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Help How to stop Android 9 switching between wifi networks

S

Splinternet

Lurker
I have an Invizbox VPN device connected to my router. I can connect my Huawei P10 (Android 9) to the VPN n/w ok but if the signal strength degrades a bit, Android automatically reverts to the router n/w. I thought in older versions this could be prevented, but it seems this has been removed in v9. I've set 'network connection method' to manual but this doesn't prevent the problem. Would appreciate any help.
 
https://www.techradar.com/reviews/invizbox-2-vpn-router
Whenever you add a second router to an existing router, no matter what Invizbox claims this will introduce issues with your basic home network infrastructure. You're still going to make a conscious choice on what works out best. You can't just keep adding more and more routers creating added WiFi networks.

-- Install this 'WiFiAnalyzer (open-source)' app on your P10:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vrem.wifianalyzer&hl=en_US
Use it to build a heat map of the WiFi coverage range for your primary router and the Invizbox VPN router. Walk through your household and get some actual signal strength numbers close both routers and further away in different rooms, and for both 2.4Ghz and 5 Ghz band networks.
-- Get some numbers on bandwidth speed too, for wired (Ethernet) and wireless (WiFi) and also for both routers. And do your tests when no one is using online access in your household as that can skew any speed tests. Using a web browser, go to
https://fast.com
and use the 'Show more info' button for expanded details. Note the Download, the Upload, and the Latency (loaded) results.
-- You should end up with a relatively sizable database of data, your situation has potentially five different items (one wired for both routers, and two wireless for both). The Ethernet bandwidth is more of a baseline number since that's what feeds the WiFi in your routers so focus on the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz numbers emitted by your two routers. That's the numbers to use to determine what WiFi networks you want to use for your mobile devices, factoring in what parts of your household are optimal. If it's a matter where your primary router provides better coverage range, take that into consideration.
But if you do want everything to connect within the oversight of your VPN, you need to intentionally change all your devices (computers, mobile devices, etc,) to use your Invizbox router as your home network gateway. In your phone, delete the WiFi network entry for your primary router so it's always using the 2.4Ghz or 5Ghz band WiFi from your Invizbox.

Lots of useful tips and info here on router placement:
https://www.techradar.com/reviews/invizbox-2-vpn-router
and basic info on 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz band:
https://www.centurylink.com/home/help/internet/wireless/which-frequency-should-you-use.html
A lot of people mistakenly tout just use 5Ghz band since it can provide faster bandwidth but that's a very conditional matter. Depending on the situation, if you're in a spot in your home where you have a strong 2.4Ghz signal (which has longer range and penetrates walls better) but a weak 5Ghz signal, use the 2.4Ghz connection instead. But that goes back to just having some actual numbers to compare so do those coverage and speed tests.
 
Svim, many thanks for getting back to me. I think I may not have been clear in my post. I'm OK with the Invizbox per se, it works fine. Signal strength and coverage around the house is on a par with the ISP router, but if it dips just below then Android insists on automatically connecting me back to the router without my knowledge. In Windows 10, I can configure 'Settings' such that it won't automatically connect to specific networks when in range, so my laptop will continue to be connected to the Invizbox VPN even in areas where its signal strength dips below the router. In Android, I can 'forget' the Router n/w which keeps my Huawei locked onto the Invizbox, but when I want to reconnect to the router (e.g. to access my Company's VPN) then I have to treat it like a new connection and key-in the password. In Wi-Fi settings / set connection method, I've selected 'manually connect' but this isn't doing what I assumed it would. I'm pretty sure in a previous version of Android there was a setting much like the Windows 10 setting.
 
What exactly is an "Invizbox VPN device?" Do you have any more information for it?

I'm probably AFs foremost user of VPNs, but I never heard of "Invizbox VPN".
 
There is an app called "Best Wifi" by Andrew Parkin that will allow you to always connect to a particular set of networks by specifying that specific networks are forgotten.(even if the device knows the logins for them) Free in Playstore - have a look. (I use it -nothing else to do with it)
 
OK, so it is a matter where you need both WiFi networks from your primary router and your Invizbox router, depending on need. And since it presumably sounds like both routers are emitting signal strength in more or less equal measures, depending on where you are in your household, that's also an issue since any 'strongest signal' solution isn't going to work out. Sadly the manual connect setting in your Huawei isn't being observed (????) as that should be just what you need for this situation.

Just an offhand suggestion but there's an app called Tasker that you can use to set up automated tasks, in your case manually select which WiFi network to connect with.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.dinglisch.android.taskerm
https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/...ow-to-automate-almost-anything-on-your-phone/
Here's an example of what someone in a similar situation posted on the Tasker forums:
https://forum.joaoapps.com/index.ph...phone-tries-to-connect-to-other-networks.164/
 
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