Devices connecting to the wrong network? How to change Wi-Fi priority

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Have you ever connected to the wrong Wi-Fi network because it overlapped the one you wanted to use? There are many things you can do to improve your Wi-Fi quality, but you need to change your connection priority before you start to see any improvement.

This could happen if, for example, you dropped by your neighbor’s house and found your laptop “plugging in” to their network when you got home. Or if you have a Wi-Fi extender at home and your device remains connected to a weaker signal even when you’re within range of your main router.

If you’ve tried everything and your devices still don’t know which network to use, here’s how to change Wi-Fi priority so your laptop and phone connect properly.

Windows: Change network priorities on the command line

If you’re using Windows, you can decide which networks your computer connects to automatically. The easiest way is to click the Wi-Fi icon in the taskbar to see all the Wi-Fi networks in range. Select your network and make sure Connect automatically the option under the network name is enabled.

When you check this box, your computer will automatically connect to this network when it is within range. This also puts that network at the top of your priority list, so uncheck this box for networks you only want to connect to occasionally, or right-click on the network and select To forget to remove it completely.

If you want to actually see the network priority list and make minor adjustments, you’ll have to do a little more digging. Open the Start menu, search for Command Prompt and open it. Run the following command to list all of your laptop’s remembered networks:

This list will be arranged in order of priority, with the highest priority network at the top and the lowest priority network at the bottom. If you think something is wrong (say, if your neighbor’s Wi-Fi network appears in the list above yours), you can change the priority of any network with the following command:

Replace NETWORK NAME with the network name, INTERFACE NAME with the interface name listed at the top of the command, and NUMBER with the assigned priority. So in my case I want Verizon_9ZS9GD to be the first priority, so I would run:

Note that your interface may be called “Wi-Fi 2”, so check the first line of results from the original command to make sure it is correct. You can then run the show profiles command again to ensure that the changes have been applied correctly. Hopefully this should solve some of your problems.

macOS: Drag and drop networks in Settings

If you still have macOS Monterey or earlier, open it System preferences and select Network option to browse the current Wi-Fi network. If this is your preferred network, make sure Automatically join this network is selected. If this is not the case, uncheck this option so that it does not connect automatically.

For more options, click Advanced > Wi-Fi to display a list of all the networks you have ever connected to. Uncheck Join automatically for any network you don’t want to automatically join. You can also remove any network by selecting it and clicking the minus (–) button. You can then drag and drop the remaining networks to change the priority order. This will prioritize your home Wi-Fi network over nearby networks you may occasionally connect to.

If you’re using a Mac running Ventura or later, things have changed a bit. Open System settings > Wi-Fi and click on the three dot menu next to networks in the list, then select Join automatically to set whether your computer should join it automatically or not. Crash Advanced and do the same for everything below Famous networks. You can even choose Remove from list forget about the network.

Unfortunately, the drag and drop priority feature has been removed, so the only solution may be to open it Launchpad > Other > Terminal and use the command line to make changes. You can follow the directions here and see if it works for your setup.

iPhone: Turn off auto-join

iPhone doesn’t give you many options when it comes to prioritizing Wi-Fi networks, but there are a few things you can do. Go to Settings > Wi-Fi on your iPhone and you should be able to see all the wireless networks in range.

To prevent iPhone from automatically connecting to a network, click the “i” icon next to the network name and switch Join automatically off. This will store the network’s password on your phone so you can connect to it whenever you want, but it won’t connect to it automatically as you move around the network.

You can also completely remove the network from your phone by tapping Forget about this network option from the same screen. Apple doesn’t provide any built-in way to change network priorities, but you can learn more about automatic network prioritization on this help page.

Android: Disable automatic reconnection

Android no longer includes Wi-Fi prioritization, although some custom ROMs may allow further configuration. Otherwise, it may be best to tell your phone to stop automatically connecting to a specific network from now on. To do this, open the Wi-Fi settings menu and connect to the network you want to customize.

Click the settings cog next to the network name and disable this feature Automatic reconnection (on Samsung devices) or Automatic connection (on Pixel phones). However, the password will still be saved, so you can manually connect whenever you want. You can also completely remove the network from your phone by tapping To forget on this page.

Fix Wi-Fi extender issues in Mesh network

If you have a network extender at home that allows you to extend the range of your Wi-Fi network, you may encounter problems with your phone or laptop “connecting” to the extended network too often. For example, it keeps connecting SmithHouse_EXT instead of the main one SmithHouse network, even if you are within range of the router.

Prioritizing Wi-Fi networks can help with this somewhat, but if you’re moving around the house, your device may still be connecting to the wrong network. To solve this problem, it is best to get rid of this extender completely and replace it with a mesh Wi-Fi system.

Unlike the cheap extenders you’re probably used to, mesh Wi-Fi systems are designed to intelligently route traffic between multiple nodes, covering your home with a single Wi-Fi network and connecting you to the one closest to you at any given time . Every node is part of the same network, so there is no longer a “bad” node. For more information, read how the mesh stacks in relation to extension cords.

A mesh system costs a bit more, but it may be worth it to have a stable Wi-Fi network throughout your home without the hassle of an extension cord. If you decide to make the decision, we have a setup guide.