windows 11

Question

when i use the ethernet my pc wifi i try to connect the hotspot the wifi is not on at that time. What shall i do?

Answer 1

Hi Zelalem Animaw,

I understand how frustrating this can be when Wi‑Fi turns off as soon as an Ethernet connection is in use. Thank you for your patience while troubleshooting this.

I can also see that Q&A Assist has already suggested checking the Wi‑Fi settings, so please review the Wi‑Fi‑related guidance mentioned above to ensure everything is set correctly.

In addition, please confirm that under Settings > Network & Internet > Mobile hotspot, “Share my internet connection from” is set to Ethernet, and “Share over” is set to Wi‑Fi. Since Mobile Hotspot relies on the Wi‑Fi adapter to broadcast the connection, Wi‑Fi must remain enabled even when Ethernet is connected.

If your goal is to force the PC to use a Wi‑Fi hotspot instead of Ethernet, you can also temporarily disconnect the Ethernet cable and then connect using Wi‑Fi.

To help narrow this down, could you please confirm whether Wi‑Fi or Mobile Hotspot turns off immediately when Ethernet is plugged in, or if you see any specific error message when trying to enable it? This will help determine whether the behavior is related to Windows prioritizing the wired connection.

Please let me know once you’ve confirmed the settings or if anything looks different on your side, and I’ll be glad to help you continue from there.

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Answer 2

On Windows 11, Wi‑Fi and Ethernet can both be available, but Windows will normally use Ethernet when it is connected because it is treated as the primary (wired) connection.

To use Wi‑Fi hotspot when Ethernet is connected, try these steps:

1. Check that Wi‑Fi is turned on
   1. Open Settings > Network & internet.
   2. Make sure Wi‑Fi is turned On.
   3. If Wi‑Fi is off, turn it on and then try connecting to the hotspot again.
2. Check network status
   1. In Settings > Network & internet, look at the top of the window.
   2. Confirm that Wi‑Fi appears there and can show available networks.
   3. If only Ethernet appears and Wi‑Fi is missing, the wireless adapter or its driver may not be working correctly.
3. If Wi‑Fi networks are not found If the wireless adapter is recognized but no Wi‑Fi networks are found:
   1. Make sure any physical Wi‑Fi switch on the laptop/tablet is turned on.
   2. In Settings > Network & internet, confirm Wi‑Fi is turned on.
   3. If still no networks, open Device Manager (search for Device Manager on the taskbar).
   4. Expand Network adapters, right‑click the wireless adapter, select Properties.
   5. On the Advanced tab, check any Wireless Mode or Band setting and ensure it allows the frequency used by the hotspot (2.4 GHz or 5 GHz).
4. Temporarily disconnect Ethernet If the goal is to force use of the hotspot instead of Ethernet, unplug the Ethernet cable from the PC or router, then connect to the hotspot over Wi‑Fi.

If Ethernet works but Wi‑Fi never appears even after checking the above, the issue may be with the Wi‑Fi adapter, its driver, or a hardware switch.

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References:

• Fix Ethernet connection problems in Windows
• Fix Wi-Fi connection issues in Windows