How to Set Wifi Priority on iOS and MacOS4 min read

Reading Time: 4 minutes

If you have ever experienced WiFi issues where your device connects to a slow or poor-performing network, you may be wondering how to set WiFi priority on iOS and macOS. By giving priority to certain networks, you can make sure that your devices always connect to the best possible network. In this article, we will show you how to set WiFi priority on iOS and macOS.

How to Set Wifi Priority on iOS and MacOS

Section 2: How to Set Wifi Priority on iOS

There are two ways to set the wifi priority on your device: through the Settings app or through the System Preferences app.

Through the Settings app:
1. Tap the Settings icon on your device’s home screen.
2. Scroll down and tap Wi-Fi.
3. Tap the info button next to the Wi-Fi network that you want to set the priority for.
4. Tap Prioritize This Network.
5. Tap the toggle next to Prioritize This Network to turn it on.

Through the System Preferences app:
1. Open the System Preferences app on your Mac.
2. Click on the Network icon.
3. Click on the Wi-Fi tab.
4. Click the Advanced button.
5. Select the Wi-Fi network that you want to set the priority for from the Preferred Networks list.
6. Click the minus (-) button to remove the selected Wi-Fi network from the Preferred Networks list.
7. Click the plus (+) button to add the selected Wi-Fi network back to the Preferred Networks list.
8. Select the Wi-Fi network that you want to set the priority for from the Preferred Networks list.
9. Click the gear icon next to the selected Wi-Fi network.
10. Click the Set Service Order button.
11. Drag the selected Wi-Fi network to the top of the Service Order list.
12. Click the OK button.

Section 3: How to Set Wifi Priority on MacOS

If you have a Mac, you can use the Network Utility to set your WiFi priority.

1. Open the Network Utility by clicking on the Spotlight icon in the upper-right corner of your screen and typing “Network Utility” into the search bar.

2. Click on the “Wi-Fi” tab.

3. Select the network you want to set the priority for from the “Network Name” drop-down menu.

4. Click the “Prioritize” button.

5. Your selected network should now be at the top of the list.

Section 4: Why Set Wifi Priority?

If you have multiple devices connected to the internet, you may want to set a priority for which devices can access the internet first. This can be especially useful if you have devices that need real-time access to the internet, such as video streaming or gaming devices. By setting a priority for your devices, you can make sure that they always have the best possible connection.

Section 5: How to Maximize Wifi Priority

When you connect to a wifi network, your device will automatically prioritize that connection over any other wifi networks in range. However, there may be times when you want to override the automatic priorities and set the priority yourself. Here’s how to do that on iOS and macOS.

On iOS, open the Settings app and tap on Wi-Fi. Next to the name of the wifi network you want to prioritize, tap on the info (i) button. On the next screen, tap on the toggle next to “Ask to Join Networks” to turn it off. This will ensure that your device will automatically connect to this wifi network whenever it’s in range.

On macOS, open the System Preferences app and click on the Network icon. Select Wi-Fi from the list of options on the left, then click on the Advanced button in the lower-right corner. In the window that opens, select the wifi network you want to prioritize in the “Preferred Networks” list. To make sure your device will always connect to this wifi network when it’s in range, click on the checkbox next to “Remember this network.”

Section 6: Conclusion

Prioritizing your WiFi networks can be helpful in a number of scenarios. Maybe you want your work laptop to connect to your office WiFi network first, or maybe you have a home network that you connect to most often and want to prioritize that. Either way, setting priority for your WiFi networks is relatively easy to do on both iOS and macOS.

On iOS, open the Settings app and tap on WiFi. Here, you’ll see a list of all the WiFi networks that your device has been connected to in the past. Tap the info button next to the network that you want to prioritize, and then tap the “Forget this Network” button. This will remove the network from your device’s list of remembered networks.

On macOS, open the System Preferences app and click on the Network icon. Select the WiFi interface from the list on the left, and then click the “Advanced” button. In the “Preferred Networks” list, click and drag the network that you want to prioritize to the top of the list.

Both of these methods will ensure that your device connects to the specified WiFi network first whenever it is in range.