Network Step
The installer needs the network. If the machine is offline when it starts, a Network step is added so you can connect without leaving the TUI.
At startup the installer checks real reachability (it fetches archlinux.org), not just whether a link exists. If that check fails, a Network step appears first in the Steps list. It is decided once per session, so the list never shifts under you. On a wired machine with working internet you never see it.
The step is Wi-Fi only and drives iwd, the same tool as iwctl on the live ISO:
- Scan for networks lists nearby networks with their security type and signal. Pick one with Enter to fill in the name.
- SSID and Passphrase can also be typed by hand. Typing is the reliable path; scanning is a convenience on top, and an empty scan result just means you enter the name yourself.
- Connect joins the network and reports the result below.
Only the first Wi-Fi adapter is used. If none is found the step says so, and you can still connect yourself with iwctl before starting the installer.
The connection exists only on the live ISO. It is not copied into the installed system, so a Wi-Fi-only machine connects again after its first login; the first-boot package and security steps wait for that connection.