WiFi Selection Mystery

(No idea which section this really ought to be in. Perhaps Networking, but networking itself works)

Without going into the details, suffice it to say that the update from 20Mbmps to 40Mbps on our DSL line was anything but easy. Given the problems, I have left the WiFi in the DSL modem on, so that I have WiFi logons for both our router and the modem.

For nearly a month, both computers always, upon waking, logged on using the 5G WiFi from our router; starting yesterday, they both wake up using the 5G WiFi on the modem. This is wrong, as, for example, the printer is set to use the router's 5G WiFi.

Any idea what might have caused this change, and how to remedy it? (Yes, I know I can turn off the modem's WiFi, but that is not the answer that I hope someone can provide.)

For the best performance, only one 5G transmitter should be broadcasting. Windows by default will pick the fastest connection, so you are just slowing things down with two transmitters in the same location.

You can enforce priorities for WiFi networks. For example, my computers connect to my router's network if it is available but to my phone's WiFi hotspot if it is not. The router takes priority over the hotspot.

You can set this up using the cmd line or you can simply connect manually to the 2nd priority one and then connect manually to the 1st priority one. Either way works equally well to set up relative priorities.

Denis

To use the cmd line solution you first need to
1 Go to Control panel, Network & sharing centre, Change adapter settings to check the name of your WiFi adapter. Mine is call Wi-Fi so, if yours is called something else, you'll have to substitute its name everywhere you see Wi-Fi in my code.
2 Check the network profile names your router, modem, ... use and substitute those for my MyMainNetwork & so on. Do notice that every name is used twice on my code.
- You can check network profile names while you are connected to each one by hovering your cursor over the network icon in the System tray [the "Notification area"]
- This is worth checking even if you think you know them because sometimes annoying suffices can creep in and, if they are there, you must include them.

My code is in a batch file which must be run as admin [right click on it to select that option]

SetWLANPriorities-AutoSwitch.bat

Code:

:: Set priorities
:: Unknown profiles are reported as errors but do no harm to the process
netsh wlan set profileorder name="Library.Net" interface="Wi-Fi" priority=1
netsh wlan set profileorder name="MyMainNetwork" interface="Wi-Fi" priority=2
netsh wlan set profileorder name="MyFallbackNetwork" interface="Wi-Fi" priority=3
netsh wlan set profileorder name="MyPhonesHotspot" interface="Wi-Fi" priority=4
netsh wlan set profileorder name="MyStandbyPhonesHotspot" interface="Wi-Fi" priority=5
:: Set AutoSwitching
:: Allow switching to higher priority networks
netsh wlan set profileparameter name="Library.Net" autoswitch=No
netsh wlan set profileparameter name="MyMainNetwork" autoswitch=Yes
netsh wlan set profileparameter name="MyFallbackNetwork" autoswitch=Yes
netsh wlan set profileparameter name="MyPhonesHotspot" autoswitch=Yes
netsh wlan set profileparameter name="MyStandbyPhonesHotspot" autoswitch=Yes

Since I would never want to use up my own limited 4G data allowance if the library network was available, I do not allow ["autoswitch=No"] automatic switching from the library's network back to any of my own.
But those other autoswitch commands ensure that, elsewhere, if a higher priority network appears then the computer switches over to it without any action on my part. For example,
1 If I am in the library but have forgotten to turn off my phone's hotspot the computer will switch over the the library's free & fast WiFi network anyway
2 If, at home, my router [MainNetwork] if off & the computer is connected to the phone's hotspot, I can turn the router on and the computer will switch over to it.

Denis

Not Myself said:

Yes, I know I can turn off the modem's WiFi, but that is not the answer that I hope someone can provide.

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