Wi-Fi Connection ?

Winuser · Jul 5, 2021

This is not just related to only Windows 11. I have the same problem on Windows 10. For some reason Windows will change the Wi-Fi connection. My main connection is named Comcast1. I also have a Wi-Fi extender named Rock Space and with my router there is a XFINITY connection. For some reason Windows will change the connection. Selecting the Forget option doesn't work. This morning my wife's laptop switched to XFINITY and my desktop switched to Rock Space. My wife lost the internet and my Wi-Fi signal was cut in half. My question is can I get Windows to stop connecting to the other Wi-Fi connections?

Bree · Jul 5, 2021

Winuser said:
This is not just related to only Windows 11. I have the same problem on Windows 10. .... My question is can I get Windows to stop connecting to the other Wi-Fi connections?

This probably applies to 11 as well, but as I've only got it running in a VM I don't see any of the WiFi settings.

In 10 you could try turning off 'Connect automatically when in range' in the properties of the WiFi profile(s) that you don't want it to keep switching to.

Winuser · Jul 7, 2021

Bree said:
This probably applies to 11 as well, but as I've only got it running in a VM I don't see any of the WiFi settings.

In 10 you could try turning off 'Connect automatically when in range' in the properties of the WiFi profile(s) that you don't want it to keep switching to.

View attachment 2084

This is a problem with Windows 10 and 11. Turning off connect automatically doesn't help just like selecting the forget the network doesn't work. For some reason Windows connects to what ever connection it wants. This happens randomly and I don't know why. My wife's laptop connected to the XFINITY connection and I have no idea of how it found the password. Unless not having the password is why she didn't have Internet. On my desktop the location of my extender always has about 2/3rds the signal strength of the Xfinity router so it's not looking for the strongest Wi-Fi signal.

scrapheap · Jul 7, 2021

Odd, do you have a private network through wifi ?

Winuser · Jul 8, 2021

scrapheap said:
Odd, do you have a private network through wifi ?

XFINITY expands their wireless access by allowing Xfinity customers access to their wireless routers. To have access one can login to the Xfinity hotspot by using their Xfinity ID and password. There is a setting in the router to turn off access if one wants to.

telepro21 · Jul 14, 2021

I used this method some time ago. Select Option Two from the following Ten Forums Tutorial: Change Wireless Network Connection Priority Order in Windows 10

bobkn · Jul 14, 2021

Winuser said:
XFINITY expands their wireless access by allowing Xfinity customers access to their wireless routers. To have access one can login to the Xfinity hotspot by using their Xfinity ID and password. There is a setting in the router to turn off access if one wants to.

I'm a Comcast customer. (They are a local monopoly.) I was contrary enough to buy my own voice modem, plus a separate wireless router. I doubt that I'll ever recover the cost, but it means a few dollars less to Comcast every month.

I've been through a couple of routers, actually. I was foolish enough to buy one that had good bandwidth for WiFi but was limited to 100 Mbps for hard wired. Caveat emptor.

It also means that xFinity guest access to my router won't be turned back on at random. I had that problem with the Comcast router. Not a real issue, as my neighbors tend to not be in range. And, there is no place to park where I could get drive by users.

Winuser · Jul 14, 2021

bobkn said:
I'm a Comcast customer. (They are a local monopoly.) I was contrary enough to buy my own voice modem, plus a separate wireless router. I doubt that I'll ever recover the cost, but it means a few dollars less to Comcast every month.

I've been through a couple of routers, actually. I was foolish enough to buy one that had good bandwidth for WiFi but was limited to 100 Mbps for hard wired. Caveat emptor.

It also means that xFinity guest access to my router won't be turned back on at random. I had that problem with the Comcast router. Not a real issue, as my neighbors tend to not be in range. And, there is no place to park where I could get drive by users.

One of these days I'll go into the router settings and turn it off. Anyone wanting to park and use the Comcast access has to either park in my driveway or park illegally.

badrobot · Jul 14, 2021

Winuser said:
This is a problem with Windows 10 and 11. Turning off connect automatically doesn't help just like selecting the forget the network doesn't work. For some reason Windows connects to what ever connection it wants. This happens randomly and I don't know why. My wife's laptop connected to the XFINITY connection and I have no idea of how it found the password. Unless not having the password is why she didn't have Internet. On my desktop the location of my extender always has about 2/3rds the signal strength of the Xfinity router so it's not looking for the strongest Wi-Fi signal.

Have you tried TCP/IP reset?

Winuser · Jul 15, 2021

badrobot said:
Did you try

Have you tried TCP/IP reset?

I haven't tried resetting the TCP/IP yet. I'll try it when I get home.

Dru2 · Jul 15, 2021

This is why I make it a habit of changing my Wi-Fi password every now and then. That said your Wi-Fi connection be secured and require a password to access it.

Winuser · Jul 15, 2021

Dru2 said:
This is why I make it a habit of changing my Wi-Fi password every now and then. That said your Wi-Fi connection be secured and require a password to access it.

The problem is that the computers randomly connect to a different Wi-Fi connection. I have tried making sure that the connect automatically box is unchecked. Some times when I check the box will be selected again without me selecting it. I have also tried selected the forget option and they still do it. I want both of my desktops and my wife's laptop to stay connected to Comcast1 because it's the strongest signal. When I'm outside I want my laptop to connect to the Rock Space Wi-Fi extender because when out side it has the strongest signal. I can tell without looking when my desktop connects to the Rock Space extender because web pages load very slowly. Internet speeds are OK when I'm using my laptop and the extender so I'm guessing it's because of the weaker signal.

