How to prioritize wi-fi networks on a mac

By default, your Mac automatically connects to the most-recently-used Wi-Fi network. But when you’re in a public place with many open networks, you might want to prioritize one in particular (like your own hotspot) on your Mac.

You can reorder the Wi-Fi network priority list from the Network section in System Preferences.

The easiest way to get to the Network Preferences is from the Wi-Fi section in the menu bar. Click on the Wi-Fi icon from the menu bar and then select the “Open Network Preferences” option.

This opens the Network section from within the System Preferences.

Here, from the sidebar, make sure that the “Wi-Fi” option is selected and then click on the “Advanced” button.

You’ll see a “Preferred Networks” section in the “Wi-Fi” tab that contains a list of all the networks to which you’ve previously connected. Everything is sorted by preference, meaning that the network on the top of the list gets the first preference.

From this list, find the network that you want to be your preferred network (such as your hotspot). Click on the network to select it.

From there, drag the network name to the top of the list and then release it.

Once you see the network at the top of the list, it means that it has priority. You can now reorder the rest of the Wi-Fi networks for the second or third priority.

If you’ve previously connected to an open Wi-Fi network and don’t want your Mac to connect to it, even when no other priority network is available, remove the Wi-Fi network from the list. Select the Wi-Fi network and then click on the Minus button.

Once you’ve prioritized the list of networks, click on the “OK” button from the bottom-right corner.

Then, from the Network screen, click on the “Apply” button to update the priority list.

If you don’t want to remove a network from the list, you can also stop your Mac from automatically connecting to a specific Wi-Fi network.

WiFi is pretty much the most sought after commodity these days, especially if you can bag it for free. It’s everywhere in today’s world, with most places having more than one WiFi network available. That’s all great for connectivity, but it does play the role of a double-edged sword. You see, having multiple WiFi networks also poses the question of which one you should connect to, since one might have better coverage in one area and weak in the other. At my house, for instance, I have a separate network for the upper and lower floors, and I’d ideally want to connect to the network that’s for the floor that I’m on, since the signal strength is understandably better.

Most of today’s operating systems — especially macOS and iOS — are quite intelligent, but not enough to differentiate and switch between WiFi networks by decent vs. good signal strength. That ultimately leads to situations where you will end up connected to a WiFi network that has a fair signal strength despite the fact that you have an excellent alternative network available, leading to a poor connectivity experience. Luckily, there’s a way around that on Mac and iPhone/iPad.

Prioritizing WiFi networks in macOS

One of the many things about macOS that I love, is how it offers a pleasant user experience, and puts user friendliness ahead of everything else (and yeah, you can disagree with that; it is just my opinion formed over years). A feature in macOS Sierra and earlier, which is often either overlooked or ignored, is the ability to prioritize saved networks by the order that you want your Mac to connect to them. Using this, you can actually define which networks have higher priority, so that in their presence, your Mac will connect to them first and even switch to them if they become available.

1. Accessing this feature is pretty easy. Either click the WiFi icon in your Mac’s menu bar and navigate to “Open Network Preferences” or launch the Settings app and go to Network preference pane.

2. From the pane, make sure that WiFi is selected in the left sidebar. Then, from the right side, click the “Advanced” button towards the bottom.

3. The next window will present a column under the title “Preferred Networks”, where all the remembered WiFi networks on your Mac will be listed. Just underneath this column, you’ll see a plus and a minus button. These buttons will move a selected network up or down the list, respectively.

Here’s the thing: networks on the top of the list have a higher priority compared to the ones at bottom. Therefore, all you need to do is to arrange the networks in the order that you want to connect to them. This means that whichever network you want to always stay connected to, just select it and use the plus sign to move it to the very top of the list. Likewise, if you want to lower the preference for a network, just move it toward the end of your list.

Once done, click OK and your Mac will remember these preferences for the future, resulting in a smooth WiFi connectivity experience.

Prioritizing WiFi networks in iOS

While there’s a straightforward way to prioritize WiFi networks in macOS, iOS 10 or any previous version doesn’t offer any such option. The truth is that this is a larger problem especially on iPhones and iPads rather than Macs, yet Apple doesn’t seem to have addressed this yet. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean it can’t still be done.

Note : You will need a Mac with the same Apple ID being used on both the computer and the iPhone.

There isn’t any specific action that you need to take to achieve network prioritization on an iPhone or iPad. Because settings and preferences are shared across Apple devices, provided they’re using the same Apple ID, whatever priority you define on the Mac will carry over to the iPhone assuming that iCloud sync is enabled.

