How Windows handles several internet connections at once
How Windows handles several internet connections at once
I encountered some network issues with my ISP this evening. To complete my gaming sessions more smoothly, I switched to my backup mobile connection, which shows up as 21 Mbps Ethernet. The main network appears as gigabit Ethernet, though the ISP speed is noticeably lower. Both connections handle traffic, but only the wired setup uses the mobile link. It seems a higher bandwidth definitely helps. Is there a way to prioritize the mobile connection automatically? I remember reading about router settings during CCNA training, but don’t recall any specific method.
You could modify the metric for the interface. A lower value is generally better. I understand that by default, Windows favors wired connections over wireless, so it's likely wired > wireless > USB, though you can adjust this manually by setting the metrics for each interface. I believe Windows will automatically choose the faster link as the better metric when you have two wired connections (such as 10Gbps and 1Gbps).
In the command prompt, you can adjust the route on the routing table manually by providing a lower preference for the wired side.
IPv4 Route Table Overview =================== Active paths: Network Destination Netmask Gateway Interface Metric 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.168.0.1 192.168.0.12 25 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.168.1.1 192.168.1.100 75 127.0.0.0 255.0.0.0 On-link 127.0.0.1 331 127.0.0.1 255.255.255.255 On-link 127.0.0.1 331 127.255.255.255 255.255.255.255 On-link 127.0.0.1 331 192.168.0.0 255.255.255.0 On-link 192.168.0.12 281 192.168.0.12 255.255.255.255 On-link 192.168.0.12 281 192.168.0.255 255.255.255.255 On-link 192.168.1.100 331 192.168.1.100 255.255.255.255 On-link 192.168.1.100 331 192.168.1.255 255.255.255.255 On-link 192.168.1.100 331 224.0.0.0 240.0.0.0 On-link 127.0.0.1 331 224.0.0.0 240.0.0.0 On-link 192.168.0.12 281 255.255.255.255 255.255.255.255 On-link 192.168.1.100 331