Generic "Your radio is off" detection
 

I'm writing software to download/compile/install WiFi drivers automatically, based on a user's PCI IDs. I'd like to add some functionality for troubleshooting why a connection doesn't work.

Is there a command to detect that the wireless radio is disabled on a WiFi device? Should I simply run sudo iwlist scanning and inform the user that their radio might be off when it says "no scan results"? I have both BASH and Python at my disposal.

Doesn't iwconfig explicitly say the "radio is off"?

-nick

Sometimes, but not always. I haven't tested it on my girlfriend's laptop, but on mine, if the radio is off, I can't find an explicit indication. For me, I have a push-button kill switch. I know there are other switches, such as keyboard combinations and sliding switches, and even toggle switches. Aren't there software switches, too?

I'm looking for the full gamut here. I want to be an expert in POSIX wireless. It's a big pain. There's a lot to learn. This seems to be the most applicable question at hand, though; many people get stuck after their device is detected.