Windows 10 WiFi

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Group – I have a windows 10 machine.  It was remote from my desktop, so I connected it to my wifi router.  I have moved it closer, so it now has a direct RJ45 connection.  I’ve tried every way I know how to tell it to NOT connect to wifi, and nothing works.  I turn off WiFi in settings, I do a network reset, I’ve tried disabling things.  I even searched the registry for my network name, and it’s not there.  The dang machine will not respond  – it turns wifi back on and reconnects no matter what I do.  I’m very frustrated.  I can change the password on my router, but that would affect things all over the house.  My wife would shoot me!  lol Suggestions please?  Thanks in advance, John Bridges

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jbrid123 wrote:

I’ve tried every way I know how to tell it to NOT connect to wifi, and nothing works.

Have you tried putting it in Airplane Mode?

That is, until you figure out what the real problem is.

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Windows 10 keeps a record of last-known network connections. It appears that your WiFi connection has moved up the list so it now surpasses the Ethernet connection for priority.

If so then all you have to do is re-order network connection priority. You can do it via the Settings app GUI but it’s actually easier and faster doing it via PowerShell (just 3 commands), even if you’ve never used PowerShell before.

Try this:

1. *Right-click* on the Start button and choose Windows PowerShell (Admin). (You don’t need elevated rights to check network connection priority but you *do* need elevated rights to make a change.)

2. Type the following (Tip: it’s easier using copy/paste) then press the RETURN/ENTER key: Get-NetIPInterface

This will bring up a list showing a whole host of info but the important stuff is in columns 1, 2 and 5, i.e. the Interface Index (in column 1, a.k.a. adapter ID), the adapter name (in column 2, a.k.a. InterfaceAlias) and connection priority (in column 3, a.k.a. Interface Metric). [No, I have no idea either why MS cannot just use plain English when naming stuff.]

Lower InterfaceMetric numbers get *higher* connection priority so in the screenshot below  WiFi (with an InterfaceMetric of 5) will always connect faster than Ethernet [or RJ45] (with an InterfaceMetric of 50):

I suspect your network connection priority list will show similar.

All that’s needed is for the connection order to be reversed… and it takes just 2 commands:

Set-NetIPInterface -InterfaceIndex "16" -InterfaceMetric "5"
Set-NetIPInterface -InterfaceIndex "2" -InterfaceMetric "50"

(The InterfaceIndex value is from the first column.)

Hope this helps…

3 users thanked author for this post.

joltar, CADesertRat, wavy

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Or just Settings, Network & Internet, Wi-Fi, Manage known networks, [Network name], Forget.

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b wrote:

Or just Settings, Network & Internet, Wi-Fi, Manage known networks, [Network name], Forget.

Sorry but… that’s avoidance, not a fix. It’s like cutting off a footballer’s right leg to force them to kick with their left… no alternative.

By comparison, changing network connection priority leaves the alternate method active and in place, just not automatically connected as per a Microsoft whim.

The issue is Microsoft believing it automatically knows best (‘let’s connect you to the last known’) rather than recognising alternative network connections and offering a (potentially better) choice.

(Same with its stupid default printer management setting which you have to opt out of.)

 

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You could include default apps as well. 🙂

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I disconnected the WiFi, and that solved the problem simply and easily.

BUT in my dotage, it turns out I had NAMED my high speed connection “WiFi” and there seems no simple way to just correct this.  Thanks to all for the solutions offered.

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