Script required to automatically connect to specific Wi-Fi network

Matthew Wai said:

In "Netsh.vbs", replace the original line with the following line:

Code:

CreateObject("WScript.Shell").Run"%WinDir%\System32\netsh.exe wlan connect ""[ssid]"" ""{profile name]"" ""Wi-Fi"""

You can see that the only difference is the addition of the highlighted part. Manually run the task again. If an error arises, the problem lies in that part. Note that a flashing window is normal.

You may run the following command via PowerShell to view the task results:

Get-ScheduledTaskInfo "Task Name"

Replace Task Name with the actual name.

Most interesting after that update...

When I manually ran the task in TS, it successfully connected 5 times for 5 tests.
When I close the lid (without AC) and then open, no connection.
When I close the lid and add AC just before opening, it successfully connects.

Summary;

The simple change to the naming of C:\ to %WinDir% seems to allow the code to function 100% when the task is manually launched. Fascinating and a great catch Matthew. Bravo and thanks!

It does appear as though the Task Scheduler will not successfully run the script when the PC is awakened from sleep without the 'Start the task only if the PC is on AC power' checked and with the AC power connected.

Could this be related to what Denis @Try3 was suggesting when he said the Task Manager reliability on DC power was less than stellar?

W10 Tweaker said:

It does appear as though the Task Scheduler will not successfully run the script when the PC is awakened from sleep without the 'Start the task only if the PC is on AC power' checked and with the AC power connected.
Could this be related to what Denis @Try3 was suggesting when he said the Task Manager reliability on DC power was less than stellar?

I did not say that. I said

Try3 said:

TS cannot wake from hibernation unless AC is available.

Nothing about reliability or what particular settings have been made. Instead, a straightforward cannot.

Denis

Try3 said:

I did not say that. I said

Nothing about reliability or what particular settings have been made. Instead, a straightforward cannot.

Denis

Sorry, my mistake. I must have remembered what I wanted to hear.

I need to perform further testing to try and determine why it connects perfectly, 100% of the time when I run the task manually, yet only intermittently when I try to run the task automatically, when returning from a sleep state.

So far, it has successfully connected from a sleep state when I apply AC power, pause for a minute and then open the lid. I also have set the condition to 'Start the task only if the PC is on AC power'. I made this change after numerous unsuccessful connections returning from sleep with AC power off.

Matthew Wai said:

Code:

CreateObject("WScript.Shell").Run"%WinDir%\System32\netsh.exe wlan connect ""[ssid]"" ""{profile name]"" ""Wi-Fi""",0

Add ,0 at the end of the command to hide the flashing window.

,0 added. No more cmd window flash. Thanks.

Matthew Wai said:

Does "unsuccessful connections" mean that "Netsh.vbs" ran automatically but failed to start the connection?

Thanks for being more precise than my former description, I'll keep working on that.

As far as I can tell from reading logs in the TS and PS, it does appear the task is running but not successfully connecting.

Please read below before engaging your neural processor in high gear.

Matthew Wai said:

Manually run the following task and see whether a window will pop up.

"C:\Scripts\WLAN\Netsh_testing.vbs"

CreateObject("WScript.Shell").Run"netsh"

No %WinDir% is used in the command.

I skipped this last test in favour of fiddling with the task triggers. After reading the logs, I started to get the impression that running this task with 5 different triggers and a condition may have been contributing to the hit and miss performance.




So... at this juncture, I believe I have arrived at my goal.


The task appears to now run 100% of the time and without the 'AC power on' condition. I've de-cluttered and disabled 4 of the 5 triggers, leaving only 'On workstation unlock of any user' set.

I'll continue testing to confirm reliability and compose a summary of the settings, just on the off chance that someone else is as particular as I am.


Thank-you Matthew and Denis for your religious-like conviction to assist me on this project. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. And thanks to others like Shawn who have added ideas along the way.



I'll try to keep updating this reliability detail.


8 successful auto-connect to Wi-Fi out of 11 attempts.

Matthew Wai said:

The following code will make 4 attempts to start the connection. See whether it works better. The pop-up message (i.e. the last line) is optional although the error code could be useful.

Code:

Set X=CreateObject("WScript.Shell"):Do:Return=X.Run _
("%WinDir%\System32\netsh.exe wlan connect ""[ssid]"" ""{profile name]"" ""Wi-Fi""",0,True)
If Return = 0 then WScript.Quit 
Attempts = Attempts + 1 : Loop until Attempts = 4
MsgBox "Error code: " & Return

Thanks Matthew, I'll give that a whirl asap and report.

Matthew Wai said:

The following code will make 4 attempts to start the connection. See whether it works better. The pop-up message (i.e. the last line) is optional although the error code could be useful.

Code:

Set X=CreateObject("WScript.Shell"):Do:Return=X.Run _
("%WinDir%\System32\netsh.exe wlan connect ""[ssid]"" ""{profile name]"" ""Wi-Fi""",0,True)
If Return = 0 then WScript.Quit 
Attempts = Attempts + 1 : Loop until Attempts = 4
MsgBox "Error code: " & Return

OK, new vbs code set and I did include the last line for potential future diagnostics.

I ran the task manually and it scored 10 successful network connects for 10 attempts. Bravo and thanks for your continued support.

I'll start and maintain a new reliability summary in this post.




1 successful auto-connect to Wi-Fi out of 1 attempt.