Android: Force data to be sent over radio vs WiFi

Question

Is it possible to force an Android application to use only the mobile radio connection (3g/4g/etc), disallowing the use of WiFi?

I think I want to use a HIPRI connection: (ex: WIFI turned on, use HIPRI 3G): http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers/browse_thread/thread/d41f85505484d29b

Answer 1

I don't believe you can "force" the connection path without explicitly turning off the Wi-Fi radio temporarily (not recommended). However, you could try setting the network preference during the period you want this to occur:

ConnectivityManager cm = (ConnectivityManager)getSystemService(Context.CONNECTIVITY_SERVICE);
//Prefer mobile over wifi
cm.setNetworkPreference(ConnectivityManager.TYPE_MOBILE);

//Do your work

//Remove your preference
cm.setNetworkPreference(ConnectivityManager.DEFAULT_NETWORK_PREFERENCE);

Hope that Helps!

Answer 2

In Android 2.2 you can use high-priority mobile data at the same time as WiFi. The value of the "feature" parameter is "enableHIPRI", and is hidden in the Phone API.

Method: ConnectivityManager.startUsingNetworkFeature(int networkType, String feature) of http://developer.android.com/reference/android/net/ConnectivityManager.html

Source: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=5885

You could check this other answer: https://stackoverflow.com/a/4756630/327011

This is NOT a good policy...use it if REALLY needed!

Answer 3

ConnectivityManager.setNetworkPreference() is close to be obsoleted. But what is more important, if you do getNetworkPreference() before changing, it will return ConnectivityManager.TYPE_MOBILE. Setting it there does not make any difference. As for HIPRI itself, it works in pretty strange mode. First, it allows connections to all hosts, not only to those explicitly requested. Second, when you turn it off with stopUsingFeature...() call, it will not be turned off and will be still active. Third, all device applications start using it even if wifi is available, which contradicts to what is said in documentation.