can we force win8 to use ethernet instead of wifi when available?

I have read about how Windows 8 will automatically prefer an unmetered Wifi connection over a metered cellular connection...

But we are wanting a way to force laptops that have an available Ethernet connection to use that wired connection even if a wireless network is connected (users often forget to explicitly disconnect their wifi connection, so their machine continues on using it all day even though they think they are using Ethernet).

Can this be done in Windows 8 (under Windows 7 it seemed the only way to achieve this was via the hardware driver - which not all drivers even supported)...

September 29th, 2012 7:54pm

Try this on all connections, e.g. Ethernet, Bluetooth, 3G and wireless, as follows:

Go to the Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings (in the left pane), right-click a network, click Properties > highlight, in turn, each of the TCP/IP settings > Properties > General Tab > Advanced (at the bottom) and click the Automatic Metric box to clear the tick, then enter the value that you want in the Interface Metric field.

The system defaults to the lower or lowest number, so, if you set Metric to 5 in the Wired Network connection and to 10 in the Wireless Connection, the system would default to the wired connection.

Obviously, when the cable is unplugged it would automatically connect wirelessly. If the cable is plugged in when the computer is started, it would connect via Ethernet. Im not sure of the outcome if the cable is plugged in when the computer is running and connected wirelessly.

  • Proposed as answer by whoIsKevinRich Friday, November 22, 2013 3:57 AM
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September 30th, 2012 7:21am

You may want to change the connection binding. This how to may help: How to change network Adapters and Binding in Windows 8 - Step by step with screenshots
October 1st, 2012 4:43am

And if the binding is set will that force Ethernet to override an existing wireless connection upon plugin?
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October 1st, 2012 4:52am

Yes, this is designed for that.
October 1st, 2012 1:28pm

We are experiencing this same problem on 2x HP Elitepad 900 tablets, running Windows 8 Pro (32bit), when switching between 3G mobile broadband connection (HSPA+ / UTMS) and local LAN cable connected to docking station.

The requirement is for the tablet to use wired LAN whenever available, eg when at the office,  and only use 3G when the LAN is not available.

I manually set the metric for the LAN to 5,  and the 3G mobile data connection to 25.   Also checked to ensure the LAN is top of the list under advanced adaptor and binding settings.

No success.   As soon as the 3G connection is dialed, even if the LAN cable was already plugged in and working, the data traffic on LAN drops to zero and it all goes via 3G.

Same result if the 3G is connected, and we plug in the docking station/LAN cable,  the traffic keeps going via 3G.

Any help is appreciated.  Should I start a new thread for this, as  this one is marked as answered ?
  • Edited by Darren_Milne Tuesday, June 04, 2013 1:04 AM more info
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June 4th, 2013 12:30am

After having tried the other solution of changing the connection binding, I tried this. I'm not sure why the connection binding failed, but everything is working now.
November 22nd, 2013 3:57am

In case this is still an issue for anyone, be careful using metric as it seems to cause stability issues (particularly with Windows Server 2012).

On the flip side, also make sure you restart your computer after adjusting the binding settings. I tried adjusting binding and tested without restarting and it had no effect. This isn't specifically mentioned so it might be the cause of conflict for people having trouble using the binding settings.

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February 8th, 2014 10:33pm

There are no Fail proof ways for Win 7 or 8 to make sure that AT ALL times Wire is used over WIFI. The metric setting is ignored by MS. I know cause my metric for the wired is 10 and for the WiFi is 9999, but at all times the WiFi is used instead of the Wired. This is by design as Microsoft being as inept as always did not properly design their operating system. This is a DESIGN DEFECT, which Microsoft will not admit to, despite the fact that it could be caused by no other method EXCEPT incompetent design, ignored during quality assurance testing etc. The reason there are a million people looking for a fix for this design flaw is that there is NO fix available. MS will not fix it as they got your money and could care less. Being that they are among the most evil and greedy companies currently in business is why it will never be fixed. I dare them to prove me wrong and fix the obvious design defect. I double dare all who read this to log in to the MS tech net and demand that they fix this DESIGN DEFECT.

