Building a Windows WiFi Manager in Python: A Step-by-Step Tutorial Using Tkinter

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Contents

Overview

WiFiMan is a lightweight Python-based application that helps users troubleshoot, manage, and connect to WiFi networks on Windows 10/11. It offers a sleek dark-themed GUI built with tkinter, uses subprocess to invoke Windows networking commands, and is packaged as a standalone .exe using PyInstaller.

This article will walk you through:

  • The core components of WiFiMan
  • How to build your own Windows networking tool
  • Setting up a Python GUI app with advanced features
  • Creating a distributable executable for Windows

Project Information

Features of WiFiMan

  • Automatic WiFi Troubleshooting
    Detects connectivity loss and attempts to fix issues by toggling the adapter.

  • WiFi Profile Listing & Connection
    Lists saved network profiles and allows quick connections.

  • Dark-Themed GUI
    Designed for visual clarity with real-time, color-coded logs.

  • Smart Adapter Handling
    Detects and re-enables disabled interfaces using multiple strategies.

  • Portable Executable
    Distributable via .exe without Python installation using PyInstaller.

Screenshot of WiFiMan
Screenshot of WiFiMan

Technologies Used

  • Python 3.10+
  • tkinter for GUI
  • subprocess for executing system commands
  • threading & ctypes for background operations and control
  • pyinstaller for packaging

Approach

1. Identify User Needs

The goal: a WiFi repair utility for non-technical users. Needs included:

  • Automatic repair
  • GUI for saved profiles
  • Logging output

2. Choose the Right Tools

Python + tkinter + subprocess = ideal for GUI + system commands.

3. Build Incrementally

Development Phases:

  • Phase 1: Basic GUI + test command
  • Phase 2: Profile listing
  • Phase 3: Troubleshooting logic
  • Phase 4: Logging + threading
  • Phase 5: Packaging

4. Focus on Robustness

Handles:

  • Disabled adapters
  • Admin prompts
  • Thread responsiveness

5. Distribute Easily

Packaged with PyInstaller + PDM for dependency management.

Project Structure 

wifiman/
├── project/
│   └── main.py          # Core GUI and logic
├── README.md            # User guide
├── changelog.md         # Feature log and fixes
├── pyproject.toml       # Python project metadata (PDM)

How It Works: Deep Dive into Components

1. System Command Runner 

def run_command(command, admin=False):
    try:
        if admin:
            result = subprocess.run(
                ["powershell", "Start-Process", "cmd", "-Verb", "RunAs", "-ArgumentList", "/c", command],
                stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
                stderr=subprocess.PIPE,
                text=True,
                shell=True,
            )
        else:
            result = subprocess.run(
                command,
                stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
                stderr=subprocess.PIPE,
                text=True,
                shell=True,
            )
        return result.stdout + result.stderr
    except Exception as e:
        return str(e)

2. GUI Setup with tkinter 

app = tk.Tk()
app.title("Allika's Simple Windows WiFi Manager")
app.geometry("600x430")

Includes:

  • ttk.Button, ttk.Combobox, ScrolledText
  • Theming for dark mode
  • Footer and log display

3. Log Output Styling 

def log_output(text, message_type="INFO"):
    log_area.configure(state="normal")
    timestamp = time.strftime("[%H:%M:%S] ", time.localtime())
    prefix = f"[{message_type}] "
    formatted_text = timestamp + prefix + text

    colors = {
        "INFO": "#FFFFFF",
        "SUCCESS": "#4CAF50",
        "ERROR": "#F44336",
        "WARNING": "#FFC107",
        "COMMAND": "#2196F3",
        "DEBUG": "#9C27B0",
        "SYSTEM": "#607D8B",
    }

    tag_name = f"color_{message_type}"
    log_area.tag_configure(tag_name, foreground=colors.get(message_type, "#FFFFFF"))
    log_area.insert(tk.END, formatted_text, tag_name)
    log_area.see(tk.END)
    log_area.configure(state="disabled")

4. WiFi Troubleshooting Workflow 

def reset_wifi():
    interface_name = get_wifi_interface_name()
    if adapter_is_disabled(interface_name):
        try_methods_to_enable(interface_name)

    while True:
        if not can_ping("www.google.com"):
            disable_adapter(interface_name)
            time.sleep(5)
            enable_adapter(interface_name)
            wait_with_logs(30)
        else:
            break

5. Thread Termination 

def terminate_thread(thread):
    thread_id = thread.ident
    ctypes.pythonapi.PyThreadState_SetAsyncExc(
        ctypes.c_long(thread_id), ctypes.py_object(SystemExit)
    )

6. WiFi Profile Manager 

def list_wifi_profiles():
    output = run_command("netsh wlan show profiles")
    profiles = []
    for line in output.splitlines():
        if "All User Profile" in line:
            profiles.append(line.split(":")[1].strip())

7. Packaging with PyInstaller 

pyinstaller --onefile --noconsole main.py

Or with PDM:

pdm build

Testing & Compatibility

  • Windows 10 and 11
  • Admin rights required for full feature set

Distribution

Download the .exe from:

https://go.allika.eu.org/wifimanreleases

Install via pip: 

pip install wifiman
wifiman

Licensing

Licensed under GNU GPL v3.
You’re free to modify, share, and build upon the software with attribution.

Final Thoughts

WiFiMan demonstrates how powerful Python can be for system-level desktop tools. Combining simple GUI design, robust system command handling, and thoughtful UX allows even solo developers to craft useful Windows utilities.

Want to improve or fork the project? Head to https://go.allika.eu.org/wifimanrepo

Last updated 2025-05-01 19:54:17.273940 IST

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