way to detect if cellular is on or not?

Hi,

I'm looking for a way to detect (by script) if cellular is on or off.
We have users where Cellular (or in Dutch, "Mobiel") is suddenly and unknowingly turned on.
See the image for clarification.

My question is , is there a way, WMI or registry, that i can use to detect this?



EDIT: So i've figured out these are called "quick actions". You can fully disable them via a the registry :

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\NetworkUxManager\Windows.Networking.UX. Internal.MBMediaManager

But that just "gray's out" the option entirely. That's not my goal.

I think the built-in command Netsh can get the info you want and you should then be able to use it in a batch file or other script to generate a warning.

Notes
1 Many Netsh explanations and 'command references' are out of date or apply only to Windows Server [and many of them do not make that clear to the reader]. You should rely only on what you can demonstrate in your own admin command prompts.
2 Netsh will provide a lot of its Help info in a normal command prompt but that is misleading because many of its commands require admin permision. I suggest both getting the info and running all test & development in admin command prompts and then, when you have the final version try it in a normal command prompt to see if it works or not.
3 I do not have cellular so I cannot do any more than guide you to the right section.

Using Netsh
A In a command prompt, enter

Code:

netsh /?

to see the overall Help then enter

Code:

netsh mbn show

to see the bit I think you need.

B I think you will want to run this command to identify your profile name

Code:

netsh mbn show profiles

and then use this within a

Code:

netsh mbn show profilestate

command to get info about it.
- It is safe to run both these commands as they are shown here.
- The first one will get you information and, for all I know, it might be all that you need.
- The second one will respond with details of its syntax just as if you had followed it with /? and will later give you information when you include a profile name in it.

C If you post the responses from the command[s] you use when cellular is on as well as when it is off then, if you need me to, I can post back with code that will extract the relevant part of the return in order to set a variable that you would go on to use in any 'reporting' script you set up.
C1 It is just easier to alter my variable-setting sample script for your needs than to explain it in advance - once you see it you'll be able to re-use the code for other pruposes because it is quite straightforward. You might already be familiar with such techniques anyway.
C2 I can also help with your 'reporting' script later on.

Denis

Hi, thanks for your response!

I tried the netsh-route, the problem is that this only works if the SIM is unlocked and thus, there is an actual connection to the cellular tower.

However, in our case, the SIM is locked but the "Celullar \ Mobiel" option as shown in my image is switched on (blue).
This causes some network issues now and then.

So the goal is to figure out, whether or not that button is "blue" or turned on.

If there is an answer then it is either
1 Somewhere in netsh mbn, or
2 In the Registry

Try
1 using NirSoft's RegFromApp as you turn those factors on & off to see if/how that is stored in the Registry, and/or
2 using RegShot to compare Registry entries before & after changes.
- regshot download - SourceForge.net
- regshot - Discussion
- How to Use Regshot To Monitor Your Registry - HTG

Denis

Try3 said:

If there is an answer then it is either
1 Somewhere in netsh mbn, or
2 In the Registry

Try
1 using NirSoft's RegFromApp as you turn those factors on & off to see if/how that is stored in the Registry, and/or
2 using RegShot to compare Registry entries before & after changes.
- regshot download - SourceForge.net
- regshot - Discussion
- How to Use Regshot To Monitor Your Registry - HTG

Denis

Cool stuff didn't know those tools. I've tried doing this with the procmon by sysinternals but didn't quite find what i was looking for. I'll give these a go on monday, thanks a bunch!

So i compared the registry and found some key with "radioOff". Sadly it's not what i was hoping for.
I guess i'm gonna have to admit defeat :/

Did that key change its state when your Mobiel was turned on / off i.e. was it a marker of the thing you wanted to know about?

Denis

xaccell said:

What does this show?

netsh interface show interface

If it reads your mobile interface as enabled or disabled, there you go!

The OP has already answered that question.

Denis

I found the registry keys that turn on and of those quick actions.
I'll post them when i am back at work.