Ethernet is designed primarily for LAN connections.
Ethernet is designed primarily for LAN connections.
You're looking to switch your computers from Wi-Fi to LAN while keeping Wi-Fi for external connections. It's possible to manage this by configuring each device appropriately. Check the settings on each computer to ensure it uses Ethernet for local communication and switches to Wi-Fi for broader internet access. You may also need to adjust router settings if available.
Windows usually favors LAN over Wi-Fi as long as it can connect using the IP address you specified. When both computers are linked via LAN and Wi-Fi, they typically have two distinct IP addresses. Choose the LAN IP for local connections to other machines. Ideally, keep LAN dedicated to machine-to-machine communication, assigning a separate IP range. This prevents devices from mistakenly accessing Wi-Fi when using an IP within the LAN range.
But also lack a default gateway on the LAN side using Ethernet, so all outgoing traffic ends up via Wi-Fi. Internet access appears through Wi-Fi, but as long as your Ethernet configuration is correct, devices needing the LAN subnet will remain on Ethernet.
You're connecting everything to a network switch separate from the modem, and you're on Arch Linux. The IP address should stay consistent unless there are changes in routing or network configuration. Check your router settings and ensure no automatic DHCP changes are affecting it.
I determined the IP assignments by checking how the machines received their addresses. Static IPs remain fixed, while DHCP-based ones can change unless a static mapping is set on the server. You could also combine DHCP with DDNS and use hostnames, though that adds some complexity. There seems to be a method to prioritize interfaces in Arch, though I’m not certain how it works without more details.
the connections were set up automatically after linking, I believe the device lacks an interface but that might be incorrect—it could have been a Netgear 5-port switch.
You were thinking about a management interface, which made me a bit unclear. If the switch has a DHCP server, it should be adjustable. However, I expected a simple unmanaged switch. Generally, switches don’t assign IP addresses—they’re meant for routing. If there’s no DHCP and devices are supposed to get IPs automatically, they might be using static IPs (like 169.254.x.x). In that scenario, you’d likely need to set up your own static assignments or add a DHCP server to the network.