Xiaomi’s Wi-Fi priority: How to get your phone to connect to the right network in the first place

Have you ever faced a situation where your Xiaomi stubbornly clings to weak Wi-Fi instead of a more powerful network that is nearby? or the phone constantly switches between two access points, although you need to stay on a particular? The problem lies in the Wi-Fi priority settings - the hidden parameter that determines which network the smartphone chooses first.

In this article, we’ll break down all the ways to manage connection priority on Xiaomi devices (including Redmi, POCO and Black Shark models) running MIUI 12/13/14.

• 🔹 Set priority through standard settings (no root)
• 🔹 Use the engineering menu to fine-tune
• 🔹 Prohibit automatic switching between networks
• 🔹 Solve typical problems (e.g. when the phone sticks at 2.4 GHz instead of 5 GHz)

It’s important to understand that the network selection algorithm on Xiaomi depends on the MIUI version, smartphone model, and even regional firmware. We tested all the methods on current devices (2023-2026) and identified those that work consistently.

Why Xiaomi is choosing the wrong Wi-Fi network

Before changing the settings, let’s understand what criteria the smartphone chooses the network:

• 📶 Signal Level (RSSI): The higher the network is, the more priority the network is. But here's the nuance: Xiaomi sometimes ignores a weak 5GHz signal in favor of a strong 2.4GHz signal, even if the first network is faster.
• 🔄 Connection history: The phone remembers which network you last connected to and tries to reconnect to.
• 🔒 Network security: Open networks (without passwords) have a lower priority than secure networks (WPA2/WPA3).
• ⚡ Rate of response (ping): If the network responds faster, it can gain an advantage.

And then there's the hidden AutoNetworkSwitch in MIUI, which is the default on, which causes the phone to automatically switch to the "best" network according to the algorithm, and that's what causes problems, like when you're sitting next to a 5GHz router and the smartphone is sticking to the 2.4GHz router.

⚠️ Warning: On devices with MIUI Global and MIUI China, priority settings may differ. Chinese firmware often lacks some of the menu items available in global versions.

Method 1: Re-priority change with standard Wi-Fi settings

The easiest method is to use the built-in MIUI tools. It does not require root rights and works on most models (Redmi Note 12, Xiaomi 13, POCO F5, etc.).

Step 1. Open Settings → Wi-Fi and find a list of saved networks. Tap the network name you want to change, and hold your finger for 2-3 seconds. From the menu that appears, select Change Network.

Step 2. In the editing window, look at the Auto Connect (or Auto-reconnect in English) option.

• 🔘 On — The network will connect automatically when in range.
• 🔘 Off — The network will not connect without your permission.
• 🔘 Manually only (not available on all devices) – the network will appear in the list, but the connection will require confirmation.

To prioritize the network, disable the autoconnection for all other networks, leaving it for the right one, so the phone will try to connect to it first.

Open Settings → Wi-Fi| Hold the network → Change the network | Disable autoconnection for unnecessary networks |Reboot the phone to apply changes

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⚠️ Warning: On some devices (e.g., Xiaomi 12T with MIUI 14), after disconnecting the autoconnection, the network may disappear from the list.

Method 2: Use of an engineering menu (for advanced users)

If standard settings don't work, you can use the MTK Engineer Mode or Qualcomm Service Mode, depending on the processor, which gives you more control, but you need to be careful.

Step 1. Open the Phone app and enter the combination:

##4636##

Some models (POCO X5, Redmi A2) may require a different combination:

##36446337##

Step 2. In the menu that appears, select Wi-Fi Information (or Wi-Fi information) and here you will see a list of all available networks with options:

Step 3. To turn off automatic switching, look for the AutoNetworkSwitch setting and change it to Disabled. On some devices, this option may be called AutoSwitch or Roaming Aggressiveness.

Important: Changing the settings in the engineering menu can lead to unstable Wi-Fi. If the network stopped working after the changes, reset the network settings in Settings → Wi-Fi → Additional → Reset settings.

Method 3: Forced connection to 5 GHz instead of 2.4 GHz

Many Xiaomi users face the problem when the phone sticks to a 2.4 GHz network, even if there is a faster 5 GHz network nearby.

• 📡 The 2.4 GHz range has a longer range and passes better through walls, so the algorithm considers it more stable.
• 🔋 Some routers use the same name (SSID) for both bands, which confuses the smartphone.
• ⚙️ The 802.11ac mode (needed for 5 GHz) can be turned off in the router settings.

