Windows 10 Hardware Wifi Switch Behavior (vs Windows 7)


  1. Posts : 12
    Windows 10 Pro
       #1

    Windows 10 Hardware Wifi Switch Behavior (vs Windows 7)


    My system is a Dell Latitude E6330, with a physical wifi switch.

    I'll often use the wifi switch to toggle off the internal wifi adapter, and plug in an external USB wifi adapter with an antenna to get better range.

    However, upon upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 10, flipping the wifi switch now puts the entire OS into "Airplane Mode," disabling *all* wifi adapters - both internal and USB. This means the switch is no longer functional for me: every time I want to use the external wifi adapter, I now have to manually go into device manager, find the internal wifi card, disable it, & do the opposite when I'm done. Rather than just flipping that switch and plugging in the external adapter.

    How can I make the hardware wifi switch work properly again, like it did under Windows 7? i.e. the wifi switch on the laptop should only turn off the laptop's internal wifi - not put the entire system into airplane mode?

    Thanks in advance :)
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 516
    Windows 10 Professional 64bit
       #2

    It was most likely a driver configuration offered by HP for that hardware switch. Windows 10 replaced it with it's own to then use Airplane Mode.

    The only option I see on getting it back to how it used to be is to make sure you are fully updated with all of the available HP Windows 10 drivers.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 12
    Windows 10 Pro
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Interesting thought. Do you have any idea which driver it would be? If what you say is the case, it seems most likely to me that it would be the driver for the wifi card itself - but on my system, that's provided by Intel, not Microsoft (which is the same as it was before). So if it's indeed a driver, it would probably have to be something else...but it's hard to know which it might be...
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 516
    Windows 10 Professional 64bit
       #4

    Well, HP may inject additional content into the driver before it gets to you. Windows 10 would have updated the drivers to the latest manufacturer provided ones or used a generic driver.

    I would check HP's website and grab all of the latest ones.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 12
    Windows 10 Pro
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Actually, now that I think about it it can't be the wifi driver. Not only is this not the wifi card that came with the laptop (I replaced it some years later), but the driver I'm using isn't even from Dell. Plus, the hardware switch always disabled just the internal wifi card (not all network connections on the system), for both the original wifi card that came with the laptop and the one I swapped it with later. So if it is a specific driver, seems like it definitely can't be the wifi card's...
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 1,680
    X
       #6

    You could write a script that will enable or disable either of the wireless adapters.

    Here's my wi-fi disable script called "Wireless.disable.wsf".
    From a command line run it by typing "cscript Wireless.disable.wsf".
    Code:
    <package>
    <comment>
    Wireless.disable.wsf - Disables your Wi-Fi Connection
    </comment>
    <job>
    
    <object id="objShell" progid="Shell.Application"/>
    <script language="VBScript">
    Option Explicit
    Dim objCP, objDisable, objEnable
    Dim clsConn, clsThisConn, clsVerb
    Dim strNetConn, strConn, strEnable, strDisable
    Dim bEnabled, bDisabled
    
    strConn = "Wi-Fi"     ' This must match the name in the Network Connections control panel
    
    strEnable = "En&able"
    strDisable = "Disa&ble"
    
    Set objCP = objShell.Namespace(49)   ' 49 = Network Connections
    
    Set clsThisConn = Nothing
    For Each clsConn in objCP.Items
      If clsConn.Name = strConn Then
        Set clsThisConn = clsConn
        Exit For
      End If
    Next
    
    If clsThisConn is Nothing Then
      WScript.Echo "Wi-Fi connection not found"
      WScript.Quit
    End If
    
    bEnabled = False
    Set objDisable = Nothing
    For Each clsVerb in clsThisConn.verbs
      If clsVerb.name = strDisable Then
        Set objDisable = clsVerb
        bEnabled = True
      End If
    Next
    
    If bEnabled Then
      objDisable.DoIt
      WScript.Echo "Wi-Fi disabled"
    Else
      WScript.Quit
      WScript.Echo "Wi-Fi was already disabled"
    End If
    
    ' Give the connection time to stop/start
    WScript.Sleep 1000
    
    </script>
    </job>
    </package>
    And here's the corresponding enable script:
    Code:
    <package>
    <comment>
    Wireless.disable.wsf - Disables your Wi-Fi Connection
    </comment>
    <job>
    
    <object id="objShell" progid="Shell.Application"/>
    <script language="VBScript">
    Option Explicit
    Dim objCP, objDisable, objEnable
    Dim clsConn, clsThisConn, clsVerb
    Dim strNetConn, strConn, strEnable, strDisable
    Dim bEnabled, bDisabled
    
    strConn = "Wi-Fi"     ' This must match the name in the Network Connections control panel
    
    strEnable = "En&able"
    strDisable = "Disa&ble"
    
    Set objCP = objShell.Namespace(49)   ' 49 = Network Connections
    
    Set clsThisConn = Nothing
    For Each clsConn in objCP.Items
      If clsConn.Name = strConn Then
        Set clsThisConn = clsConn
        Exit For
      End If
    Next
    
    If clsThisConn is Nothing Then
      WScript.Echo "Wi-Fi connection not found"
      WScript.Quit
    End If
    
    bEnabled = False
    Set objDisable = Nothing
    For Each clsVerb in clsThisConn.verbs
      If clsVerb.name = strDisable Then
        Set objDisable = clsVerb
        bEnabled = True
      End If
    Next
    
    If bEnabled Then
      objDisable.DoIt
      WScript.Echo "Wi-Fi disabled"
    Else
      WScript.Quit
      WScript.Echo "Wi-Fi was already disabled"
    End If
    
    ' Give the connection time to stop/start
    WScript.Sleep 1000
    
    </script>
    </job>
    </package>
    You might need to modify this line in each script:
    Code:
    strConn = "Wi-Fi"     ' This must match the name in the Network Connections control panel
    In control panel my wi-fi connection has the name you see above. Yours will be different, especially your external/plug-in wireless adapter.

    Rather than open a command window to run these, you could create a shortcut for each script, and then just click the appropriate shortcut to enable or disable your wi-fi.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 12
    Windows 10 Pro
    Thread Starter
       #7

    That's pretty handy, thanks. But my system does have a *physical* wifi switch (which I can toggle without even waking up the PC, or while it's booting, etc). That's what I'd like to get working properly again...
      My Computer


 

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