Any developer qualified to design an OS should have no problem permanently fixing this and Microsoft has NO EXCUSE for not doing so with an update!!!!!! All they have to do in the code logic is ask the system if the device getting an IP etc is using a "radio" then it asks all the other devices that are getting or have gotten an IP if it was gotten via a radio, If during any of these quires the answer is I DID NOT get my IP from a radio connection then that IP path gets priority and all the others, IE WiFi gets disabled. Then if there is a change in the network, loss of connectivity for example, the process is repeated and when everything say's it got its IP from a radio then the WiFi takes over. So in a nut shell every connection is looked at to see if it is from a radio based device or a hardwired based device, NOT using metrics since that apparently can not be counted on, the prof is in the 500+ PCs I just setup, ALL OF WHICH GIVE A SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER METRIC TO THE WIRED, but still choose the WIFi. The order of the connection establishment should not matter since the test is performed on every connection and as soon as one is found that is not radio based, it is left on and all others are turned off. Common sense really. This is NOT ROCKET science! Just good common sense programing.

So I challenge everyone who reads this comment to add a demand for MS to fix the DESIGN DEFECT once and for all.

That's all I have to say. If there is a script as some of the suggestions here mention that can do it, if there is a single 3rd party product out there that can do it, then there is NO EXCUSE for MS not to provide a PERMANENT OFFICIAL MICROSOFT CERTIFIED FREE fix for this DEFECT. And yes it can only be classified as a DESIGN DEFECT as common sense say's you would AT NO time under normal operations EVER want the MUCH slower WiFi, 100 mbps  compared to 1000 mbps for wired to be in charge. EVER! Even if the wired nic is only 100 mbps, some cheep junk laptops have the indecency to come with a 100 mbps nic instead of a Gigabit, the Wired is still better 99.99999% of the time.

And one last thing this IS THE ONLY REAL ACCEPTABLE ANSWER to the original question, and all the others just like it who EXPECT, with GOOD REASON, that COMMON SENSE, would be in charge NOT ignorance and defective designs, and that AT ALL TIME WIRED RULES OVER WIFI.

Hope this helps, it is time to insist that MS do their job AND FIX THE DESIGN DEFECT!!!!!!!!!

Ralph

PS Not all systems have switches on the outside for disabling the WiFi. My HPs don't and trying to train all the users on how to MANUALLY disable it and when to do so etc is like trying heard flock of sparrows, it's not happening, NOR SHOULD IT NEED TO!

  • Proposed as answer by Ralph Malph 2 Thursday, February 13, 2014 11:33 PM
February 13th, 2014 11:33pm

Ralph, 

I actually made an account just to be able to say, Well Said!! I am usually pretty good at sorting issues when it comes to my connectivity, and I would have to say the IP providers I use are usually very knowledgeable as well.  But we ran into this today when upgrading my internet router. The old router was set to default to wifi, the new one allows ethernet connecting. Hard wired, I show limited connectivity through the Ethernet and 100% through the wifi :( The tech even tried to make it switch and it will not.  That's what brought me here. So now, I have learned this is not an issue with my PC alone, but a design error, and can now deal with it as needs to be :)

Heads to MS.... 

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March 4th, 2014 11:42pm

I too, have been looking at this issues for months now, and found this thread today. I can not get my windows 7 to default to my Wired Ethernet connection. I have moved the local connection to the top of the list, and also set my metrics numbers to force my system to connect to the wired over the WIFI connections, to no avail.

I agree with Ralph, Microsoft did not test this feature with the OS and it has to be a software bug or oversight. Funny, my Windows XP always connected to a wired connection first, over a WIFI connection. In fact I remember being connected to a WIFI signal with all my PC's and then plugging in an Eithernet connection and you could see the connections switch to the preferred connection, A "WIRED EITHERNET CONNECTION". So what happen? There had to be a loop scanning always looking at Network Connections and when the network saw a wired it switched to it as its priority connection.  Has anyone been able to fix this bug? I have not found a way or has anyone who found a way to force it every time? As Ralph states above MS get off you butts and fix this issue, it is COMMON SENSE!

And if we are missing anything here and MS did this for a reason, it would be nice to let us all know! Wake up MS!

Regards,

Eric S.  




  • Edited by CFOGRI1 Saturday, March 08, 2014 3:03 PM
March 6th, 2014 8:37pm

Thanks for the agreement with my defining of this problem as a design defect, which it obviously is. As I can see by the fact that Microsoft is hiding from this error and refusing to comment in THEIR forums, there is still NO FIX for this defect for Win 7 or 8 etc.

