nmcli-radio: Manage NetworkManager Radios with nmcli

Quickstart

Use nmcli to inspect and control the radio switches managed by NetworkManager. It’s a lightweight, CLI-first way to see whether Wi‑Fi and WWAN radios are on and to enable or disable them.

What is nmcli radio?

The nmcli radio subcommand reports the status of radio switches and can turn them on or off. It covers Wi‑Fi, WWAN (cellular), or both at once.

  • Show Wi‑Fi status: nmcli radio wifi
  • Set Wi‑Fi on/off: nmcli radio wifi on|off
  • Show WWAN status: nmcli radio wwan
  • Set WWAN on/off: nmcli radio wwan on|off
  • Show both: nmcli radio all
  • Set both on/off: nmcli radio all on|off

All commands can be run with or without sudo on most systems, but some setups require elevated privileges to actually change the hardware state.

Examples

1) Check current wireless radios

nmcli radio all

This shows a simple pair of statuses like: WIFI- enabled, WWAN- enabled (or disabled).

2) Show just Wi‑Fi status

nmcli radio wifi

3) Turn Wi‑Fi off

nmcli radio wifi off

4) Turn WWAN on

nmcli radio wwan on

5) Disable both radios

nmcli radio all off

Common pitfalls

  • Systemd and NetworkManager timing: The radio state may reflect the last user command, but the actual hardware state can lag if the device is suspended or if a power saving policy overrides it.
  • Root vs non-root: Some environments require sudo to change hardware state. If a command fails with a permissions error, try prefixing with sudo or check PolicyKit/permissions.
  • Persistent vs runtime state: Toggling a radio may not persist across reboots unless the device is configured to retain its state or the policy prevents auto-connecting.
  • Hardware-specific quirks: Some laptops expose radios through hotkeys or vendor utilities. nmcli reflects NetworkManager, but BIOS/firmware or vendor tools can override.

Troubleshooting tips

  • If nmcli radio wifi returns off but you can still connect via a different method, verify NetworkManager is managing the device.
  • Check NetworkManager service status if commands appear to have no effect:
systemctl status NetworkManager
  • For stubborn hardware, reboot after changing radio states to ensure the new state is applied.

Quick cheat sheet

  • nmcli radio all: show both radios
  • nmcli radio wifi on|off: control Wi‑Fi
  • nmcli radio wwan on|off: control cellular modem
  • nmcli radio all on|off: control both at once

If you’re migrating from GUI tools or other network managers, nmcli radio is a straightforward, scriptable way to script and automate radio state changes in your Linux setup.

See Also