Forum Discussion
Win11: Suggestion - only update when on the "home base" network
Note that this would be separate from "Public" and "Private" network settings, which primarily affect the firewall setting defaults.
Instead, setting a network as a "Home Base" network, would record the MAC of the AP or router, and Windows Update would ONLY update when connected to this Home Base network. Therefore, just because you're on Wifi at Starbucks or McD's, Windows 11 wouldn't decide that it's time to download an entire Windows Upgrade over their wifi.
The user/owner/admin could of course, designate multiple networks as "Home Base" networks, if they so chose. (Could update, at work or at home, or at multiple relative's home wifi, etc. Not to mention, if you take the PC into a shop, they could designate their shop's network as a Home Base, in order to do updates on it.)
2 Replies
That’s actually a really smart suggestion — kind of like extending “metered connection” but with a whitelist approach. Instead of Windows blindly deciding any Wi-Fi is fine for big downloads, you’d mark certain SSIDs/MACs as trusted “Home Base” networks and updates would only run there.
It would solve the Starbucks/McDonald’s problem, stop surprise bandwidth hogging on mobile hotspots, and still let you add exceptions like work or repair shops. Microsoft already has the mechanics (network profiles, metered toggle), they’d just need to add a “Home Base” option. Sounds like a good feature request for Windows Update.
Let's break down this "Home Base" network concept, because it addresses a real-world need that Microsoft's current "Metered connection" setting only partially solves.
