Two wifi adapters How to define who connects to which

CarvedDuck

Member
Messages
109
Hi All,

I have an internal wifi card and a USB one.

I have two APs,
Adapter Name = WifiPh, SSID = AP1 - connects to Internet via tethered phone 192.168.143.1
Adapter Name = WifiLAN SSID = AP2 - connects to local wired LAN router 192.168.3.37

On my laptop (win8.0) it shows
WifiPh
AP1 <-- Set Connect Automatically
AP2
WifiLAN
AP1
AP2 <-- Set Connect Automatically

Providing both Adapters are active then it works as required. But, if the WifiPh is it not running (phone off, flat battery) then it connects WifiPh+AP2 and that is not good as the Gateways are totally different.

Is there some way I can force WifiPh to ONLY ever connect to AP1 and similarly, force WifiLAN to ONLY ever connect to AP2?

Thanks
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer V5
    CPU
    i5
    Memory
    6GB
    Hard Drives
    240GB Sandisk SSD
    Internet Speed
    4G/LTE
You could try turning off Broadcast SSID then delete/forget the network you don't want to connect to. If I'm understanding correctly. :think:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer V3 771G-6443
    CPU
    i5-3230m
    Motherboard
    Acer VA70_HC (U3E1)
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 PC3-12800 (800 MHz)
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    HD4000 + GeForce GT 730M
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    Realtek High Definition Audio
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    17" Generic PnP Display on Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900 pixels
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250 GB
    ADATA SSD SP900 128GB
    PSU
    90 watt brick
    Mouse
    Bluetooth
    Antivirus
    Comodo
    Other Info
    Asus RT-AC56R dual-band WRT router (Merlin firmware). Intel 7260.HMWWB.R dual-band ac wireless adapter.
I'm not following what you're saying. A tethered phone is one that is connected to your computer via a USB cable so no wifi card is needed. Do you mean it connects to the phone's Hotspot?

I don't understand why there's a need for 2 wifi adapters, I seem to be able to get by fine with only 1 adapter and can connect to a phone Hotspot or wireless router without changing anything. Maybe you're making things more complicated than they need to be.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro (desktop), W10 (laptop), W10 Pro (tablet)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built i7-8700K, Hp Envy x360 EVO Laptop, MS Surface Pro 7
    CPU
    3.7Ghz Core i7-8700K, 11th Gen Core i7-1165G7 4.7Ghz, 10th Gen Core™ i5-1035G4 1.1Ghz
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    ASUS TUF Z370-Pro Gaming, HP, MS
    Memory
    16G, 8G, 8G
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    AMD Radeon RX580, Intel Iris X Graphics, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G4
    Sound Card
    ATI High Definition Audio (Built-in to mobo)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual Samsung U32J59 32 inch monitors, 13.3" display, 12.3" display
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    500GB ssd boot drive with 2 & 10TB Data (Desktop), 512GB ssd (laptop), 128GB SSD (tablet)
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    Corsair CX 750M
    Case
    Antec 100
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    Coolermaster CM 212+
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    IBM Model M - used continuously since 1986
    Mouse
    Microsoft IntelliMouse
    Internet Speed
    665Mbps/15Mbps down/up
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    FireFox, MS Edge
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    Defender on all
    Other Info
    Retired in 2015 after working in the tech industry for 41 years. First 10 years as a Technician, the rest as a programmer/software engineer. After 1 year of retirement, I was bored so went back to work as a Robotic Process Automation Consultant. Retired for 3rd (and final) time in 2019.
If you are trying to bridge the adapters, to use the computer as a hotspot. You are looking at some headaches. You may want to just get a data modem with your cellular carrier, and use that. Most of those modems will allow up to 4 clients to connect.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Mint 17.2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satellite C850D-st3nx1
    CPU
    AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon (tm) HD Graphics 1.40 GHZ
    Memory
    12GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon™ HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    Crucial M500 240GB SSD
    Mouse
    Logitech M525
    Internet Speed
    45/6 - ATT U-Verse
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    None needed. It is Linux.
    Other Info
    Arris NVG589 Gateway; Router - Cisco RV320; Switch - Netgear GS108 8-Port Switch & Trendnet TEG-S50g 5-Port Switch; Access Points - Engenius ECB350, Trendnet TEW-638APB; NAS - Lenovo ix2-4; Printer - Brother HL-2280DW; Air Print Server - Lantronix XPrintServer

    A/V UPS - Tripp-Lite Smart 1500LCD 1500 Va/900 W.
Do you mean it connects to the phone's Hotspot?

Yes.

I don't understand why there's a need for 2 wifi adapters, I seem to be able to get by fine with only 1 adapter

Maybe so, but unlike you, I have a need for such a setup. I need to be able to access either the cameras or the Internet without having to reconnect to a different AP each time.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer V5
    CPU
    i5
    Memory
    6GB
    Hard Drives
    240GB Sandisk SSD
    Internet Speed
    4G/LTE
You could try turning off Broadcast SSID then delete/forget the network you don't want to connect to. If I'm understanding correctly. :think:

I had tried that but "forget" means forgetting for any and all adapters. This IS windows after all. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer V5
    CPU
    i5
    Memory
    6GB
    Hard Drives
    240GB Sandisk SSD
    Internet Speed
    4G/LTE
If you are trying to bridge the adapters, to use the computer as a hotspot.

Nope, trying to do exactly as I described. I need to be connected to TWO wifi networks at the same time. That's why mentioned Gateways to indicate this was not a bridging attempt.

All I need is a way to have one adapter ONLY use one specific AP - ever.

Just to add, this system is working fine and all Gateways and IPs are being handled perfectly, after some serious setting up work. But the issue is only about default connections when one AP is not available.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer V5
    CPU
    i5
    Memory
    6GB
    Hard Drives
    240GB Sandisk SSD
    Internet Speed
    4G/LTE
No, you are trying to "Bridge" the two network connections together, using Windows for ICS (Internet Connection Sharing). I would not suggest doing so, unless you are using Windows 8.x.x Pro. You will end up with nothing but headaches trying to do this with a Cellular phone.

They make Cellular data Gateways for a reason. So that you do not have to use a computer to share a connection to other computers. Especially if you have a router in the mix for a LAN.

It will never work in your setup that you want to do it in. There is just too much detail in explaining how to properly do what you want to do.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Mint 17.2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satellite C850D-st3nx1
    CPU
    AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon (tm) HD Graphics 1.40 GHZ
    Memory
    12GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon™ HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    Crucial M500 240GB SSD
    Mouse
    Logitech M525
    Internet Speed
    45/6 - ATT U-Verse
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    None needed. It is Linux.
    Other Info
    Arris NVG589 Gateway; Router - Cisco RV320; Switch - Netgear GS108 8-Port Switch & Trendnet TEG-S50g 5-Port Switch; Access Points - Engenius ECB350, Trendnet TEW-638APB; NAS - Lenovo ix2-4; Printer - Brother HL-2280DW; Air Print Server - Lantronix XPrintServer

    A/V UPS - Tripp-Lite Smart 1500LCD 1500 Va/900 W.
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