CODEWITHSUNDEEP
windowshyper-vsystray
Uri
Uri

Reputation: 391

when connecting Hyper-V virtual switch to Wi-Fi - systray network wireless icon turns into wired icon

Running Windows 10 Pro, latest version. Setting up my first Hyper-V VM. Noticed that when I configure an external Virtual Switch on my Wi-Fi adapter, the host machine (Windows 10 Pro) network connection icon changes from wireless to wired (regardless of whether or not the respective VM is up and running.) If I connect the Virtual Switch to my Ethernet adapter, wireless icon is back. (In both cases, network connection (wired and wireless) works well.)

Could it be a result of the fact the host is now connected to the Virtual Switch and not directly to the Wi-Fi adapter? Is there anything I miss in the configuration? (Couldn't find any reference to this - one way or another.) Any way to resolve that? (Even if not a configuration issue on my side, it's misleading and poses some security risk not knowing what connection - wired/wireless - I'm using from a quick look at the systray icon.)

Below is my ipconfig output, while connected to Wi-Fi yet getting the wired connection systray icon.

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.14393] (c) 2016 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\uisho>ipconfig

Windows IP Configuration


Ethernet adapter Ethernet:

   Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :

Wireless LAN adapter Local Area Connection* 5:

   Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :

Ethernet adapter vEthernet (Virtual Switch):

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
   Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::96b:7a59:d555:b0ed%8
   IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.43.38
   Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.43.1

Ethernet adapter Bluetooth Network Connection:

   Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :

Tunnel adapter isatap.{40E29CAD-F4A4-4437-BDE8-0130B8367ACA}:

   Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :

Tunnel adapter Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface:

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
   IPv6 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 2001:0:9d38:6ab8:cbb:53f:dae5:6c6b
   Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::cbb:53f:dae5:6c6b%17
   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : ::

C:\Users\uisho>

Upvotes: 0

Views: 3149

Answers (2)

Uri
Uri

Reputation: 391

Just came across this answer on some other forum. According to it, this (i.e., having the wired connection icon even when actually connected via WiFi) is the expected behavior when using Hyper-V.

Upvotes: 0

vadim
vadim

Reputation: 359

When you create a virtual switch bound to WiFi interface, Windows creates a virtual bridge on top of it and provides you with virtual 802.3 vEthernet adapter. But Windows does not create a bridge when virtual switch is bound to wired 802.3 Ethernet. This difference in behavior is explained by nature of WiFi networks. AP normally won't accept packets with source MAC different from associated WiFi adapter, so you have to organize MAC NAT to make it working and this is what Microsoft network bridge on top of WiFi is intended to do. I have explained some details here: https://www.ntkernel.com/bridging-networks-with-windows-packet-filter/

Although, it looks that Microsoft has already fixed the issue with a tray icon to display the underlying network media instead an emulated one.

Upvotes: 0

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