A method of selecting a network connection for use with a data processing system includes detecting environmental information indicative of a current environment in which the system is operating, determining whether the current environment is a known environment, and, rapidly selecting a current network connection by identifying a known environment network connection. Detecting environmental information may include detecting time information and detecting whether specified hardware (e.g., docking station, external monitor, printer, external network adapter) is present. The determining may include accessing a network connection data structure containing historical network connection information. The network connection data structure may include a plurality of records, each record identifying an environmental state and a network connection used in conjunction with the respective environmental state. The system may be a laptop system having a dial up modem connection, a wired network interface card (NIC) connection, a wireless connection, and a broadband connection.