Ensuring Wi-Fi connectivity for Surface devices across your network
Published Aug 19 2019 08:43 AM 4,703 Views
Microsoft

Here’s a quick summary of Surface engineering recommendations for optimizing wireless connectivity. To stay connected with all-day battery life, Surface devices implement wireless connectivity settings that balance performance and power conservation. To ensure connectivity in demanding mobility scenarios or congested network environments, network admins should configure wireless protocols designed to facilitate roaming. 

 

At a minimum: 802.11r (fast transition) and 802.11k (neighbor reports). And if your mobile workforce uses Surface Go: 802.11v. To learn more, check out Fast Roaming with 802.11k, 802.11v, and 802.11r.

 

Manage access points first

 

An inability to connect to wireless resources is more often due to an access point issue, networking design flaw, or environmental site issue. So ensuring that your network is properly configured to provide users with the best wireless experience is the recommended approach versus attempting to manage user settings on individual devices. To learn more about configuring access points and user settings, see Optimizing wireless connectivity for Surface devices.

13 Comments
Bronze Contributor

Thanks John, this is great info. Do you happen to know of any tools or techniques for verifying whether these protocols have been correctly implemented on a wireless network?

Microsoft

Hi Ryan, yes there are three types of tools that are useful for this: 

 

  • Spectrum analyzer: Enables you to visualize radio frequency (RF) signals present within the frequency spectrum, which is helpful when performing wireless site surveys or troubleshooting a WLAN.
  • Signal coverage tester: Measures signal strength and noise when performing a wireless site survey, verifying signal coverage after the installation of access points, or troubleshooting WLANs
  • Wireless protocol analyzer: Displays 802.11 fra.mes being transmitted between client radios and access points, which is helpful when troubleshooting WLANs. 

I haven't personally used tools for this but here are some tools referenced in the resource below. 

  • NetStumbler is a freely available signal coverage tester. 
  • WireShark is a free protocol analyzer. 

See:   Designing and Deploying 802.11 Wireless Networks: A Practical Guide to Implementing 802.11n and 802...

What are the plans for WPA3 for Marvell and Qualcomm/Atheros WiFi in Surface devices? Customers are reporting failures connecting to AP's that support this (fallback is not working either)??

Microsoft

Hi Barb, thanks for the feedback. I'll find out and get back to you. 

Hi John, Were you able to find out anything on this?
@John_Kaiser Customers are asking for an answer on WPA3 support. What is the status please?
Iron Contributor

duplicated

Iron Contributor

Any news about WPA3 for older Surface devices?


Cheers.

They are testing Marvell driver 116 in the Insiders Rings, driver date is 1/20 and it still does NOT support WPA3. My guess is that the silence here indicates they are trying to find a way to break the news that this will not be supported on the older Surface devices. It would be easy for @John_Kaiser to reply "it is on the roadmap" or "we are working with suppliers on this", but the lack of a reply like that tells a story all by itself. 

Iron Contributor

Just found this... So hope is not lost, yet.

 

https://www.station-drivers.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=353&func=fileinfo&id=4224&lan...

 

Release note: Add WPA3-Personal

Iron Contributor

@John_Kaiser Mind to share an update or view on this?

 

Cheers.

Brass Contributor

@John_Kaiser I'd like to know, too.

Bronze Contributor

I believe @John_Kaiser is going by @John-Kaiser now.

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