Various Wi-Fi adapters for Windows 10
Various Wi-Fi adapters for Windows 10
I have inquiries about Windows 10 1909 and its handling of multiple wireless adapters and networks. I currently have two Wi-Fi adapters connected to distinct SSIDs—two separate networks. One belongs to our internal corporate network, the other to MIFI. The OS appears to connect only one adapter at a time despite both being set to "connect automatically." Any insights or suggestions would be helpful. Feel free to ask if you have more questions.
To link both devices simultaneously, navigate to the control panel, network and internet section, then select network and sharing center. Click on "Change adapter settings" and adjust the options. Right-click any active adapter connected to the internet and choose "Bridge connections." I believe this should work now since you currently have separate connections. Let me know if it functions.
Sure, you'll need to contact the IT team directly. It's possible to handle this manually with your own commands and firewall settings to separate the networks. I'm not aware of any experienced IT departments that would support such an approach... @GrumpyCrawdad9, do you know if your employer is aware of or willing to help with this? You don't want to share a solution that could lead to disciplinary action.
@TehDwonz I manage the IT team. We integrate this with our mobile vehicles alongside Netmotion, a product call solution similar to a VPN that handles traffic routing. This setup has been in place for years without any security incidents. Previously, with earlier versions of Windows 10, connections worked through the MIFI in the field and used the wireless AP in the parking lot to upload data from the onboard computer. Recently, with versions 1909 and 1903, they don’t connect when the second adapter is linked to the MIFI. I’m not trying to create a bridge; it’s more about the automatic connection feature that seems to fail if a wireless network is already active.
The second adapter doesn't necessarily need to stay linked to MIFI after the car connects to the base station for upload. You can switch to a single Wi-Fi adapter and adjust the SSID priority so MIFI stays behind, placing it lower than your home network. When you're within range, disconnect from MIFI and connect to the base station. Then, when leaving, reconnect to MIFI—if it's set to high aggressiveness, it should switch before the signal disappears. If it must stay on MIFI, check the adapter registry settings to ensure auto-connect works correctly, as Windows GUI might have issues handling this.
We attempted limited results but needed connections to multiple SSIDs as required by the system. We tried another tool named NetSetMan Pro which adjusts networks based on signal strength, but it relies on the "Windows network API" and doesn’t update often enough to detect changes. Signal testing has been done using several adapters in vehicles. Windows 7 handled this well, but after support ended we had to switch to Windows 10. Earlier versions of Windows 10 didn’t face this problem, suggesting Microsoft made adjustments. We’re not alone in experiencing this issue.
Did you discover a fix for your issue? Our company has a server, but they only allow access with a Wi-Fi (cell) adapter. Once the adapter is plugged in, the connection to Ethernet stops working. We can use TeamViewer on the WiFi, but the server fails to send data because it can't reach it. I suspect the problem is with the gateway setting on the adapter. I removed the gateway from the adapter settings and lost access.