When you connect your PC to Wi-Fi and Ethernet simultaneously, Windows can maintain both network interfaces. However, most ordinary internet traffic generally follows the preferred default route.
Load balancing distributes network traffic across multiple internet connections. Depending on the technology, different applications or network sessions may use different connections.
Connection bonding combines multiple internet connections into a shared logical connection, potentially allowing a single transfer to benefit from multiple links. This usually requires compatible software, a VPN-based service, or specialized networking equipment.
Now, let’s configure everything step by step.
Use Multiple Internet Connections at the Same Time in Windows 11/10
You can use multiple internet connections on your Windows PC by connecting through Wi-Fi, Ethernet, USB tethering, or another supported network adapter. However, if you want to combine their speeds rather than simply keep multiple connections active, you’ll need an appropriate load-balancing or connection-bonding solution.
Here is the general process:
- Connect your PC to the first internet connection through Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
- Connect a second internet source using another network adapter, mobile hotspot, or USB tethering.
- Open Windows network settings and verify that both connections are active.
- Check the network interface priority to understand which connection Windows prefers.
- Configure connection metrics if you want to prioritize a particular network.
- Use connection-bonding software if you want to combine multiple internet connections.
- Test your internet speed and connection stability.
1: Connect Your PC to Two Different Internet Sources
First, you need at least two working internet connections. These can come from different sources, such as a home Wi-Fi router, an Ethernet connection, or your smartphone’s mobile data.
For example, you can use your regular broadband connection through Wi-Fi and connect your smartphone using a USB cable for mobile data.
To connect your PC to Wi-Fi in Windows 11, navigate to Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi. Turn on Wi-Fi, select your available wireless network, click Connect, and enter its password.
If you’re using Windows 10, navigate to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi, turn on Wi-Fi, and connect to your preferred network.
Next, connect your second internet source. If you want to use Ethernet, plug one end of the Ethernet cable into your router and the other end into your computer’s Ethernet port.
For USB tethering, connect your Android smartphone to your PC using a USB cable. Open your phone’s Settings > Network & internet > Hotspot & tethering and enable USB tethering. The exact menu names may vary depending on your phone manufacturer and Android version.
Once connected, Windows should recognize the second network adapter automatically.
You can now have two network connections active on the same computer.
2: Verify That Both Internet Connections Are Active
After connecting both internet sources, check whether Windows recognizes them correctly.
Press Windows + I to open Settings.
In Windows 11, navigate to Network & internet. You should see your available network connections, such as Wi-Fi and Ethernet. Select each connection to review its status and properties.
In Windows 10, open Settings > Network & Internet > Status to review your network connections.
You can also check the active adapters through Control Panel.
Press Windows + R, type ncpa.cpl, and press Enter.
The Network Connections window will appear. Here, you can see the network adapters installed on your computer.
For example, you might see Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and a USB network adapter. If two of these adapters are connected, they should appear as active network connections.
You can right-click an adapter and select Status to check its connection details.
Keep in mind that an adapter showing Connected does not necessarily mean it has working internet access. Both connections should be tested independently before moving forward.
3: Configure Network Interface Priority
When multiple internet connections are active, Windows uses network route metrics to determine which connection it should prefer.
A lower interface metric generally gives a network adapter higher priority, although Windows also considers the route metric when selecting the complete network route.
For example, if you want Ethernet to be your preferred connection and Wi-Fi to remain available, you can adjust their interface metrics.
Press Windows + X and select Terminal (Admin) in Windows 11 or Windows PowerShell (Admin) in Windows 10.
First, enter this command:
Get-NetIPInterface
Press Enter. Windows will display your network interfaces, including their names, interface indexes, and metrics.
Identify the interface indexes associated with your Ethernet and Wi-Fi adapters.
Next, use the following command to give Ethernet a lower metric:
Set-NetIPInterface -InterfaceIndex 12 -InterfaceMetric 10
Replace 12 with your actual Ethernet interface index.
To give Wi-Fi a higher metric, enter:
Set-NetIPInterface -InterfaceIndex 8 -InterfaceMetric 30
Replace 8 with your actual Wi-Fi interface index.
These are example values, so make sure you use the correct indexes for your computer.
After applying the changes, Windows should generally prefer Ethernet when both connections provide a suitable route.
You can also return to automatic metric selection by using the following command:
Set-NetIPInterface -InterfaceIndex 12 -AutomaticMetric Enabled
Replace the interface index with the adapter you want to modify.
Important: Changing interface metrics controls connection preference. It does not combine your internet speeds or distribute individual downloads across both connections.
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4: Use Connection-Bonding Software to Combine Internet Speeds
If your main goal is to combine two or more internet connections and use their bandwidth together, you’ll need connection-bonding software.
One option worth considering is Speedify. It supports multiple connection types, including Wi-Fi, Ethernet, USB tethering, and cellular connections.
Unlike simply connecting two network adapters, Speedify uses channel-bonding technology to distribute internet traffic across available connections.
Here’s how to get started.
