GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 405638
NetworkManager should be better about choosing between networks (possibly including preferences)
Last modified: 2012-07-26 15:42:54 UTC
NetworkManager does a pretty good job of guessing what network to use. I especially like that it will automatically prefer a wired network. However, it should provide more options to the user for customizing that. Windows has this option, but I think we can do it better.
agreed ... we should be able to see the list of available networks, and configure which is preferred. Also, I should be able to prefer "AP" to "ad hoc" connections, and should be able to ignore "ad hoc" alltogether. It's about choice and customization, brother ... and while I like the ease of using NetworkManager over the traditional ifup/down approach, there is just far too little ccnfiguration choice available. Peter
This is a real problem when you're in a rich wireless environment- in my situation, university wireless now leaks into my apartment, but even though the university wireless is only a trickle and my personal wireless is full strength NM still often chooses the university's wireless over my own. I'd suggest NM should become more sophisticated about choosing between networks (as far as I can currently tell, it is basically random if multiple acceptable SSIDs are present) and then implement some sort of preference if that doesn't solve most of the problems.
This comment pertains to a "rich wireless environment" (which I define as 5 or more visible networks). These are often encountered in academic settings and dense urban environments. Network Manager should choose the wireless network that: 1) Has most often been used successfully, 2) If #1 is not available, then the network that is of highest signal strength (quality), and that has been used at least once before successfully, 3) If #2 is not available, then the network that is of highest signal strength (quality), and that is the easiest to connect to (the minimum of Open, WEP, WPA, etc.) In all cases above, Network Manager should inform the user which network it has chosen and why, before it connects. It should give the user the option to confirm or override before a certain defined countdown timer elapses (30 seconds). Network Manager should not attempt to connect to networks that have signal strength (quality) so low that a connection is likely to lead to user frustration.
I agree this is really annoying. On my Ubuntu 9.04 install, I switched to WICD for a while because of the overall problems with usability of NetworkManager, and this was one factor. What I suggest are: a) The ability to sort your defined network connections first. For example, I can see about 55 access points around my condo. Even though I have exactly one access point defined, I have to scroll through several screens to get to mine. It should appear first. It's usually faster for me to select and connect than to wait for NM to auto-connect. b) The ability to select "known" and "all visible" networks in the pull down list. e.g. If I have 5 networks defined that I've connected to before (say, one at home, two at friends' houses and two at work), I should be able to have a default list of "known" networks in the pull-down list and only see "all visible" if I say so. b) The ability to connect from the "Edit Connections" popup. I seem to remember chucking my Vista box out of a window (OK, maybe a slight exaggeration) because of similar frustration. You can see the network you just defined, but you can't connect; you have to exit and go back to another menu (in my case it's hidden, which adds another level of indirection).
*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of bug 635294 ***