Dru2 · Jul 15, 2021

Winuser said:
The problem is that the computers randomly connect to a different Wi-Fi connection.

They only do this if you allow them to - you still have to initially authorize/acknowledge connection to that network.

When I'm out and about with my laptop and it pops up offering a Wi-Fi connection I simply tell it no. Same with my cellphone. When I'm on my home network it only auto connects to the network I've chosen.

I have my laptop to only auto connect to my network when home. My wireless desktop PC is only connected to my home network and will only auto connect to my home network if a connection is lost and found again. In fact none of my Wi-Fi devices auto connect anything other that what I allow them to do. One way to insure this is to always have the device auto connect to the wireless connection of your choosing. And if you're home, that should be the norm anyway.

Anyway, this might be of some use - Manage Your Automatic Network Connections. Having a PC auto connect to an unknown network is a security risk you seriously need to address.

Winuser · Jul 17, 2021

Dru2 said:
They only do this if you allow them to - you still have to initially authorize/acknowledge connection to that network.

When I'm out and about with my laptop and it pops up offering a Wi-Fi connection I simply tell it no. Same with my cellphone. When I'm on my home network it only auto connects to the network I've chosen.

I have my laptop to only auto connect to my network when home. My wireless desktop PC is only connected to my home network and will only auto connect to my home network if a connection is lost and found again. In fact none of my Wi-Fi devices auto connect anything other that what I allow them to do. One way to insure this is to always have the device auto connect to the wireless connection of your choosing. And if you're home, that should be the norm anyway.

Anyway, this might be of some use - Manage Your Automatic Network Connections. Having a PC auto connect to an unknown network is a security risk you seriously need to address.

No! Windows is connecting on its own. I'm not authorizing or acknowledging it. On my desktop I don't now the connection has changed until I notice the web pages are slow loading. When my wife's laptop connects to the Comcast connection she loses the internet. There have been times her laptop went into airplane mode on it's own.

johnlgalt · Jul 17, 2021

If your WiFi connections are password protected, then forgeting them should force the prompt to enter a password.

But- perhaps you have a utility installed from Comcast that is changing the connection automatically, overriding what is in Windows settings? If so, said app could also be supplying the authentication to bypass the password request.

You'll need to evaluate both your connections and your devices to find where it lies - I don't have a Comcast account, so I don't know all what comes with an Xfinity account, nor it's services, and the like, but one thing is absolutely puzzling:

Why does your wife's laptop have no connectivity when connected to the Xfinity, as that is hte main provider? Or is it that she is simply too far away from hte main router to get a stable connection (hence your using an extender for her area)?

Dru2 · Jul 17, 2021

Winuser said:
No! Windows is connecting on its own. I'm not authorizing or acknowledging it. On my desktop I don't now the connection has changed until I notice the web pages are slow loading. When my wife's laptop connects to the Comcast connection she loses the internet. There have been times her laptop went into airplane mode on it's own.

OK! Not going to argue over. I just know I've never had an issue where any of my PC's or Wi-Fi devices auto connect to a Wi-Fi network without my permission. Perhaps my settings are different.

Good luck.

Winuser · Jul 17, 2021

johnlgalt said:
If your WiFi connections are password protected, then forgeting them should force the prompt to enter a password.

But- perhaps you have a utility installed from Comcast that is changing the connection automatically, overriding what is in Windows settings? If so, said app could also be supplying the authentication to bypass the password request.

You'll need to evaluate both your connections and your devices to find where it lies - I don't have a Comcast account, so I don't know all what comes with an Xfinity account, nor it's services, and the like, but one thing is absolutely puzzling:

Why does your wife's laptop have no connectivity when connected to the Xfinity, as that is hte main provider? Or is it that she is simply too far away from hte main router to get a stable connection (hence your using an extender for her area)?

Comcast uses the xfinitywifi connection for their Wi-Fi hotspots. Comcast customers have to use their Comcast I.D. and password to login. I never used their Wi-Fi hotspot but I know it's available. I really don't know why unchecking the Connect automatically and the Forget Connection keeps changing. It's just a inconvenience that I was hoping to stop. As for Comcast, I only have their new Modem/Router with VOIP combo and no Comcast software. The only Comcast software I have is the phone app to access the router.

Winuser · Jul 17, 2021

Dru2 said:
OK! Not going to argue over. I just know I've never had an issue where any of my PC's or Wi-Fi devices auto connect to a Wi-Fi network without my permission. Perhaps my settings are different.

Good luck.

I hope it is a setting that I can change. If it is I have no idea of where it is. I'm thinking that for whatever reason the connection gets lost and the computers are looking for a connection and use the strongest signal that they find at the time. What I need is to make Windows remember my settings and not change them.

Winuser · Jul 17, 2021

I just find another place to set forget networks. Network & internet >Wi-Fi > Manage known networks. I chose the forget option for every network I don't want. I even found my old Netgear networks listed. That I don't understand because I had retired my Netgear router before I bought this desktop.

Dru2 · Jul 18, 2021

Winuser said:
I hope it is a setting that I can change. If it is I have no idea of where it is.

I linked to an article for you to check in post #13 (which you quoted!) your settings. All you had to do was look and you may have found your answer :wink: