how windows categorize networks?

Question

Greetings traveler!

How windows 10 categorize networks ?
I mean how the verdict is made for the network home network, local or external?
many endpoint IPS and antivirus engines operate a firewall based on this verdict, and I want to understand how this happens in Windows..

Answer 1

You can see this old MSDN article Longhorn Network Location Awareness Service

Answer 2

Hello

Thank you for your question and reaching out.

Windows assumes that your private networks–like your home or work networks–are trusted networks full of other devices you may want to connect to. Windows assumes that public networks are full of other people’s devices you don’t want to connect to, so it uses different settings.

On Private networks, Windows enables network discovery features. Other devices can see your Windows computer on the network, allowing for easy file sharing and other networked features. Windows will also use the Homegroup feature to share files and media between your PCs.

On Public networks–like those in coffee shops–you don’t want your computer to be seen by others, though, or share your files with them. So Windows turns off these discovery features. it won’t appear to other devices on the network and won’t try to discover them. Even if you’ve set up a Homegroup on your PC, it won’t be enabled on a public network.

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