Stop Automatically Connecting to WiFi Instead of Ethernet
Ever since wiring up my Windows 7 PC to the Internet via an Ethernet cable, one thing has been really bugging me.
When I turn on the computer, instead of automatically connecting to the cabled network, it decides it would be more appropriate to connect to the one bar WiFi that I also recieve from the router.
Today, I found the solution. Turns out there is a pecking order and it is not based on the stronger connection. Here is how to find it and change it:
1) Go to Control Panel and click Network and Sharing Center.
2) On the left hand panel click Change adapter Settings.
3) Press the Alt key on the keyboard to reveal the menu. Click Advanced, and select Advanced Settings.
4) Use the arrows to change the order. You may have to use the Network Connections page and a bit of trial and error to figure out which connection is which as the names are not clear when you have a few of them.
You then need to change a setting on the wireless network. To do this, you first need to connect to it and then do the following steps:
5) Right click the wireless connection and click Status.
6) Click Wireless Properties.
7) In the new window check the checkbox Connect to a more preferred network if available. This will cause it to look at the list. Incidently, this is also the place if you want it to stop automatically connecting altogether (click the checkbox above it).
And that is all.
This solution was discovered from a combination of answers from this Superuser post.