Turn radio on and off as needed

[ErudioMentis]

How can I turn the 802.11 radio on and off as needed via code?

[JohnR]

Using the Communications resource kit you can call the Load / UnloadNetworkDevice method

            int result = -1;

            int Device = Intermec.Communication.LAN.NetworkTools.ITC_NETWORK_TOOLS_80211_WIRELESS;

            byte[] buffer1 = new byte[512];

            buffer1 = new byte[513];

            result = Intermec.Communication.LAN.NetworkTools.UnloadNetworkDevice(Device);

            result = Intermec.Communication.LAN.NetworkTools.LoadNetworkDevice(Device);

I hope this helps,

John

[GeorgeBrown]

One way to do it is to use the "Set" method in the Device Management Resource kit.  I have attached a zip file containing a fully-functioning C# VS2005 project to demonstrate this on a CN3 WM5 device.  The meat of the application is shown below.

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using Intermec.DeviceManagement.SmartSystem;

namespace CN3WLANRadioOnOff
{
    public partial class Form1 : Form
    {
        public Form1()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
        }

        private void buttonExit_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            Application.Exit();
        }

        private void buttonRadioOn_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            //Use Device Management Resource Kit method "Set" to enable the radio
            ITCSSApi ss;

            string sSet802dot11RadioStateXml;
            uint uiRet = 0;
            string sXML;
            int iLen = 1024;


            ss = new ITCSSApi();

            // XML to turn on the 802.11 WLAN radio.
            sSet802dot11RadioStateXml = "<Subsystem Name=\"Communications\">\r\n";
            sSet802dot11RadioStateXml += "<Group Name=\"802.11 Radio\">\r\n";
            sSet802dot11RadioStateXml += "<Field Name=\"Radio Enabled\">";
            sSet802dot11RadioStateXml += "1"; //1 = Enabled, 0 = disabled
            sSet802dot11RadioStateXml += "</Field>\r\n";
            sSet802dot11RadioStateXml += "</Group></Subsystem>\r\n";

            //Actual work begins here
            StringBuilder sbRetData = new StringBuilder(iLen);

            sXML = sSet802dot11RadioStateXml;
            uiRet = ss.Set(sXML, sbRetData, ref iLen, 0);
            if (uiRet != ITCSSErrors.E_SS_SUCCESS)
            {
                MessageBox.Show("Error changing settings");
            }
        }

        private void buttonRadioOff_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            //Use Device Management Resource Kit method "Set" to disable the radio
            ITCSSApi ss;

            string sSet802dot11RadioStateXml;
            uint uiRet = 0;
            string sXML;
            int iLen = 1024;


            ss = new ITCSSApi();

            // XML to turn on the 802.11 WLAN radio.
            sSet802dot11RadioStateXml = "<Subsystem Name=\"Communications\">\r\n";
            sSet802dot11RadioStateXml += "<Group Name=\"802.11 Radio\">\r\n";
            sSet802dot11RadioStateXml += "<Field Name=\"Radio Enabled\">";
            sSet802dot11RadioStateXml += "0"; //1 = Enabled, 0 = disabled
            sSet802dot11RadioStateXml += "</Field>\r\n";
            sSet802dot11RadioStateXml += "</Group></Subsystem>\r\n";

            //Actual work begins here
            StringBuilder sbRetData = new StringBuilder(iLen);

            sXML = sSet802dot11RadioStateXml;
            uiRet = ss.Set(sXML, sbRetData, ref iLen, 0);
            if (uiRet != ITCSSErrors.E_SS_SUCCESS)
            {
                MessageBox.Show("Error changing settings");
            }
 
        }
    }
}

[HandsomeTim]

You can also use functions exposed by Microsoft's ossvcs.dll. Here is the code to enable and disable all wireless radios in C#.

