may be used only for Atheros' Static Turbo mode (specified with mediaopt turbo). Channels marked with a `*' have a regulatory constraint that they be passively scanned. This means a station is not permitted to transmit on the channel until it identifies the channel is being used for 802.11 communication; typically by hearing a beacon frame from an access point operating on the channel. list freq is another way of requesting this information. By default a compacted list of channels is displayed; if the -v option is specified then all channels are shown.
list mac
	Display the current MAC Access Control List state. Each address is prefixed with a character that indicates the current policy applied to it: `+' indicates the address is allowed access, `-' indicates the address is denied access, `*' indicates the address is present but the current policy open (so the ACL is not consulted).
list scan
	Display the access points and/or ad-hoc neighbors located in the vicinity. The -v flag may be used to display long SSIDs. -v also causes received information elements to be displayed symbolically. This information may be updated automatically by the adaptor and/or with a scan request or through background scanning. The list ap command is another way of requesting this information.
list sta
	When operating as an access point display the stations that are currently associated. When operating in ad-hoc mode display stations identified as neighbors in the IBSS. When operating in station mode display the access point. Capabilities advertised by the stations are described under the scan request. Depending on the capabilities of the stations the following flags can be included in the output:
A	Authorized. Indicates that the station is permitted to send/receive data frames.
E	Extended Rate Phy (ERP). Indicates that the station is operating in an 802.11g network using extended transmit rates.
H	High Throughput (HT). Indicates that the station is using MCS to send/receive frames.
P	Power Save. Indicates that the station is operating in power save mode.
Q	Quality of Service (QoS). Indicates that the station is using QoS encapsulation for data frame. QoS encapsulation is enabled only when WME mode is enabled.

By default information elements received from associated stations are displayed in a short form; the -v flag causes this information to be displayed symbolically.