Thus, to make your iPhone connect to a preferred network, mark it as the preferred network on your Mac using the steps outlined above, and you’ll be all set on your iDevice as well.

Of course, there are certain caveats to this process. It requires you to have a Mac with the same Apple ID shared across both. It also assumes that you have the same WiFi networks configured on both your iPhone and Mac, which is very likely not the case since the iPhone is a lot more mobile than a Mac potentially may be. However, this is the only way, as of now.

Set up WiFi Priority on iPhone, iPad and Mac

Well, those were the steps to set up WiFi network’s priority on an iPhone, iPad or Mac. While it’s pretty straightforward on a Mac, it’s irritating and disappointing that Apple hasn’t addressed something as basic as this in iOS, especially since iOS prides itself in its user-friendliness, but until Apple does something about it, this your workaround to your WiFi signal strength concerns. If you have any other way to prioritize WiFi networks on Apple devices, do let us know in the comments section below.

Your Mac automatically remembers W-Fi networks you’ve connected to in the past. However, the network it automatically connects to might not be the best option. Here’s what to do if you want your Mac to forget a Wi-Fi network.

In addition to removing old connections, forgetting a Wi-Fi network can help you troubleshoot connection issues. If a network has changed its password and your Mac doesn’t give you a password prompt (or if it’s just being flaky), you can try forgetting and rejoining the network.

To do so, click the Wi-Fi icon in your Mac’s menu bar, and then select “Open Network Preferences.”

Here, click “Advanced.”

Under the “Wi-Fi” tab, scroll through and select the network you want your Mac to forget, and then click the minus sign (-).

In the prompt, click “Remove” to forget the network. This will remove the network’s login credentials from your iCloud Keychain, as well, making it inaccessible to all of your other Apple devices.

Click “OK” in the Wi-Fi screen.

Click “Apply” in the Network window to save your changes.

Your Mac has now forgotten the Wi-Fi network. If you want, you can click the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar to log in to the network again.

If you use multiple Wi-Fi networks in the same location (like your home or office), you might not want your Mac to forget any of them. In that case, you can prioritize those you use most often.

Is your Mac constantly getting connected to some random open WiFi networks? Free WiFi is always a good option, however, it’s not an effective way to connect to the Internet. Let me tell you my story, whenever I turn on my Mac, it automatically gets connected to my neighbour’s WiFi, thereby leading to a slow network speed. Moreover, the time to realize that you are not on a right WiFi network is also substantial. Neither I wish to use someone’s WiFi without their consent, nor it’s giving me the optimum speed. So, why not prioritize WiFi networks on Mac, so that you connect to only your’s WiFi network and not anyone else’s?

Prioritize WiFi Networks on Mac

You might have a number of WiFi networks in your office, some at close and some at far proximity from your cabin. Obviously, you would like to connect to the closest one and make the connection to others only if the closest one is unavailable. Isn’t it? The best way to do is, prioritize WiFi connections. Let’s see how it is done.

Step 1: Tap the Apple icon at the top left corner of your Mac’s screen and head over to System Preferences.

Step 2: From the System Preferences window, tap on Network.

Step 3: In the subsequent window, select WiFi from the left-pane and then click on Advanced.

Step 4: A list of all the WiFi networks you have ever connected will appear. From the list, rearrange the connection order (the ones you’d like to connect first, keep on top) by drag-dropping.

Step 5: Tap on OK and then Apply the settings.

That’s it! This is how you are going to force macOS to select particular WiFi network.

Delete Unwanted WiFi Networks

It’s always a good approach to delete unwanted networks from the list, so your Mac won’t try to connect with them.

Step 1: Head over to System Preferences -> Network.

Step 2: Select WiFi and then click on Advanced.

Step 3: From the list of available networks, tap the one you wish to remove. Alternatively, you could also select multiple networks by tapping the command key+right mouse key.

Finally, tap on “–” icon and enter the login password if asked. The login password is required to authorize your actions.

That’s it! You have removed the unwanted SSID’s from the list.

If this guide helped you in any way, don’t forget to give us a +1. Also, if you have any problem following the guide, don’t hesitate to comment down below. I’ll get back to you asap.

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Wi-Fi has become so common that we’re starting to take it for granted. Internet access has improved worldwide with the apparition of Wi-FI networks that allow users to grab internet from thin air. Nowadays, public places without a Wi-Fi network are quickly becoming extinct.

