Compare Windows wireless snapshots after dropouts

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -2,6 +2,11 @@
 
 ## Unreleased
 
+- Compare two explicit Windows Wireless Adapter doctor reads in local memory.
+  Highlight exact PnP instances and known state changes after a dropout;
+  incomplete inventories stay unknown. A Forget button clears the comparison.
+  No adapter setting changes or report uploads are made.
+
 - Add recovery steps to the Windows Wireless Adapter doctor for streams that
   drop as they start and dongles that will not reconnect. Compare exact PnP IDs
   and test one connection condition at a time. In-app disable/re-enable remains

docs/windows-wireless-doctor.md

@@ -56,6 +56,16 @@ whether the PC's own Wi-Fi drops too. A new `#2` name is not proof that this
 instance caused the failure. Keep the time of the drop and the two snapshots
 for Steam Support; the doctor does not save or upload them.
 
+The app shows **Changes since previous read** after the second click. It
+compares exact PnP IDs, known status fields and reported channels/bands; an
+unknown value is never treated as a state change. If the PnP source was
+unavailable in either read, it declines to compare devices. Each successful
+read becomes the baseline for the next one. **Forget previous read** clears the
+baseline and comparison; closing the app clears them too. The before/after
+comparison stays in local memory and is not uploaded or added to telemetry.
+Reported changes can reflect sequential query timing or a service recovering,
+not a fault or permission to disable any instance.
+
 To narrow a drop at stream start, try one condition at a time: wired PC
 networking instead of PC Wi-Fi, wired headphones instead of 2.4 GHz audio, and
 spacing the USB radio dongles apart. Recheck the stream after each change. The

tests/wireless.cjs

@@ -37,6 +37,33 @@ test('click reads once, disables repeated clicks and renders partial inventory',
   assert.match(f.el('wirelessResult').innerHTML,/distinct Wi-Fi Direct/);
   assert.match(f.el('wirelessStatus').textContent,/Partial PC snapshot/);
 });
+test('two explicit reads compare exact identities and known state changes without claiming a repair',async()=>{
+  const f=fixture();
+  const first={...sample,sources:{pnp:'ok'},devices:[{...sample.devices[0],id:'SWD\\WIFIDIRECT\\one',
+    name:'Adapter <one>',present:true,problemCode:0}]};
+  const second={...first,observedAt:'2026-10-24T12:01:00Z',devices:[
+    {...first.devices[0],present:false,problemCode:22},
+    {...first.devices[0],id:'SWD\\WIFIDIRECT\\two',name:'Adapter <two>'}]};
+  let calls=0; f.context.api=async()=> ++calls===1 ? first : second;
+  await f.el('wirelessRead').onclick();
+  assert.match(f.el('wirelessComparison').innerHTML,/Read PC adapters again/);
+  assert.equal(f.el('wirelessForget').disabled,false);
+  await f.el('wirelessRead').onclick();
+  const change=f.el('wirelessComparison').innerHTML;
+  for(const phrase of ['Changes since previous read','Newly listed','presence Yes → No',
+    'problem code 0 → 22','not a safe disable target','&lt;one&gt;','&lt;two&gt;']) assert.ok(change.includes(phrase),phrase);
+  assert.doesNotMatch(change,/<one>|<two>/);
+  f.el('wirelessForget').onclick();
+  assert.equal(f.el('wirelessComparison').textContent,'');
+  assert.equal(f.el('wirelessForget').disabled,true);
+});
+test('incomplete PnP reads cannot imply a device appeared or vanished',()=>{
+  const f=fixture(); f.context.before={...sample,sources:{pnp:'unavailable'}};
+  f.context.after={...sample,sources:{pnp:'ok'},devices:[]};
+  const out=f.run('compareWireless(before,after)');
+  assert.match(out,/comparison unavailable/);
+  assert.doesNotMatch(out,/No longer listed|Newly listed/);
+});
 test('unsupported, busy and failed probes leave no stale inventory and allow retry',async()=>{
   for(const result of [{state:'unsupported',message:'Windows only'},{state:'busy',message:'Try again'},new Error('Denied')]) {
     const f=fixture();f.el('wirelessResult').textContent='stale inventory';

ui/index.html

@@ -1441,8 +1441,9 @@
 <section class="panel" id="wireless" hidden>
   <h2>Wireless Adapter doctor</h2>
   <p class="sub">Read-only snapshot of this Windows PC. Works without a headset connection. Nothing on the Frame is read or changed.</p>
-  <button class="action" id="wirelessRead">Read PC adapters</button>
+  <div class="row"><button class="action" id="wirelessRead">Read PC adapters</button><button id="wirelessForget" disabled>Forget previous read</button></div>
   <p id="wirelessStatus" role="status" aria-live="polite">Choose Read PC adapters to start. No automatic polling.</p>
+  <div id="wirelessComparison" aria-live="polite"></div>
   <div id="wirelessResult"></div>
   <div class="card" style="margin-top:16px"><h3>Before changing an adapter</h3>
     <p>Multiple Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter instances can be normal. A number such as #2, a disconnected link or a non-present device does not establish which instance is extra or safe to disable. This tool cannot reliably identify the Steam dongle's primary or active instance, so it offers no disable action.</p>
@@ -5670,7 +5671,34 @@ document.querySelectorAll('[data-power-format]').forEach(b => b.onclick = async
 
