Hi. Is it possible to somehow disable Wifi and Bluetooth modules through BIOS on demand? Alternatively, do Framework laptops come with physical switches for this? It would be quite a drag having to physically disconnect the module from the laptop’s internals every time necessary.
Got it. So in other words, no BIOS and no switches for WIFE and Bluetooth modules, right?
I don’t think so. It’s an interesting point, and could be interesting application of the expansion card slots. Disabling wifi / bluetooth in bios is still doing it in software (as the airplane button does). If you wanted ultimate assurance, the best bet would be to remove the wifi+bluetooth card entirely, thankfully easy to do with framework, and replace it with a dongle. Or, if someone built one, with a wifi+bluetooth expansion card slot.
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My 12th gen has a BIOS WiFi+BT switch to “cut off WiFi and Bluetooth”. Have not tried it. Its next to external I/O, Finger Print and Camera disables.
I’d assume it stop enumerating the PCIe slot or just won’t power it. But if you “require” something more than a switch in the OS, you probably need to first find out what exactly the option is doing and against which scenarios it defends.
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As a KDE developer, I found myself in need to physically remove the Bluetooth module or block it from BIOS such that it appears as physically absent. Because I need to test a case when the Bluetooth kernel module is present, the Bluetooth stack is non-blocked and otherwise operational, but no adapters are connected. That rules out rfkill(8) and rmmod(8) btusb.
I guess I’m going to shutdown the system, and unplug the Wi-Fi + Bluetooth module from the motherboard now? My laptop is Framework 16 AMD.
Does the Wifi and Bluetooth disable BIOS option not function that way?
I suppose it might be using the rfkill pin that is supposed to be present on M.2 Wifi modules. And locking the state so that the OS can’t change it.
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The BIOS on Framework 16 is somewhat fancier, but the functionality is mostly the same. I found the toggle for Wi-Fi & Bluetooth connectivity, and turned it off. The adapter disappeared from the system on next boot. So it worked for me!
Turned out, when no adapters are present on the system, then rfkill(8) considers both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to be in the “Unknown” state. I couldn’t reproduce the case where Bluetooth stays “Unblocked” but with zero adapters. Which is all that matters.
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Thanks for the info!
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