-Tim 

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;

namespace ToggleMobileRadiosCS
{
    public partial class MainForm : Form
    {
        public MainForm()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
        }

        [DllImport("ossvcs.dll", EntryPoint = "#276", CharSet = CharSet.Unicode)]
        private static extern uint GetWirelessDevice(ref IntPtr pDevice, int pDevVal);

        [DllImport("ossvcs.dll", EntryPoint = "#273", CharSet = CharSet.Unicode)]
        private static extern uint ChangeRadioState(ref RDD pDevice, int dwState, int saveAction);

        [DllImport("ossvcs.dll", EntryPoint = "#280", CharSet = CharSet.Unicode)]
        private static extern uint FreeDeviceList(IntPtr pDevice);

        [StructLayout(LayoutKind.Auto)]
        struct RADIODEVSTATE
        {
            public const int RADIODEVICES_ON = 1;
            public const int RADIODEVICES_OFF = 0;
        }

        /*
        typedef enum _RADIODEVTYPE
        {
            RADIODEVICES_MANAGED = 1,
            RADIODEVICES_PHONE,
            RADIODEVICES_BLUETOOTH,
        } RADIODEVTYPE;
         */
        [StructLayout(LayoutKind.Auto, CharSet = CharSet.Unicode)]
        struct RADIODEVTYPE
        {
            public const int RADIODEVICES_MANAGED = 1;
            public const int RADIODEVICES_PHONE = 2;
            public const int RADIODEVICES_BLUETOOTH = 3;
        }

        /*
        typedef enum _SAVEACTION
        {
            RADIODEVICES_DONT_SAVE = 0,
            RADIODEVICES_PRE_SAVE,
            RADIODEVICES_POST_SAVE,
        } SAVEACTION;
         */
        [StructLayout(LayoutKind.Auto, CharSet = CharSet.Unicode)]
        struct SAVEACTION
        {
            public const int RADIODEVICES_DONT_SAVE = 0;
            public const int RADIODEVICES_PRE_SAVE = 1;
            public const int RADIODEVICES_POST_SAVE = 2;
        }

        /*
        struct RDD 
        {
            RDD() : pszDeviceName(NULL), pNext(NULL), pszDisplayName(NULL) {}
            ~RDD() { LocalFree(pszDeviceName); LocalFree(pszDisplayName); }
            LPTSTR   pszDeviceName;  // Device name for registry setting.
            LPTSTR   pszDisplayName; // Name to show the world
            DWORD    dwState;        // ON/off/[Discoverable for BT]
            DWORD    dwDesired;      // desired state - used for setting registry etc.
            RADIODEVTYPE    DeviceType;         // Managed, phone, BT etc.
            RDD * pNext;    // Next device in list
        }; //radio device details
         */
        [StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential, CharSet = CharSet.Unicode)]
        struct RDD
        {
            [MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPTStr)]
            public string pszDeviceName;

            [MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.LPTStr)]
            public string pszDisplayName;

            public uint dwState;
            public uint dwDesired;
            public int DeviceType;
            public IntPtr pNext;
        }

        private bool SetDeviceState(int dwDevice, int dwState)
        {
            IntPtr pDevice = new IntPtr(0);
            RDD device;
            uint result;

            //Get the first wireless device
            result = GetWirelessDevice(ref pDevice, 0);
            if (result != 0)
                return false;

            //If the first device has been found
            if (pDevice != null)
            {
                //While we're still looking at wireless devices
                while (pDevice != IntPtr.Zero)
                {
                    //Marshall the pointer into a C# structure
                    device = (RDD)System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.PtrToStructure(pDevice, typeof(RDD));
                    
                    //If this device is the device we're looking for
                    if (device.DeviceType == dwDevice)
                    {
                        //Change the state of the radio
                        result = ChangeRadioState(ref device, dwState, SAVEACTION.RADIODEVICES_PRE_SAVE);
                    }

                    //Set the pointer to the next device in the linked list
                    pDevice = device.pNext;
                }

                //Free the list of devices
                FreeDeviceList(pDevice);
            }