The problem can be solved in two ways:

Option 1: Separate networks on the router: Go to the router settings (usually 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1) and assign different names (SSID) for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz.

• 🔄 MyWiFi_2G — for 2.4 GHz
• ⚡ MyWiFi_5G — for 5 GHz

After that, in the Xiaomi settings, turn off the autoconnection for the MyWiFi_2G and leave only the MyWiFi_5G.

Option 2: Use the application to force you to connect. Install one of the applications from Google Play:

• 📱 WiFi Prioritizer (requires root on some devices)
• 🛠️ WiFi Manager (from Xiaomi for MIUI)
• 🔧 NetMaster (allows you to block unnecessary networks)

💡

If your router supports the Wi-Fi 6 standard (802.11ax), turn it on in the settings. Xiaomi smartphones on Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (for example, Xiaomi 13 Pro) automatically give priority to such networks.

Method 4: Adjust priority through ADB (without root)

For users who aren’t afraid of the command line, there’s a way to change the priority of networks through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which works without root rights, but requires a connection to a computer.

Step 1: Enable the developer mode on your phone:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Press 7 times on the MIUI version.
3. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable USB debugging.

Step 2: Connect your phone to your PC, open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) and type:

adb devices

Make sure the device is identified (should appear its serial number).

Step 3: To see the list of saved networks and their priority, do:

adb shell cmd wifi list-networks

In the answer, you'll see something like:

Network {SSID="HomeWiFi", BSSID=any, id=0, isHidden=false, isPasspoint=false, isEphemeral=false, isSuggested=false, isAppInteractionRequired=false, isCarrierMerged=false, isUntrusted=false}


Network {SSID="OfficeWiFi", BSSID=any, id=1, isHidden=false, ...}

The id parameter indicates priority – the smaller the number, the higher the priority.

Step 4: To change priority, use the command:

adb shell cmd wifi modify-network {id} setPriority {new priority}

Example (increase network priority with id=1):

adb shell cmd wifi modify-network 1 setPriority 0

⚠️ Warning: After changing priority through ADB reset network settings (Settings → Wi-Fi → Additional → Reset), otherwise the changes may not apply.

Typical problems and their solutions

Even after setting the priority, Xiaomi users sometimes encounter unexpected Wi-Fi behavior.

Problem 1: The phone doesn’t connect to a 5GHz network, although it’s a priority.

• 🔍 Reason: The router has turned off 802.11ac or the channel width is set to 20 MHz (40 MHz or 80 MHz is needed).
• ⚙️ Solution: Go to the router settings and enable 5GHz support in ac/ax mode.

Problem 2: After the MIUI update, the priority settings reset.

• 🔄 Reason: Updates often reset user Wi-Fi settings.
• 📱 Solution: Repeat priority settings again or use ADB- commands to fix parameters.

Problem 3: The phone is constantly switching between two networks.

• 📡 Reason: AutoNetworkSwitch is enabled in the engineering menu.
• ❌ Solution: Disable it as described in Method 2.

Problem 4: Some models (Redmi 9A, POCO M3) do not have the option of “Auto Connection”.

• 📵 Reason: A stripped-down version of MIUI for budget devices.
• 🛠️ Solution: Use ADB or third-party applications (e.g., WiFi Prioritizer).

💡

If after all the manipulations Wi-Fi is unstable, try resetting the network settings to factory (Settings → Wi-Fi → Additional → Reset settings).

More Tips for Stable Wi-Fi on Xiaomi

To avoid connection issues in the future, follow these guidelines:

1. Update the router firmware. Outdated firmware versions may conflict with MIUI algorithms. Check the updates in the router's web interface (System Tools → Firmware Upgrade).

2. Use static IP. If your router supports MAC- binding, assign a static IP to your phone.

• 🔧 Find MAC- phone address in Settings → About Phone → General information → MAC- Wi-Fi address.
• 📡 In the router settings, add the binding MAC → IP in the DHCP Reservation section.

3. Turn off the power saving for Wi-Fi. MIUI has a charge saving feature that can break the connection in the background.

1. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance → Energy Saving.
2. Select No Limitations for applications that use Wi-Fi.

4. Check the settings of DNS. Sometimes slow connection is associated with DNS- servers of the provider. Try using public DNS:

• 🌍 8.8.8.8 (Google DNS)
• 🌍 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare DNS)

To change the DNS to Xiaomi:

1. Open the Settings. → Wi-Fi.
2. Hold the network → Change the network → Additional → IP settings.
3. Select Static and enter new DNS.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the priority of Wi-Fi on Xiaomi