How to Stop a Laptop from Switching Wi-Fi Networks Mid-Call

The call freezes for ten seconds, the Wi-Fi icon flickers, and the laptop comes back on a different network name. The laptop has more than one saved network in range, usually a 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz pair with separate names, a phone hotspot, or a network you joined once, and it jumps the moment the signal dips. Leaving only one network allowed to connect on its own stops the hopping.

Turn off auto-connect on every other network (Windows)

Go to Settings, Network & internet, Wi-Fi, Manage known networks. Click each network except the one you want and untick Connect automatically when in range. Click Forget on networks you will never use again. If the router broadcasts 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz under separate names, do this for the one you do not want.

Turn off Auto-Join on every other network (Mac)

Go to System Settings, Wi-Fi. Under Known Networks, click the three-dot button beside each network you do not want and turn off Auto-Join, or choose Forget This Network. Further down, turn off Ask to join hotspots so the Mac stops offering the phone's hotspot.

Stop the phone hotspot from taking over

A phone hotspot with automatic connection on is the most common cause of a mid-call switch. On Windows the hotspot appears in Manage known networks like any other network; untick Connect automatically when in range there. On the phone, turn off the hotspot's automatic or auto-join option (on an iPhone, Settings, Wi-Fi, Auto-Join Hotspot, Never).

Stop Windows from powering down the Wi-Fi adapter

Open Device Manager, expand Network adapters, right-click the Wi-Fi adapter, and choose Properties. On the Power Management tab, untick Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power and click OK. A laptop that briefly powers the adapter down reconnects to whatever network answers first.

Lower roaming aggressiveness

Still in the adapter's Properties, open the Advanced tab. Select Roaming Aggressiveness (the Intel name; other makers call it roaming sensitivity or similar) and set it to Lowest or Low. The laptop then holds its current connection until the signal is actually poor instead of hunting for a stronger one during the call.

If the call still drops. Ethernet or sitting closer to the router beats every setting above. A cable removes roaming entirely, and most laptops accept a USB Ethernet adapter.

If the router broadcasts two names. Merging 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz under one name in the router's settings (called band steering or Smart Connect on most routers) lets the router pick the band, so the laptop never sees a second network to jump to.