But sometimes, having too many Wi-Fi options can actually end up hurting your internet surfing speed. This happens because each Wi-Fi has its own particularities in relation to your device. One might have better coverage while the other might have superior speed. If you frequently visit a place that has multiple Wi-Fi connections, it might be a good idea to prioritize them.

Most operating systems have some type of feature that prioritizes Wi-Fi network according to various calculations. This is also the case with macOS and iOS. But let’s say you work in an office building with Wi-Fi networks on every floor. It’s entirely possible that your device will tend to use the network below you, even if the signal strength is better with the Wi-Fi on your floor. This happens because the OS takes into account other factors like network stability and availability.

In cases like this, it’s a good idea to prioritize certain networks over others, to ensure you have the best connection possible. You’d be pleased to know there’s a native way of prioritizing a Wi-Fi connection on MAC computers. Even more, we can expand that capability to iOS devices – iPhones, iPads, and iPods.

How to prioritize Wi-Fi networks on macOS (MAC)

Apple is keen on offering its users with the best possible user experience. In comparison with more technical operating systems like Windows and Android, all of Apple’s efforts are focused on user-friendliness. But below that good-looking layer that keeps most things simple, there are some hidden options that are not explored by most macOS and iOS users.

Such is the case with MAC’s ability to prioritize the list of saved networks. As it turns out, you can instruct your MAC to follow a certain order when it needs a Wi-Fi connection. By following the guidelines presented below, you will be able to predetermine the networks that have the highest priority and make your computer act accordingly. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Click the Wi-Fi network from your Mac’s menu bar from the top section of the screen. From there, tap on Open Network Preferences.
   Note: You can also launch the Settings app and click on Network.
2. Now click on the Wi-Fi entry from the left column. With Wi-Fi selected, click on Advanced.
   
3. Now you should be able to see a column of networks under Preferred Networks. The list should comprise all the networks saved by your MAC and other device associated with the same iCloud account. Notice how there are two buttons (plus and minus) underneath the column. Click on a network from the list a use the two buttons to move a network up or down.
   Note: The network at the top of the list has the highest priority and the one at the bottom the lowest priority. With this information, order your networks in the order that you prefer. If you want to elevate the priority of a network, select it and hit the plus sign until you move it to the top. In the event that you need to downgrade a network, use the minus button to move it to the bottom.
4. Once you’re done, hit OK in order for your settings to be saved.

Prioritizing networks on iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod)

Given the fact that an iPhone is considerably more prone to connect to the wrong Wi-fi than a Mac, it’s important to make your iPhone aware of your Wi-Fi preferences. Well, the truth is there’s no way to prioritize Wi-Fi netwoks from an iOS device. It’s definitely disappointing seeing that Apple avoids implementing a way to do this from their mobile devices.

Luckily, most settings and preference options are automatically shared across Apple devices. This means MAC and iOS devices will both update their preferences as you tweak a setting. This works to our advantage, because any Wi-Fi network prioritization we might do on a MAC, will be automatically adopted by our iPhone, iPads, and iPods. The only catch is, the devices need to use the same Apple ID (iCloud account).

With this information, chances are your iPhone is already up to date with your Wi-Fi preferences if you followed Method 1 from a MAC. If you did, make sure both devices are using the same Apple ID.

If you don’t own a MAC, you have one other chance of updating the Wi-FI preferences, but it’s rather awkward. Try convincing a friend/acquaintance who owns a MAC to let you log in with your Apple ID. Once you do, update your preferences like we previously did in Method 1, save and log out. The new Wi-Fi preferences should be updated to your iOS device in a matter of minutes.

I know that this seems severely limiting, and it truly is. But so far this is the only method of prioritizing Wi-Fi networks on iOS.

Wrap Up

So far, these are the only feasible steps of adjusting a Wi-Fi network priority on a MAC, iPhone, iPad or iPod. Seeing how easy the whole procedure is on a MAC, it makes you wonder why Apple refuses to include a similar function on iOS. Is it part of a marketing scheme meant to keep you from leaving the Apple ecosystem? I don’t really know, but it’s entirely possible.

Until Apple releases an update (if it ever does), there’s no other native way of changing priorities on Apple devices. If you found this content helpful or you know of another 3rd party way of achieving this, let us know in the comment section below.

Learn how to prioritize WiFi networks in iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra and always connect to the best network available whenever you wake your device.

