Ethernet and Wi-Fi together offer reliable connectivity options.
Ethernet and Wi-Fi together offer reliable connectivity options.
My internet link to the mobile router isn't working properly. Sometimes the network goes down and I have to wait 10-20 seconds before it comes back. I'd rather use a wired connection instead. Today I switched to Wi-Fi without turning off Ethernet. How does my computer handle this? Does it still use Ethernet, or is it switching to Wi-Fi now? It's strange—sometimes the network icon shows Ethernet and other times it shows Wi-Fi.
Windows typically connects via Ethernet and switches to WiFi if needed. You might still see a brief interruption because it doesn’t stay on WiFi but requires re-authentication during the switch. There’s a registry option to enable both connections simultaneously, ensuring Ethernet remains active while preventing traffic loss when switching settings are applied.
It could be a change introduced in Windows 11 or newer versions of 10. Previously, you had to handle that on your own.