list wme
	Display the current parameters to use when operating in WME mode. When WME mode is enabled for an adaptor this information will be displayed with the regular status; this command is mostly useful for examining parameters when WME mode is disabled. See the description of the wme directive for information on the various parameters.
mcastrate rate
	Set the rate for transmitting multicast/broadcast frames. Rates are specified as megabits/second in decimal; e.g. 5.5 for 5.5 Mb/s. This rate should be valid for the current operating conditions; if an invalid rate is specified drivers are free to chose an appropriate rate.
powersave
	Enable powersave operation. When operating as a client, the station will conserve power by periodically turning off the radio and listening for messages from the access point telling it there are packets waiting. The station must then retrieve the packets. Not all devices support power save operation as a client. The 802.11 specification requires that all access points support power save but some drivers do not. Use -powersave to disable powersave operation when operating as a client.
powersavesleep sleep
	Set the desired max powersave sleep time in TU's (1024 usecs). By default the max powersave sleep time is 100 TU's.
protmode technique
	For interfaces operating in 802.11g, use the specified technique for protecting OFDM frames in a mixed 11b/11g network. The set of valid techniques is off, cts (CTS to self), and rtscts (RTS/CTS). Technique names are case insensitive. Not all devices support cts as a protection technique.
pureg	When operating as an access point in 802.11g mode allow only 11g-capable stations to associate (11b-only stations are not permitted to associate). To allow both 11g and 11b-only stations to associate, use -pureg.
roaming mode
	When operating as a station, control how the system will behave when communication with the current access point is broken. The mode argument may be one of device (leave it to the hardware device to decide), auto (handle either in the device or the operating system[em]as appropriate), manual (do nothing until explicitly instructed). By default, the device is left to handle this if it is capable; otherwise, the operating system will automatically attempt to reestablish communication. Manual mode is used by applications such as wpa_supplicant(8) that want to control the selection of an access point.
roam:rssi11a rssi
	Set the threshold for controlling roaming when operating in an 802.11a BSS. The rssi parameter specifies the receive signal strength in dBm units at which roaming should be considered. If the current rssi drops below this setting and background scanning is enabled, then the system will check if a more desirable access point is available and switch over to it. The current scan cache contents are used if they are considered valid according to the scanvalid parameter; otherwise a background scan operation is triggered before any selection occurs. By default rssi is set to 7 dBm.
roam:rssi11b rssi
	Set the threshold for controlling roaming when operating in an 802.11b-only BSS. See roam:rssi11a for a description of this parameter. By default rssi is set to 7 dBm.
roam:rssi11g rssi
	Set the threshold for controlling roaming when operating in a (mixed) 802.11g BSS. See roam:rssi11a for a description of this parameter. By default rssi is set to 7 dBm.
roam:rate11a rate
	Set the threshold for controlling roaming when operating in an 802.11a BSS. The rate parameter specifies the transmit rate in megabits at which roaming should be considered. If the current transmit rate drops below this setting and background scanning is enabled, then the system will check if a more desirable access point is available and switch over to it. The current scan cache contents are used if they are considered valid according to the scanvalid parameter; otherwise a background scan operation is triggered before any selection occurs. By default rate is set to 12 Mb/s.
roam:rate11b rate
	Set the threshold for controlling roaming when operating in an 802.11b-only BSS. See roam:rate11a for a description of this parameter. By default rate is set to 1 Mb/s.
roam:rate11g rate
	Set the threshold for controlling roaming when operating in a (mixed) 802.11g BSS. See roam:rate11a for a description of this parameter. By default rate is set to 5 Mb/s.
rtsthreshold length
	Set the threshold for which transmitted frames are preceded by transmission of an RTS control frame. The length argument is the frame size in bytes and must be in the range 1 to 2346. Setting length to 2346, any, or - disables transmission of RTS frames. Not all adaptors support setting the RTS threshold.
ssid ssid
	Set the desired Service Set Identifier (aka network name). The SSID is a string up to 32 characters in length and may be specified as either a normal string or in hexadecimal when preceded by `0x'. Additionally, the SSID may be cleared by setting it to `-'.
scan	Initiate a scan of neighboring stations, wait for it to complete, and display all stations found. Only the super-user can initiate a scan. Depending on the capabilities of the APs, the following flags can be included in the output:
A	Channel Agility. Indicates that the station support channel hopping as described by the IEEE 802.11b specification.
B	Packet Binary Convolution Code (PBCC). A modulation alternative to the standard OFDM method.
C	Pollreq
c	Pollable
D	Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSSOFDM). Indicates the the station supports DSSS modulation.
E	Extended Service Set (ESS). Indicates that the station is part of an infrastructure network (in contrast to an IBSS/ad-hoc network).
I	IBSS/ad-hoc network. Indicates that the station is part of an ad-hoc network (in contrast to an ESS network).
P	Privacy. Data confidentiality is required for all data frames exchanged within the BSS. This means that this BSS requires the station to use cryptographic means such as WEP, TKIP or AES-CCMP to encrypt/decrypt data frames being exchanged with others.
R	Robust Security Network (RSN). Indicates that the station supports the IEEE 802.11i authentication and key management protocol.
S	Short Preamble. Indicates that the network is using short preambles (defined in 802.11b High Rate/DSSS PHY, short preamble utilizes a 56 bit sync field in contrast to a 128 bit field used in long preamble mode).
s	Short slot time. Indicates that the network is using a short slot time.

Interesting information elements captured from the neighboring stations are displayed at the end of each row. Possible elements are: WME (station supports WME), WPA (station supports WPA), WPS (station supports WPS), RSN (station supports 802.11i/RSN), HT (station supports 802.11n/HT communication), ATH (station supports Atheros protocol extensions), VEN (station supports unknown vendor-specific extensions). If the -v flag is used the information element contents will be shown.

The list scan request can be used to show recent scan results without initiating a new scan.

The -v flag may be used to prevent the shortening of long SSIDs.