 // ---- Read-only PC wireless doctor ----
 let wirelessSeq = 0;
+let wirelessPrevious = null;  // memory only; never sent or saved
 const wirelessKnown = value => value === true ? 'Yes' : value === false ? 'No' : 'Unknown';
+function compareWireless(previous, current) {
+  if (previous.sources?.pnp !== 'ok' || current.sources?.pnp !== 'ok')
+    return '<p class="hint">Exact device comparison unavailable: the PnP inventory was incomplete in one read. The current snapshot is shown below.</p>';
+  const keyed = snapshot => new Map((snapshot.devices || [])
+    .filter(d => typeof d.id === 'string' && d.id)
+    .map(d => [d.id.toLowerCase(), d]));
+  const before = keyed(previous), after = keyed(current), changes = [];
+  const describe = d => `${esc(d.name || 'Unnamed device')} (<code>${esc(d.id)}</code>)`;
+  for (const [id, device] of after) {
+    const old = before.get(id);
+    if (!old) { changes.push(`Newly listed: ${describe(device)}`); continue; }
+    for (const [field, label] of [['present','presence'], ['pnpStatus','PnP status'],
+      ['problemCode','problem code'], ['operational','operation'], ['media','media'],
+      ['defaultRoute','default route'], ['channel','reported channel'], ['band','reported band']]) {
+      if (old[field] == null || device[field] == null || old[field] === device[field]) continue;
+      const value = v => typeof v === 'boolean' ? wirelessKnown(v) : esc(v);
+      changes.push(`${describe(device)}: ${label} ${value(old[field])} → ${value(device[field])}`);
+    }
+  }
+  for (const [id, device] of before) if (!after.has(id)) changes.push(`No longer listed: ${describe(device)}`);
+  const shown = changes.slice(0, 25);
+  return `<div class="card"><h3>Changes since previous read</h3>
+    <p class="sub">${esc(previous.observedAt || 'Earlier read')} → ${esc(current.observedAt || 'Current read')}. These are reported changes, not proof of a new fault or an unused adapter. A newly listed numbered Wi-Fi Direct instance is not a safe disable target.</p>
+    ${shown.length ? `<ul>${shown.map(line => `<li>${line}</li>`).join('')}</ul>` : '<p>No reported device changes in the available fields.</p>'}
+    ${changes.length > shown.length ? `<p>${changes.length - shown.length} more changes omitted; inspect the current snapshot below.</p>` : ''}</div>`;
+}
 function renderWireless(r) {
   const unknown = value => value == null ? 'Unknown' : esc(value);
   const states = (value, known) => known[value] || (value == null ? 'Unknown' : `Other (${esc(value)})`);
@@ -5689,6 +5717,8 @@ function renderWireless(r) {
 $('wirelessRead').onclick = async () => {
   const seq = ++wirelessSeq;
   $('wirelessRead').disabled = true;
+  $('wirelessForget').disabled = true;
+  $('wirelessComparison').textContent = '';
   $('wirelessResult').textContent = '';
   $('wirelessStatus').textContent = 'Reading this PC’s adapters…';
   try {
@@ -5698,14 +5728,26 @@ $('wirelessRead').onclick = async () => {
       $('wirelessStatus').textContent = r.message || 'PC wireless inventory unavailable.';
       return;
     }
+    $('wirelessComparison').innerHTML = wirelessPrevious ? compareWireless(wirelessPrevious, r) :
+      '<p class="hint">Read PC adapters again after a dropout to compare exact device reports. The previous read stays only in this open app.</p>';
+    wirelessPrevious = r;
     $('wirelessResult').innerHTML = renderWireless(r);
     $('wirelessStatus').textContent = r.state === 'partial' ? 'Partial PC snapshot. Some sources are unavailable. No settings changed.' : 'PC snapshot received. Unknown channel/band fields may remain. No settings changed.';
   } catch (e) {
     if (seq === wirelessSeq) $('wirelessStatus').textContent = `PC wireless inventory unavailable: ${e.message}`;
   } finally {
-    if (seq === wirelessSeq) $('wirelessRead').disabled = false;
+    if (seq === wirelessSeq) {
+      $('wirelessRead').disabled = false;
+      $('wirelessForget').disabled = !wirelessPrevious;
+    }
   }
 };
+$('wirelessForget').onclick = () => {
+  wirelessPrevious = null;
+  $('wirelessForget').disabled = true;
+  $('wirelessComparison').textContent = '';
+  $('wirelessStatus').textContent = 'Previous adapter read forgotten. Read again to start a new comparison.';
+};
 
 // ---- Read-only game storage ----
 let storageSeq = 0;