            //Turning off radios doesn't correctly report the status, so return true anyway.
            if (result == 0 || dwState == RADIODEVSTATE.RADIODEVICES_OFF)
                return true;

            return false;
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Turn on all wireless radios
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="sender"></param>
        /// <param name="e"></param>
        private void allOnButton_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
                //WIFI
            if (SetDeviceState(RADIODEVTYPE.RADIODEVICES_MANAGED, RADIODEVSTATE.RADIODEVICES_ON) &&
                //Bluetooth
                SetDeviceState(RADIODEVTYPE.RADIODEVICES_BLUETOOTH, RADIODEVSTATE.RADIODEVICES_ON) &&
                //Phone
                SetDeviceState(RADIODEVTYPE.RADIODEVICES_PHONE, RADIODEVSTATE.RADIODEVICES_ON))
            {
                MessageBox.Show("Enabled all radios successfully");
            }
            else
                MessageBox.Show("Enable all radios not successful");

        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Turn off all wireless radios
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="sender"></param>
        /// <param name="e"></param>
        private void allOffButton_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
                //WIFI
            if (SetDeviceState(RADIODEVTYPE.RADIODEVICES_MANAGED, RADIODEVSTATE.RADIODEVICES_OFF) &&
                //Bluetooth
                SetDeviceState(RADIODEVTYPE.RADIODEVICES_BLUETOOTH, RADIODEVSTATE.RADIODEVICES_OFF) &&
                //Phone
                SetDeviceState(RADIODEVTYPE.RADIODEVICES_PHONE, RADIODEVSTATE.RADIODEVICES_OFF))
            {
                MessageBox.Show("Disabled all radios successfully");
            }
            else
                MessageBox.Show("Disable all radios not successful");

        }
    }
}

[GeorgeBrown · Accepted solution]

Here's an updated version of the C# .NET application to toggle the CN3 WLAN radio on/off.  I've included some user feedback on the screen to let him know the application is doing something because the "Set" method can take several seconds to execute.

The attached zip file also contains a Deploy folder.  In there you'll find a zip file containing all the files you'll need to deploy the application onto a CN3 device.  There is also a read-me file in there with instructions.

[CervenR]

I used CITCNetworkTools::LoadNetworkDevice many years without a problem. After one of the last IDL updates I realized it stopped to work on CK61. The function returns 0 (success) but it doesn't turn on/off either Ethernet or WiFi.

[JohnR]

---

CervenR wrote:
I used CITCNetworkTools::LoadNetworkDevice many years without a problem. After one of the last IDL updates I realized it stopped to work on CK61. The function returns 0 (success) but it doesn't turn on/off either Ethernet or WiFi.

---

This seems to work on the CN3. Maybe it will help.

Its written with version 3.20 of the Communications resource kit.

[HandsomeTim]

---

CervenR wrote:
I used CITCNetworkTools::LoadNetworkDevice many years without a problem. After one of the last IDL updates I realized it stopped to work on CK61. The function returns 0 (success) but it doesn't turn on/off either Ethernet or WiFi.

---

I believe this works by unloading the network card driver, rather than turning off the radio. Just thought I'd add this bit of information if you'd rather turn the radio on and off.

-Tim

[CervenR]

I usually call load network device before calling the turning the radio on. The only difference between the sample and my code is the value of the parameter bBypassDeviceCheck. In my code is set the default value FALSE. When this parameter is set to TRUE it works.

Thanks.

Roman 

[JoshHolland]

Couple of notes:

1)  Tim is correct - the ITCNetworkTools work by loading/unloading the device driver.  The result is that the device is enable/disabled, which translates to on/off in some cases.

2)  The likely reason that it works if you bBypassDeviceCheck is TRUE is because you are telling the API to unload\load the device driver without first checking to see if it is loaded or not.  Most likely, the check to see if it is loaded has broken with an update at some point.  By bypassing that check you are "forcing" the load/unload to occur.