Choosing the network services order
TripMode follows system settings when it detects which network interface is active and if this requires turning on automatically. Those settings come with sensible defaults when your Mac is first set up but may have become altered due to various reasons like adding and removing pluggable interfaces (USB modem or ethernet adapter) or connecting to multiple wireless access points.
To ensure that your settings will enable you to save the most data and also get efficient network access, check those steps:
- Open System Preferences and go to the Network pane. You’ll be presented with a list of all available nerwork services.
- Open System Preferences. The window may open behind this help or on another display.
Network services are listed in the order of their connectivity and priority. For optimum operation of both TripMode and your computer, it is recommended to have wired networks like ethernet first, then wireless, then tethering interfaces like an iOS or Android device be it through WiFi or USB.
This will enable the system to use the usually much faster and less expensive networks and then fall back to your tethering device if connection to the wired and wireless networks is lost so that you only spend expensive cellular data when necessary.
If this is already the case, you don’t have to do anything else. If not, just keep following the next steps.
- Open System Preferences. The window may open behind this help or on another display.
- Click the action button and choose ‘Define services order’
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- A sheet will appear where you can reorder network services by dragging them. Order the services by their expensiveness: put the cheaper or free services like ethernet on top and the most expensive one like a tethering phone at the end of the list, then confirm and click apply.
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Note that TripMode may detect a change in networking and react appropriately once you apply the settings, this is normal.
Once configured this way, your computer will prefer connecting through the cheaper services first so that you will get the most benefits out of TripMode.