Windows 10 Desktop WiFi
 

An elementary question -

Can a desktop PC have Wifi enabled and connected with a network as well as also being connected with an Ethernet USB ? My printer is also WiFi connected and works fine.

Mine is and it is working perfectly, but I am concerned about any possible conflict. If there is a conflict, it has not yet surfaced.

Please do not refer me to any links, I have read dozens without getting a positive yes or no answer.

Re: Windows 10 Desktop WiFi
 

The short answer is no. I am a bit confused as to what you are trying to achieve or what your current setup is and I have never heard of ethernet USB, they are mutually exclusive types of connectivity, so let me explain things in a more broader sense. Your PC can only be connected to one network at a time and only have one IP address. There are multiple ways of connecting to a network and there are different adaptors so your PC applies metrics to each interface (gives them a score) and the best one wins. As an example, if you were connected to your home network using wifi and then you connected the device (e.g. laptop) to the network using an ethernet cable you would see the laptop drop the wifi connection, switch to the wired connection and get a new IP address.
Generally speaking for you, you should try and keep things as simple as possible and not get your connection settings mixed up. Unless your printer is in the same room as the PC and the PC is the only machine that is going to use it, forget USB, enable wifi and connect the printer to the network. If all of your devices are networked you will find it a lot easier to use them and manage them through the same network settings and options.

Re: Windows 10 Desktop WiFi
 

Thank you and Merry Christmas to you.
i am sorry for using the term USB, I meant the router Ethernet connection.
My PC and printer are about 5 feet away from each other. The WiFi is working fine on both.
I had a WiFi loss (no router connected) when I had to kill the power to my router. For a while WiFi would not connect with my network. I plugged in the router to my PC and fiddled about for most of the day. The router gave me an Internet connection, the WiFi did not.

All my many attempts to connect with the Virgin network were repeatedly met with "cannot connect to this network".

PS - my reference to USB covers the router Ethernet lead which plugs into a socket on my PC. It is not a USB socket. Sorry.

Eventually I got WiFi connected and linked to my printer, I honestly do not know how, but I did. They both work perfect now on WiFi. I am reluctant to unplug the router in case WiFi is lost again.
I understand my router is called a Superhub, see -

https://www.cableforum.uk/images/local/2018/12/12.jpg

Re: Windows 10 Desktop WiFi
 

Routers are solely responsible for creating and maintaining your network. All your devices, PCs, printers games consoles and whatever else, talk to one another by going through the router. If the router is turned off for whatever reason then you have no internet connection and no local network so your PC cannot connect to the printer for example. All the devices save their network settings including the printer so if they lose their connection for whatever reason they will automatically reestablish it as soon as it comes back up. Normally this happens in the background without you realising and it will take a few mins as the shub goes through its boot process. You shouldn't have to faff around with cables or the shub's settings, as a worse case scenario you would reboot the client as the easiest way of reconnecting it to the network. In this example you would turn the printer off and back on again.

As an fyi wherever possible you should always strive to use wired/ethernet connections purely for avoiding problems like this. My shub, router, pc and laser printer are all in the same room and despite having wireless capability, are connected using cables for a faster and uninterrupted connection.

Re: Windows 10 Desktop WiFi
 

Considering it is Christmas Day, you have done me exceedingly proud and I thank you so much.

From what you said, does that answer my question - that you can have both an Ethernet connection and a WiFi network connection on the same PC at the same time with no conflict ?

Re: Windows 10 Desktop WiFi
 

Yes it does answer your question and no you can't. In my first post i explained the operating system (windows 10) uses metrics and scores multiple network interfaces (wired and wireless/ethernet and wifi). You can only use one at a time and you cannot have multiple network connections originating from one device so you do not need to worry about any conflicts because it cant and wont happen. You can only use one at a time and as your pc is a static device i suggest wired.

Re: Windows 10 Desktop WiFi
 

I fully understand in a technical sense what you have said, may I then ask -

As your answer is " no you can't.", why is it that my PC with an Ethernet connection and WiFi fully connected to my network is working perfectly with no signs of distress ?
Why does it not go bang ?

Re: Windows 10 Desktop WiFi
 

You are mistaken, it cannot happen.

Re: Windows 10 Desktop WiFi
 

I am sorry but it is happening as I have explained.

If an engineer says a thing cannot happen and it is happening, it is standard practice that the engineer's next problem is to establish why his supposition is wrong.

Re: Windows 10 Desktop WiFi
 

Show me it is happening

Re: Windows 10 Desktop WiFi
 

Don't worry General, this guy's been here before.

@beaker 17. Here's what happens with your printer and your home network.

PC - router (wired connection) router - printer (wireless connection). Everything in the home network goes via the router (or hub) and the connection is made by the router by whatever means the device uses.
So, the computer (PC) wants to print a document, it asks the router to pass the request to the printer. The router knows the printer is connected wireless so sends s signal to it with the request.
The printer responds and says "yes I'm ready and willing to do that send the request over, I'll do it."
Your router then responds to your PC saying the printer's ready send me the document and I'll pass it on to the printer.
Your document is printed.

Your printer is connected to your PC via the router and not by your "all in one" wireless PC.

When you connect a PC, laptop or whatever via an ethernet able it automatically disables the wireless connection. Your device will always choose the fastest available connection.

Disconnect the ethernet and your device will automatically search for a wireless connection.

Re: Windows 10 Desktop WiFi
 

Thank you for all that information on this special day Pip.
I wish you a very Happy Christmas.

Re: Windows 10 Desktop WiFi
 

0_o Methinks everyone's been on the sherry.

A device with multiple network interfaces can connect to multiple networks simultaneously. Each interface gets it's own IP but with consumer versions of windows controlling what goes on isn't simple to make work properly and it will usually just pipe everything down one connection unless you want to get balls deep into the wonderful world of bridging, interface priority and human sacrifice. Speed isn't really the thing that decides which interface is used, it's much more arcane than that.

Should you do it? Not if you're just doing it to the same network, and doing it on different networks requires a fairly special use case for people at home. Theres no benefit at all to doing this on the same network, you'll just get lots of weird issues that are a complete pain in the arse to trace and figure out whats going on, but by default Windows will just choose a connection to use and stick with that until you disable that interface (if it drops there is no guarantee it will failover to the other one, because it's stupid).

Re: Windows 10 Desktop WiFi
 

We'll see who's been on the sherry. I wish you and beaker17 a long and happy relationship.:D:D:D

Re: Windows 10 Desktop WiFi
 

Thank you all for your valued comments.

BUT my HP Win 10 PC is only a few days old, has an Ethernet cable from my router connected to it and is WiFi connected to my Virgin Media wireless network together with my printer. The PC works perfectly and the printer prints from the PC as required through Wifi.

Duplication ? Almost certain.
Impossible ? Not at all, it works perfect.

I would like to remove the Ethernet connection, but after the WiFi loss and repeated unsuccessful attempts to connect back to my wireless network, I am reluctant to do this.

Always remember the old adage - If it works, don't fix it.