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Script to connect to Wi-Fi on Windows devices

Organizations heavily rely on stable and secure network connections to ensure seamless communication and data transfer across devices. For IT administrators managing a fleet of Windows devices, connecting these devices to a specific Wi-Fi network is a requirement. Moreover, devices connected to the same network can easily share resources such as printers, servers, and files.

This document provides PowerShell scripts to connect Windows devices to a specified Wi-Fi network, either an existing known network or a new one. The script can be deployed to Windows devices using Hexnode UEM’s Execute Custom Script action.

Disclaimer:

The sample scripts provided below are adapted from third-party open-source sites.

PowerShell script to connect the device to a specific Wi-Fi network

For a known Wi-Fi network:

netsh wlan connect name="<Name of the Wi-Fi network>"

1	netsh wlan connect name="<Name of the Wi-Fi network>"

For example: netsh wlan connect name="Wi-Fi01"

“netsh” is a command-line utility used for configuring and managing network-related settings on Windows. The “netsh wlan connect” command is used to connect to a specified Wi-Fi network. Replace “<Name of the Wi-Fi network>” with the actual name (SSID) of the Wi-Fi network you want to connect to.

For connecting to a new Wi-Fi network for the first time:

$ProfileName = "<SSID>"  # Replace with the actual SSID of the Wi-Fi network
$Password = "<Password>"  # Replace with the Wi-Fi password

# Create a Wi-Fi profile
$Profile = @"
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<WLANProfile xmlns="http://www.microsoft.com/networking/WLAN/profile/v1">
  <name>$ProfileName</name>
  <SSIDConfig>
    <SSID>
      <name>$ProfileName</name>
    </SSID>
  </SSIDConfig>
  <connectionType>ESS</connectionType>
  <connectionMode>manual</connectionMode>
  <MSM>
    <security>
      <authEncryption>
        <authentication>WPA2PSK</authentication>
        <encryption>AES</encryption>
        <useOneX>false</useOneX>
      </authEncryption>
      <sharedKey>
        <keyType>passPhrase</keyType>
        <protected>false</protected>
        <keyMaterial>$Password</keyMaterial>
      </sharedKey>
    </security>
  </MSM>
</WLANProfile>
"@

# Export the profile to an XML file
$Profile | Out-File -FilePath "$env:USERPROFILE\$ProfileName.xml"

# Add the profile to the Wi-Fi interface
netsh wlan add profile filename="$env:USERPROFILE\$ProfileName.xml"

# Connect to the Wi-Fi network
netsh wlan connect name="$ProfileName"

$ProfileName = "<SSID>" # Replace with the actual SSID of the Wi-Fi network

$Password = "<Password>" # Replace with the Wi-Fi password

# Create a Wi-Fi profile

$Profile = @"

<?xml version="1.0"?>

<name>$ProfileName</name>

<SSID>

<name>$ProfileName</name>

</SSID>

</SSIDConfig>

<connectionMode>manual</connectionMode>

<MSM>

<useOneX>false</useOneX>

</authEncryption>

<keyType>passPhrase</keyType>

<protected>false</protected>

<keyMaterial>$Password</keyMaterial>

</sharedKey>

</security>

</MSM>

</WLANProfile>

# Export the profile to an XML file

$Profile | Out-File -FilePath "$env:USERPROFILE\$ProfileName.xml"

# Add the profile to the Wi-Fi interface

netsh wlan add profile filename="$env:USERPROFILE\$ProfileName.xml"

# Connect to the Wi-Fi network

netsh wlan connect name="$ProfileName"

The script assists users in connecting their Windows device to a new Wi-Fi network using PowerShell. It starts by specifying the network’s name (SSID) and password. The script then generates a Wi-Fi profile with these details, saving it as an XML file. Utilizing ‘netsh‘, the profile is added to the Wi-Fi settings, and ultimately, the script connects the device to the designated Wi-Fi network.

The script employs a heredoc (@” … “@) to create a Wi-Fi profile, defining essential parameters for configuring the Wi-Fi connection. A here-document (heredoc) enables the inclusion of multiline strings within a script without the need for explicit concatenation. The <name> and <SSID> elements are set to the specified $ProfileName. Additionally, <connectionType> is configured as ‘ESS‘ for an Infrastructure BSS network, and <connectionMode> is set to ‘manual‘, indicating a manual connection mode. In the security settings, <authEncryption> specifies WPA2PSK encryption with AES, ensuring a secure Wi-Fi connection. <sharedKey> contains the Wi-Fi password provided in $Password.

What happens at the device end?

With the execution of this script, the currently connected Wi-Fi network will be disconnected and replaced by the specified Wi-Fi network.

The output for the script execution can be verified from the Action History tab of the device.

Notes:

It is recommended to manually validate the script execution on a system before executing the action in bulk.
Hexnode will not be responsible for any damage/loss to the system on the behavior of the script.

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