Connectivity APIs for UWP Apps

The Windows Universal Platform (UWP) provides a rich set of APIs for managing and querying network connectivity. Understanding these APIs is crucial for building robust applications that adapt to various network conditions, provide informative feedback to users, and optimize network resource usage.

Key Concepts

UWP applications can monitor network status changes and query the current connection profile to determine network capabilities, cost, and roaming status. This information helps in making informed decisions about network-dependent operations.

Network Status Notifications

Applications can subscribe to network status change events to be notified when the network connectivity changes. This allows for real-time adaptation to network availability and changes.

Connection Profiles

The ConnectionProfile object represents the current network connection. It provides details such as:

• Network signal strength
• Connectivity level (e.g., Internet, Local)
• Cost details (e.g., metered connection, roaming)
• Network adapter information

Core Classes and Interfaces

Common Scenarios

Checking for Internet Connectivity

A common task is to determine if the device has access to the internet.

// C# Example
using Windows.Networking.Connectivity;

// ...

var connectionProfile = NetworkInformation.GetInternetConnectionProfile();
if (connectionProfile != null)
{
    var connectivityLevel = connectionProfile.GetNetworkConnectivityLevel();
    if (connectivityLevel == NetworkConnectivityLevel.InternetAccess)
    {
        // Internet is available
        System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine("Internet access is available.");
    }
    else
    {
        // Internet is not available
        System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine("Internet access is not available.");
    }
}
else
{
    // No connection profile found
    System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine("No network connection profile found.");
}

// JavaScript Example
// Note: In UWP JavaScript apps, you'd typically use WinJS or similar frameworks.
// This is a conceptual representation.

// Assuming access to Windows.Networking.Connectivity namespace via WinRT projection
Windows.Networking.Connectivity.NetworkInformation.getInternetConnectionProfile().done((connectionProfile) => {
    if (connectionProfile) {
        const connectivityLevel = connectionProfile.getNetworkConnectivityLevel();
        if (connectivityLevel === Windows.Networking.Connectivity.NetworkConnectivityLevel.internetAccess) {
            console.log("Internet access is available.");
        } else {
            console.log("Internet access is not available.");
        }
    } else {
        console.log("No network connection profile found.");
    }
});

Responding to Network Changes

You can subscribe to the NetworkStatusChanged event to react to network status modifications.

// C# Example
using Windows.Networking.Connectivity;

public sealed partial class MainPage : Page
{
    public MainPage()
    {
        this.InitializeComponent();
        NetworkInformation.NetworkStatusChanged += NetworkStatusChangedHandler;
    }

    private void NetworkStatusChangedHandler(object sender)
    {
        var connectionProfile = NetworkInformation.GetInternetConnectionProfile();
        if (connectionProfile != null)
        {
            var connectivityLevel = connectionProfile.GetNetworkConnectivityLevel();
            // Update UI or logic based on connectivityLevel
            System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine($"Network status changed. Connectivity level: {connectivityLevel}");
        }
        else
        {
            System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine("Network status changed. No network connection profile found.");
        }
    }

    // Remember to unsubscribe when the page is no longer needed
    protected override void OnNavigatedFrom(NavigationEventArgs e)
    {
        NetworkInformation.NetworkStatusChanged -= NetworkStatusChangedHandler;
        base.OnNavigatedFrom(e);
    }
}

Handling Metered Connections

It's good practice to be mindful of data usage, especially on metered connections.

// C# Example
using Windows.Networking.Connectivity;

// ...

var connectionProfile = NetworkInformation.GetInternetConnectionProfile();
if (connectionProfile != null)
{
    var costInfo = connectionProfile.GetNetworkCostInfoAsInternetConnectionProfile();
    if (costInfo != null && costInfo.NetworkCostType != NetworkCostType.Unrestricted)
    {
        // This is a metered connection (Fixed or Variable)
        System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine($"Network is metered. Cost type: {costInfo.NetworkCostType}");
        // Consider disabling large downloads or background data usage.
    }
    else
    {
        // Network is unrestricted
        System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine("Network is unrestricted.");
    }
}

Permissions

To use these networking APIs, your UWP application must declare the appropriate capabilities in its manifest file.

• Internet (Client & server): Required for general internet access.
• Home or Work Networking: Required for accessing devices on the local network.

You can edit these capabilities in Visual Studio by opening the Package.appxmanifest file and going to the "Capabilities" tab.

See Also

• Networking overview
• Sockets
• HTTP Communication