setting default connection for wireless

[S.D.Willie]

hey there,

i was curious as this pertains to XP on my laptop. if i have a wireless pcmcia card and built in nic, and both of them are up and gettg an ip address from my office but which interface is used for internet access?

only way i can disable the wireless(which i like to do at work sometimes and just patch in cuz its faster) is if i run the smc utility and turn the "radio" function off. if i try disabling it in network connections it tells me its not possible because of the protocols in use. i would imagine the built in nic is used as a primary connection if its up but i was curious is anyone knew.

[DataJumper]

Yes, your NIC is the primary and will utilize your cable for access. The wireless will continually look for a wireless access as well. I think there maybe a setting to disable it from looking for a wireless service. I know it won't affect anything if you leave it enabled.

[vass0922]

from command prompt

route print

tells which interface is used for what routes.

Also if you do a ipconfig /all see which one has a default gateway (they may both have one)

[DVNT1]

If both have the same default gateway and metric, then XP will use the "preferred adapter".

When running ROUTE PRINT, the top default gateway entry will the one tried first.

If you want to specify an adapter to use, you may be able to remove the other default gateway (manually or via script).

[S.D.Willie]

yeah it seems it uses the hardwire connection first which is cool, no need to disable the wireless even though the default gateway is the same for both. thanks guys

p.s. how would you know which is the "preferred adapter" ? thats not listed anywhere i can find. guess its not that important since i have what i want, but im just curious.