Prioritize WiFi Networks Today on iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra so You Never Connect to Your Least Preferred Network Even by Mistake

Over a passage of time we will end up connecting to more than a dozen WiFi networks and even countless ones in some cases. This includes your home WiFi, the WiFi you borrowed from your neighbor, the access point in your other room, your roommate’s MiFi and more. Obviously, since there are so many networks involved here, so whenever you reach your destination, there is a high chance that your iPhone, iPad or Mac will randomly connect to a network, even if it has the faintest of signal given your current position. But don’t panic, in today’s guide we will show you how you can prioritize WiFi networks so you connect to the correct one whenever you enter your home, your office or even your favorite coffee shop.

Important note: In ordert to prioritize WiFi networks you will require a Mac. This process is not available on iOS 11 alone. Once you make changes in macOS High Sierra, they will be reflected across all your iCloud devices, including those running iOS 11.

Tutorial

1. Turn on your Mac, log in to macOS High Sierra.

2. Click on the ‘WiFi’ icon in the menu bar.

3. Now click on Open Network Preferences.

4. Select ‘WiFi’ from the left hand side pane and then click on Advanced on the bottom right.

5. Under the ‘Wi-Fi’ tab you’ll see a list of all your networks you have saved. Simply drag the preferred ones to the top and the least preferred ones below. You can even delete the unwanted networks from here as well. Once done, just select Save and the changes will be carried over to your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch as long as they are signed in to the same Apple ID as your Mac.

We really wish such level of control was available directly for iOS users, allowing them to set which are the most preferred networks. But since we don’t, we have to make do with what’s available for users right now.

While you are here, you may also like to check out:

Is your Mac constantly getting connected to some random open WiFi networks? Free WiFi is always a good option, however, it’s not an effective way to connect to the Internet. Let me tell you my story, whenever I turn on my Mac, it automatically gets connected to my neighbour’s WiFi, thereby leading to a slow network speed. Moreover, the time to realize that you are not on a right WiFi network is also substantial. Neither I wish to use someone’s WiFi without their consent, nor it’s giving me the optimum speed. So, why not prioritize WiFi networks on Mac, so that you connect to only your’s WiFi network and not anyone else’s?

Prioritize WiFi Networks on Mac

You might have a number of WiFi networks in your office, some at close and some at far proximity from your cabin. Obviously, you would like to connect to the closest one and make the connection to others only if the closest one is unavailable. Isn’t it? The best way to do is, prioritize WiFi connections. Let’s see how it is done.

Step 1: Tap the Apple icon at the top left corner of your Mac’s screen and head over to System Preferences.

Step 2: From the System Preferences window, tap on Network.

Step 3: In the subsequent window, select WiFi from the left-pane and then click on Advanced.

Step 4: A list of all the WiFi networks you have ever connected will appear. From the list, rearrange the connection order (the ones you’d like to connect first, keep on top) by drag-dropping.

Step 5: Tap on OK and then Apply the settings.

That’s it! This is how you are going to force macOS to select particular WiFi network.

Delete Unwanted WiFi Networks

It’s always a good approach to delete unwanted networks from the list, so your Mac won’t try to connect with them.

Step 1: Head over to System Preferences -> Network.

Step 2: Select WiFi and then click on Advanced.

Step 3: From the list of available networks, tap the one you wish to remove. Alternatively, you could also select multiple networks by tapping the command key+right mouse key.

Finally, tap on “–” icon and enter the login password if asked. The login password is required to authorize your actions.

That’s it! You have removed the unwanted SSID’s from the list.

If this guide helped you in any way, don’t forget to give us a +1. Also, if you have any problem following the guide, don’t hesitate to comment down below. I’ll get back to you asap.

Meanwhile, you can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Instagram. A lot is going to happen out there in coming days.

Use the Location feature of Network preferences to quickly switch between different sets of network settings.

The ability to switch between different sets of network settings (locations) can be useful in circumstances such as these:

• You use the same type of network (such as Ethernet) at work and at home, but the settings you use at work don’t allow your Mac to automatically connect to the same type of network at home.
• Your Mac connects to more than one type of network service (such as both Wi-Fi and Ethernet) at work and at home, but at work you want your Mac to try connecting to the Ethernet network first, and at home you want your Mac to try connecting to the Wi-Fi network first. In other words, you want to set a different service order for each location.
• Your Mac isn’t connecting to your network and you want to quickly reset your network settings for testing purposes, without losing your current network settings.