First, download and install Speedify on your Windows 11 or Windows 10 computer. Open the application after installation and follow the on-screen instructions to complete its initial setup.
Connect your computer to at least two different internet sources. For example, you can use your home broadband through Wi-Fi and your smartphone’s mobile data through USB tethering.
Open Speedify and check its connection dashboard. It should identify the available internet connections and display their connection status.
Make sure the connections you want to combine are enabled. You can also review their priorities to decide which connection should be used first and which should provide additional bandwidth or backup.
Next, select Speed Mode if your objective is to distribute traffic across multiple connections to improve throughput.
Speedify can split individual transfers across available connections and reassemble the data through its remote servers. This means a single download may benefit from multiple internet sources, depending on their performance and network conditions.
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Keep in mind that Speedify is a VPN-based service, so your traffic passes through its servers. Its features, data limits, and subscription requirements may vary depending on your plan.
Also, combining two connections does not guarantee that you’ll receive their exact advertised speeds added together. Latency, packet loss, server capacity, and connection quality can affect the results.
5: Configure a Multi-WAN Router for Multiple Connections
If you want to use multiple internet connections across your entire home or office network, a multi-WAN router is another option.
Unlike software that runs on an individual Windows computer, a multi-WAN router manages multiple internet sources at the network level.
For example, you can connect your primary broadband connection to WAN 1 and a secondary internet connection to WAN 2.
Start by checking whether your router supports Dual-WAN, Multi-WAN, or Load Balancing. Not every ordinary Wi-Fi router includes these features.
If your router supports them, connect the internet sources to their respective WAN ports.
Next, open a web browser and enter your router’s administration address. Common addresses include 192.168.1.1 and 192.168.0.1, although yours may be different.
Sign in using your router’s administrator credentials.
Navigate to the WAN, Internet, or Load Balancing section. The exact location depends on your router manufacturer and firmware.
Enable the Load Balancing option if available. Some routers also let you configure how much traffic each connection should handle.
For example, you might assign 70% of the traffic to your primary connection and 30% to the secondary connection.
Save your settings and restart the router if required.
Your Windows PC can now access the network managed by the router.
One thing to remember is that ordinary multi-WAN load balancing usually distributes separate sessions across connections. It does not necessarily combine both links for a single download. For that, you’ll need a router or service that specifically supports connection bonding.
6: Test Your Multiple Internet Connections
After configuring multiple internet connections, test them to make sure everything is working correctly.
First, open Settings > Network & internet and verify that your connected adapters are active.
Next, open Command Prompt by pressing Windows + R, typing cmd, and pressing Enter.
Enter the following command:
ipconfig /all
This displays network adapter information, including IP addresses, gateways, and connection details.
Check whether both network adapters have valid network configurations.
You can also use the following command to review your routing table:
route print
This helps you understand which network interfaces Windows uses for different destinations.
Now, open your preferred internet speed-testing website and check your connection performance.
If you’re using ordinary Windows networking without bonding software, remember that a speed test may use only the preferred internet route.
If you’re using connection-bonding software, make sure its dashboard shows both connections participating in the session before comparing the results.
For a fair comparison, test each internet connection separately and then test them together. Also, use separate broadband and mobile connections if possible, so you can better identify any improvement.
FAQs
1. Can I use Wi-Fi and Ethernet at the same time in Windows 11?
Yes. Windows 11 supports having Wi-Fi and Ethernet connections active simultaneously. However, Windows generally selects one preferred route for regular internet traffic rather than automatically combining both connections.
2. Can I combine two Wi-Fi connections on one computer?
Yes, provided your computer has multiple compatible wireless network adapters. For example, you can use an internal Wi-Fi adapter and an external USB Wi-Fi adapter to connect to two different wireless networks. However, you’ll need connection-bonding software if you want to combine their bandwidth.
3. Does connecting two internet connections double my internet speed?
Not automatically. Simply connecting two networks does not double your internet speed. To combine their bandwidth, you need a compatible connection-bonding solution. Even then, actual performance depends on network quality, latency, and other technical factors.
4. Can I use mobile data and Wi-Fi simultaneously on Windows?
Yes. You can connect your Windows computer to Wi-Fi and use your smartphone’s mobile data through USB tethering. Both network interfaces can remain active. To use both connections for combined bandwidth, you’ll need compatible bonding software.
5. Is connection bonding better than load balancing?
It depends on your requirements. Connection bonding is useful when you want to combine multiple internet connections for individual downloads, uploads, and other network activities. Load balancing is generally useful for distributing multiple network sessions across different internet connections.
6. Can I use multiple internet connections without installing software?
Yes. Windows allows you to connect multiple network adapters without installing additional software. You can also configure network interface metrics to prioritize a particular connection. However, combining the bandwidth of multiple connections generally requires specialized software or networking hardware.
7. Will using multiple internet connections consume more mobile data?
It can. If you combine a broadband connection with mobile data, some applications may use both connections simultaneously. This can increase your cellular data consumption, particularly when downloading large files or streaming videos. Check your mobile data usage and configure connection priorities to avoid unexpected charges.