They need to rethink that. We use our LAN system to send emergency messages to our employees. We have over 5000 of them spread across 8 campuses. Our WiFi system is not designed for this, nor does it need to be as we need these messages to get to people in their offices, our loud speaker system will cover those who are not, and we DO NOT want to blindly send messages to people who are not at their office and may be at another campus that IS NOT affected by the emergency etc. We also have scenarios where we have silent alarm buttons that will send a "request for help" silently to a few certain people. These messages do not need to be sent to someone when they are not in their office so again, we need LAN not WiFi, and I could go on. The bottom line is that this is now becoming a security and safety issue.

Microsoft needs to be VERY AWARE that if we have a problem and someone gets killed or injured because they did not get the emergency message because of this KNOWN TO EXIST FOR YEARS MICROSOFT DEFECT, they will be sued from all sides for everything they own. They are BIG, but not that BIG. Especially in Europe which is a little less corrupt and is more willing to stand up to the Microsoft greed that causes problems like this to go UN-fixed or cared about for YEARS on END. On top of that I can just see the press. "Sandra, mother of 3 kids in elementary school is dead because she did not get the lock down warning on her PC because Microsoft would not fix their design defect and she opened her door to a nut ball with a butcher knife hidden behind his back. The lawyers would have a hey day with that one, could be worth a billion bucks for the surviving kids, but of course, that could never replace their mother and all because Microsoft is refusing to fix their defects. I double/triple/quadruple dare Microsoft to explain how they could let this happen in this forum and in public and to tell me when they are going to provide a CANNOT FAIL fix for it.

As for the lawyers out there in cyber space, keep this page on your favorites list as it serves as "they can't deign they knew about this defect" evidence sense they now MUST BE AWARE OF IT and they cannot claim ignorance.

Lets hear from a Microsoft rep!

They can no longer deign that this is a design defect. I hope though, that no on has to die for them to take it seriously, but due to the obvious extreme greed of Microsoft I am sure that is what it will take.

But we can always hope that I will be proven wrong for humanities sake, not that MS has any humanity, see above for prof.

Ralph

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April 21st, 2014 10:39pm

Thank you very much ! that was very helpful !
April 25th, 2014 6:12am

I have some new information, the problem is even worse than it appears.


I just ran some tests on a new scratch install of Win 7 with all the updates and found that even with a STATIC IP, Win 7 is placing WiFi OVER LAN. THIS IS DANGEROUS and NOT COOL for an enterprise size system like ours where we have some laptops that can access special databases etc only when on the LAN and using a static IP. We now have to train our non tech oriented staff on how to enable and disable the WiFi via the network properties, there are no buttons on these notebooks, and we have to give them the authority to do so on the notebooks. THAT IS NOT acceptable. WHAT IS WRONG WITH MS THAT THEY CANNOT GET THIS FIXED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WiFI being chosen over a STATIC IP LAN is ridiculous and just plain and simply STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What ignorance!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What arrogance that they have not fixed it!!!!!!!!!


Mr. Bob Lin, since you seem to be in charge of this discussion, you should be spear heading the demand that MS provide an UPDATE that will permanently without possibility of failure make absolutely sure that at ALL TIMES LAN will override WiFi as soon as it is plugged in, NO EXCEPTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!


If you have all the education and certs that your BIO say's that you have how can you not be demanding that MS fix this ridiculous DEFECT in their OS and acknowledge that that is the ONLY REAL ANSWER to this problem and ALL the requests for how to get LAN to be chosen over WiFi. Any engineer worth his salt would have know better than to release ANY OS that can't figure out how to consistently pick LAN over WIFI. ANY programer could tell you it shouldn't take more that about 20 or 30 lines of code to do it.


I respectfully await your comments on this Mr. Lin, as well as comments from a Microsoft representative.


Ralph
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April 25th, 2014 4:35pm

We had the same issue with Windows 7 and Windows 8 computers.

The solution that we used to solve it was to install a software on all our computers that automatically disable wireless devices when Ethernet is connected and enable them when the LAN cable is disconnected.

You can find details about it and download the software on the following link:

http://www.lan-secure.com/WirelessAutoDisable.htm

October 14th, 2014 5:34am

Possible solution:  Switching between wifi and LAN securely


  • Edited by MattRW 22 hours 30 minutes ago
  • Proposed as answer by MattRW 15 hours 25 minutes ago
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August 20th, 2015 4:57am

Possible solution:  Switching between wifi and LAN securely


  • Edited by MattRW Thursday, August 20, 2015 8:55 AM
  • Proposed as answer by MattRW Thursday, August 20, 2015 4:00 PM
August 20th, 2015 8:54am

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