Windows 10: Windows 10 connecting to NAS also W10 via Wi-Fi instead of direct Ethernet connection

Good day. My main Windows 10 computer uses a NAS for some files, games, and apps. These two machines are connected to each other via an Ethernet cable, and can successfully transfer data at a rate of at most 1Gbit/s. When the NAS is stuck transferring over WiFi, it caps out around 40Mbit/s. I am manually able to force the connection to transfer data over Ethernet if I go into the Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Change Adapter Settings, and from there, I bridge the WiFi and Ethernet connections and then remove the bridge. This then allows data to tra

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How to indicate wi-fi connection on taskbar/desktop with ethernet on

Below you can find my original post from 2 days ago. Since I got 0 responses, I don't think it's possible to set WIndows 10 the way I wanted. I've decided to change my question:

Is there a way to see if the computer is connected to a wi-fi network while the ethernet cable is also plugged in, without having to click on the cable network icon on the taskbar? I first wanted to switch the cable icon to the wi-fi one, but as it doesn't seem possible, maybe there is a way to create some indicating icon on the desktop? Running some external program that would display an additional wi-fi icon on the taskbar? Or any other solution?



original post:

Hello everybody, this is my first post here.

I've had a Windows 10 desktop computer for several days now. I have two different internet connections (one is through an ethernet cable, and the other one is wireless) and I usually use both of them simultaneously. I play an online game and I need these two connections to be active at the same time. The ethernet connection is my primary one and the wireless one is kind of an "emergency" connection. The ethernet adapter has a priority over the wi-fi adapter (seems to be a default system setting and I want it this way). The ethernet connection sometimes disconnects at random times, so if it happens I just unplug the cable and reconnect through the wireless connection until I see that the first one has reconnected. I can't find any way to achieve the following:

While both connections (ethernet and wi-fi) are active, I want to see the wi-fi network icon on my taskbar, instead of the ethernet icon.

This was perfectly possible on my old laptop with Windows 7, which I was using until I bought the new desktop computer. The ethernet adapter had a priority over the wi-fi, just like now. The ethernet cable was always plugged in and by default, the cable network icon was shown on the taskbar. But when I connected to my wi-fi network at the same time, the icon changed to the wi-fi symbol. Both connections were working properly and the transfer was through the ethernet connection, although the wi-fi icon was shown as long as the wireless connection was active. It was much more comfortable for me that way, because I didn't have to make sure that the computer was properly connected via wi-fi, just one look at the icon was enough. But on the new computer, the ethernet icon is displayed even with a wi-fi connection active. It only switches to the wi-fi icon when I unplug the ethernet cable, but ethernet is my primary connection, so I don't wanna do that.

I would really appreciate if anybody could help me set my new computer up in a similar way. Here is some additional information:

I know that in Windows 7, by default, wireless connections had priority over ethernet, so I had to manually change the metrics (I hope it's called that way in English) of my network adapters in my old laptop to give priority to the wired connection. In Windows 10, as it seems, wired connections are prioritized, so I didn't have to change the metrics of the adapters.

The WIN7 laptop I used before had a built-in wi-fi adapter, but my new desktop doesn't have one. I bought a TP Link USB wi-fi adapter which was installed automatically and the connection is working properly. But maybe the fact that it's not a built-in adapter matters? Or perhaps it could be a question of the adapter's drivers? I'm not an expert, but I think it's more likely caused by the system itself than by the drivers or the hardware.

Is anybody able to get what I want to get (a wi-fi icon displayed on the taskbar with both ethernet and wi-fi connections active) with a built-in wi-fi adapter?

 

How to indicate wi-fi connection on taskbar/desktop with ethernet on

Using 'Select which icons appear...' I'm only able to toggle this one network icon. And it switches from wired to wireless, depending on whether the ethernet cable is plugged in.

Of course, the info is there, I just got used to not having to click on the icon. I always just looked at the corner of the screen every few minutes to make sure the wi-fi was still connected and ready in case my wired connection failed.

It's just strange for me that in the same scenario (ethernet connection + wi-fi active), Windows 7 would show the wireless icon (and it wasn't possible to change it either AFAIK), and Windows 10 shows the other one *sarc

Oh well, it's not the end of the world if it's impossible to change it, but any other suggestions on how to display the wi-fi state on the taskbar (or desktop) are still welcome.

 

Direct connection to another PC while connected to Wi-Fi

I have 2 Windows 10 PCs connected to the same Wi-Fi network in the same room. I regularly need to access file shares on PC1 from PC2 and vice versa, being on Wi-Fi this is very slow.

I'd like to create a direct ethernet connection between the two (in order to speed up file sharing) whilst maintaining the Wi-Fi connection for internet connectivity.

I've tried various configurations in Network Connections with the bridge adapter to no avail. Results end up breaking internet connectivity for one or both of the machines, or breaking the direct connection between the two.

Is there a way to do this without buying a router to create a second network between to two computers? Unfortunately these PCs are too far away from any network ports to the current router.