For a desktop installation using NetworkManager (e.g., GNOME), you just have to make sure the user is in the networkmanager group and you can skip the rest of this section on wireless networks. NixOS will start wpa_supplicant for you if you enable this setting: networking.wireless.enable = true; NixOS currently does not generate wpa_supplicant's configuration file, /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf. You should edit this file yourself to define wireless networks, WPA keys and so on (see wpa_supplicant.conf(5)). If you are using WPA2 the wpa_passphrase tool might be useful to generate the wpa_supplicant.conf. $ wpa_passphrase ESSID PSK > /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf After you have edited the wpa_supplicant.conf, you need to restart the wpa_supplicant service. $ systemctl restart wpa_supplicant.service