NetSetMan Support

jhrowehl

Member

Registered: 2015-03-11

Posts: 15

Disable wireless adapter while wired connection active

Here's an item for my wish list:

I'd like the option to have NSM disable the wireless adapters when a wired connection is active. This was a feature in another utility that I used, Dell Quickset. It had automatic profile switching... kind of a slimmed down NSM, and automatic adapter switching. The automatic adapter switching is what I'm looking for.

This was a much appreciated feature at work, for two reasons. First, my IT manager complained when anybody had more than one connection active for their computer, such as WiFi and wired LAN. Second, when transferring large files, the WiFi connection (54 Mb) was quite slow as compared to the wired LAN (1 Gb).

Quickset handled that quite nicely. If I had a WiFi connection, which was my 'normal' connection, and then plugged in the LAN cable to do a large file transfer, Quickset shut off the WiFi connection and used the wired LAN. When the LAN cable was unplugged, Quickset turned the WiFi connection back on.

I see that the adapter status icon has as one of the choices 'activate this adapter and deactivate all others'. That looks close to what I want, but...

If a wired LAN adapter is active and all WiFi adapters are disabled, will the WiFi adapters be reactivated when the LAN cable is unplugged?

NetSetMan Support

Administrator

Registered: 2005-08-06

Posts: 1,869

Re: Disable wireless adapter while wired connection active

To activate and deactivate multiple network adapters with one profile you need to create subprofiles. The option "Activate this adapter and deactivate all others" is a possibility to get started with this. I'll create a subprofile for each network adapter in your list.
For example:
Profile A: Activate LAN, Deactivate WiFi
Profile B: Deactivate LAN, Activate WiFi

After that you can create conditions for the AutoSwitch feature for all profiles that you'd like to be activated automatically.
For example:
Profile A: Condition "LAN Adapter connected"
Profile B: Condition "LAN Adapter disconnected"

I highly recommend reading the following two sections of the help file before you continue:
http://www.netsetman.com/index.php?s=he … f_profiles
http://www.netsetman.com/index.php?s=he … autoswitch

Please consider reading other sections of the help file as well. I'm sure it'll give you a generally better understanding of some features.

Please let me know about your results.

jhrowehl

Member

Registered: 2015-03-11

Posts: 15

Re: Disable wireless adapter while wired connection active

I appreciate your response, thanks!

A little bit of info on what I'm doing, and what I'm asking for. I have several profiles set up, with the wireless profiles dependent on the SSID received. As an example, at work, I have a preferred AP near my desk, and a secondary AP across the shop. The profile switch is based on signal strength from the AP's. If the secondary is in range, and the primary is less than 30%, shift to the secondary. If the seconday is in range, and the primary is above 50%, shift to the primary. This works fine.

If I plug in a LAN cable, activate the wired LAN and deactivate all other adapters. This works fine.

If I unplug the LAN cable, nothing happens. As a result of plugging in the LAN cable, the WiFi adapter is disabled. Since WiFi is disabled, it is not receiving any SSID's, and can not activate a wireless profile.

What I did as a work-around, was to make a 'Reset' profile. If both wired and WiFi adapters are *not* connected, activate the WiFi adapter. Then, it will activate the correct WiFi profile.

What I was looking for was a selection where NSM will deactivate the WiFi adapter if the LAN cable is plugged in, and reactivate WiFi when the cable in unplugged.

NetSetMan Support

Administrator

Registered: 2005-08-06

Posts: 1,869

Re: Disable wireless adapter while wired connection active

If I plug in a LAN cable, activate the wired LAN and deactivate all other adapters. This works fine.

If I unplug the LAN cable, nothing happens.

You need to create a counterpart for your LAN adapter deactivation. Basically some profile that has the condition "LAN Disconnected". Without such a profile/condition nothing is going happen after you disconnect your LAN cable.

What I was looking for was a selection where NSM will deactivate the WiFi adapter if the LAN cable is plugged in, and reactivate WiFi when the cable in unplugged.

Sure, but you also wish to have other automated actions as well based on your description. In the end all those conditions are "competing" against each other, so they all need the same platform. That's why all automated actions need to be configured in AutoSwitch.

jhrowehl

Member

Registered: 2015-03-11

Posts: 15

Re: Disable wireless adapter while wired connection active

I did create the counterpart for the LAN deactivation, the 'reset' profile. Due to the number of AP's that I use, all of my profiles have the option that 'all conditions must be met' checked.

The autoswitch conditions can not be met... as an example, SSID 'Primary' in range, SSID 'Primary' greater than 40%, and LAN adapter not connected. The LAN adapter not connected condition is met, but the SSID in range and signal strength can not be met because the radio is turned off. That's the paradox that I put myself in.

> What I did as a work-around, was to make a 'Reset' profile. If both wired and WiFi adapters are *not* connected, activate the WiFi adapter. Then, it will activate the correct WiFi profile.

That profile does the trick. Basically, if the LAN cable is unplugged AND the radio is turned off, then turn the radio on. Once the radio is turned on, then the correct profile conditions can be met. Works like a charm.

[Just for info, my wife just looked over my shoulder and asked if I wanted some cheese to go with the whine... gotta love her...]

I had used Dell Quickset for about 5 years, and the automatic adapter switching kinda grew on me. I did come up with the profile that fite the purpose, but I thought it might be nice if there was an option available in the wireless adapter settings to 'deactivate on wired LAN connection'.

Just to clear up the issue, Quickset was a Dell branded program, on a Dell laptop, with Dell branded Lan and WiFi adapters. It might have been something that took advantage of proprietary hardware/interface/signals on the system.

NetSetMan Support

Administrator

Registered: 2005-08-06

Posts: 1,869

Re: Disable wireless adapter while wired connection active

That profile does the trick. Basically, if the LAN cable is unplugged AND the radio is turned off, then turn the radio on. Once the radio is turned on, then the correct profile conditions can be met. Works like a charm.

That's probably the best solution for the current situation.

It might have been something that took advantage of proprietary hardware/interface/signals on the system.

Well, I think it's not difficult to implement that option ... if it was the only auto-configuration option. But since NetSetMan's AutoSwitch offers a lot of additional possibilities those auto-options would require to do the job coexistently somehow. In a way that's transparent to the user.

Well, I understand the problem and agree that it might be useful to some, so I'm going to think this topic through in the near future. Maybe there's a good way to add this functionality without breaking the current concept. Thanks for your thoughts!

ASC

Member

Registered: 2016-10-26

Posts: 3

Re: Disable wireless adapter while wired connection active

Hi,
.
My workaround is using simply netsh before activate Profile Settings:
Just need to lookup the Adapter Name you have in Adapter Settings
@echo off
netsh wlan disconnect
netsh interface set interface "Ethernet" ENABLE
exit

or

@echo off
netsh interface set interface "Ethernet" DISABLE
exit