How to add or remove a network location

1. Choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, then click Network.
2. The Location pop-up menu shows the name of your currently selected set of network settings. The default location is named Automatic. Choose Edit Locations from this menu.
   
3. Click the add (+) button below the list of locations, then type a name for the new location, such as Work or Home or Mobile. (To remove a location, use the remove (–) button below the list.)
   
4. Click Done. The Location menu should now show the name of your new location. Any changes you now make to your Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or other network settings will be saved to this location when you click Apply. The network settings in your previous location remain as you left them, so you can use the Location menu to switch back at any time.
5. Click Apply to save your settings and complete the switch from the previous location to the new one. Your Mac then automatically tries to determine the correct settings for each type of network. If you need to change the settings manually, remember to click Apply again after making your changes.

How to switch between network locations

If you have more than one location, you can use either of these methods to switch between them:

• Use the Location pop-up menu in Network preferences, as described above. Remember to click Apply after choosing a location.
• Or choose Apple menu > Location from the menu bar, then choose your location from the submenu.

How to change the network service order

If you’re using network locations because you want each location to prefer a different network service (such as Wi-Fi or Ethernet) when connecting, follow these steps to change the service order (also known as port priority) in each location.

1. Choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, then click Network.
2. Use the Location pop-up menu to choose the location you want to modify.
3. Click the More Options icon or gear icon below the list of services, then choose Set Service Order.
   
4. Drag services within the list to change their order. Your Mac will try to connect to the service at the top of the list first, then continue in descending order until a connection is successful.
   Virtual private network (VPN) connections can’t be reordered, because they always take priority over other connections.
   
5. Click OK, then click Apply.

How to prevent a network service from being used

By default, the location named Automatic makes all available network services (also known as ports or network interfaces) active, whether or not they are being used to connect to a network. Your Mac automatically searches these services for a network or internet connection.

For example, you might use a Wi-Fi network at home but an Ethernet network at work. Your Mac automatically detects which of these network services to use when it connects.

If you want to make sure that your Mac doesn’t use a particular network service, such as Wi-Fi, you can make that service inactive in any of your network locations:

1. Choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, then click Network.
2. Use the Location pop-up menu to choose the location you want to modify.
3. Click the More Options icon or gear icon below of the list of services, then choose Make Service Inactive.
4. Click Apply.

This post highlights how you can prioritize your iOS device WiFi to get the most of the wireless network signals. By doing all the steps below, you will learn how to prioritize WiFi networks on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or Mac.

If you are a traveler and like to go to places a lot, and happen to be an owner of an iPhone or iPad, then there is a high probability that you have an amount of Wi-Fi networks and hotspots stored to your iOS device from the different locations that you often travel to. There is another possibility that you have problems where two of the WiFi signals overlap each other and your device is not able to figure out which network has the strongest signals.

So if these are the problems you have faced or are facing, that also might have projected in a different way; where your iPhone or iPad is hanging on a thread of the WiFi signal of a lobby of a hotel but you would instead hope that your device can figure out to connect to the rooms WiFi network. Then there are a good number of odds that you have searched through the settings hoping to find a way to prioritize specific networks.

You may be saddened to know that nothing of this sorts exists to prioritize the networks, but that should not discourage you because it is not impossible. You just need to own a Mac and it will help you to set the priority of the WiFi networks.

Steps to Prioritize WiFi Networks on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or Mac

An experienced or a die-hard Mac user will undoubtedly be familiar with that Wi-Fi networks or hotspots info is stored on a Mac, or stored through an iOS device, are shared across several iPhone or iPad that seems to be having one iCloud account. That is tremendously helpful when you know that it is very accessible to connect to a WiFi network or a hotspot on an iMac or MacBook and then without any effort access that same network from any of the devices without having to enter any additional settings or network information. It’s also good to know that it can be handled from any kind of Mac.

So what does all of this means? Well, it is possible that you can prioritize your WiFi networks for your iOS device through using a Mac. It’s very easy just follow the steps below:

1. Head to the Mac OS System Preference option.
2. Click on the Network icon, then click Advanced.
3. The Wi-Fi window will be opened.
4. From the list of the Preferred Wi-Fi Networks just drag and drop the network that you want to prioritize.
5. To confirm the changes, just click OK and close the Preferences window.

Once you have made the correct adjustments on the Mac that shares the same iCloud account, the saved WiFi networks priority will automatically be transferred to your other, but with the same iCloud account, iPhone or iPad device.