scanvalid threshold
	Set the maximum time the scan cache contents are considered valid; i.e. will be used without first triggering a scan operation to refresh the data. The threshold parameter is specified in seconds and defaults to 60 seconds. The minimum setting for threshold is 10 seconds. One should take care setting this threshold; if it is set too low then attempts to roam to another access point may trigger unnecessary background scan operations.
stationname name
	Set the name of this station. The station name is not part of the IEEE 802.11 protocol though some interfaces support it. As such it only seems to be meaningful to identical or virtually identical equipment. Setting the station name is identical in syntax to setting the SSID.
txpower power
	Set the power used to transmit frames. The power argument is specified in .5 dBm units. Out of range values are truncated. Typically only a few discreet power settings are available and the driver will use the setting closest to the specified value. Not all adaptors support changing the transmit power.
wepmode mode
	Set the desired WEP mode. Not all adaptors support all modes. The set of valid modes is off, on, and mixed. The mixed mode explicitly tells the adaptor to allow association with access points which allow both encrypted and unencrypted traffic. On these adaptors, on means that the access point must only allow encrypted connections. On other adaptors, on is generally another name for mixed. Modes are case insensitive.
weptxkey index
	Set the WEP key to be used for transmission. This is the same as setting the default transmission key with deftxkey.
wepkey key | index: key
	Set the selected WEP key. If an index is not given, key 1 is set. A WEP key will be either 5 or 13 characters (40 or 104 bits) depending of the local network and the capabilities of the adaptor. It may be specified either as a plain string or as a string of hexadecimal digits preceded by `0x'. For maximum portability, hex keys are recommended; the mapping of text keys to WEP encryption is usually driver-specific. In particular, the Windows drivers do this mapping differently to FreeBSD . A key may be cleared by setting it to `-'. If WEP is supported then there are at least four keys. Some adaptors support more than four keys. If that is the case, then the first four keys (1-4) will be the standard temporary keys and any others will be adaptor specific keys such as permanent keys stored in NVRAM. Note that you must set a default transmit key with deftxkey for the system to know which key to use in encrypting outbound traffic.
wme	Enable Wireless Multimedia Extensions (WME) support, if available, for the specified interface. WME is a subset of the IEEE 802.11e standard to support the efficient communication of realtime and multimedia data. To disable WME support, use -wme. The following parameters are meaningful only when WME support is in use. Parameters are specified per-AC (Access Category) and split into those that are used by a station when acting as an access point and those for client stations in the BSS. The latter are received from the access point and may not be changed (at the station). The following Access Categories are recognized:
AC_BE	(or BE) best effort delivery,
AC_BK	(or BK) background traffic,
AC_VI	(or VI) video traffic,
AC_VO	(or VO) voice traffic.

AC parameters are case-insensitive. Traffic classification is done in the operating system using the vlan priority associated with data frames or the ToS (Type of Service) indication in IP-encapsulated frames. If neither information is present, traffic is assigned to the Best Effort (BE) category.

ack ac	Set the ACK policy for QoS transmissions by the local station; this controls whether or not data frames transmitted by a station require an ACK response from the receiving station. To disable waiting for an ACK use -ack. This parameter is applied only to the local station.
acm ac	Enable the Admission Control Mandatory (ACM) mechanism for transmissions by the local station. To disable the ACM use -acm. On stations in a BSS this parameter is read-only and indicates the setting received from the access point. NB: ACM is not supported right now.
aifs ac count
	Set the Arbitration Inter Frame Spacing (AIFS) channel access parameter to use for transmissions by the local station. On stations in a BSS this parameter is read-only and indicates the setting received from the access point.
cwmin ac count
	Set the CWmin channel access parameter to use for transmissions by the local station. On stations in a BSS this parameter is read-only and indicates the setting received from the access point.
cwmax ac count
	Set the CWmax channel access parameter to use for transmissions by the local station. On stations in a BSS this parameter is read-only and indicates the setting received from the access point.
txoplimit ac limit
	Set the Transmission Opportunity Limit channel access parameter to use for transmissions by the local station. This parameter defines an interval of time when a WME station has the right to initiate transmissions onto the wireless medium. On stations in a BSS this parameter is read-only and indicates the setting received from the access point.
bss:aifs ac count
	Set the AIFS channel access parameter to send to stations in a BSS. This parameter is meaningful only when operating in ap mode.
bss:cwmin ac count
	Set the CWmin channel access parameter to send to stations in a BSS. This parameter is meaningful only when operating in ap mode.
bss:cwmax ac count
	Set the CWmax channel access parameter to send to stations in a BSS. This parameter is meaningful only when operating in ap mode.
bss:txoplimit ac limit
	Set the TxOpLimit channel access parameter to send to stations in a BSS. This parameter is meaningful only when operating in ap mode.