Microsoft's Surface devices have turned in great performances, with the company reportedly claiming the title as the top-selling tablet maker based on online sales in October.
While the Surface line, including the Surface Pro 4 and the Surface Book, have exceeded expectations, that does not mean that the devices are perfect. One of the issues that certain users are facing with their Surface devices is the inability to connect to a Wi-Fi network.
Some symptoms of the issue include users not being able to connect to Wi-Fi or see any available networks after waking up the Surface device, limited connectivity for Wi-Fi connections, and slow Wi-Fi connections with weak signals.
Microsoft has released a list of solutions for users to try and see if they can fix the problem themselves, and if you are one of the affected users, hopefully one of these proposed solutions would work.
Update The Surface Device
Microsoft said that users experiencing Wi-Fi issues may simply not have the latest updates for their Surface device installed, which would be understandable given that they could not go online to download and install the required updates.
It is recommended that users try to connect to a public Wi-Fi network, such as in a library or an establishment, to see if the Surface device can connect to the Internet to download the updates. If that does not work, users have three choices: use a wired connection, utilize mobile broadband connectivity for compatible Surface devices, or use a smartphone's Internet connection through tethering.
Once the Surface device is connected to the Internet, users should enter the Start Menu and choose the Windows Update option under the Update & Security menu of Settings. Users should check for updates, and if there are any available, download and install them.
In addition to updating the Surface, users can also check if firmware updates are available for the router that they are trying to connect to.
Correct Time And Date Settings
The issue could be as simple as wrong date and time on the Surface device. Users can enter the Start Menu and change the device's date and time under the Time & Language menu of Settings.
Restart The Wi-Fi Feature Of Surface
Users can also try restarting the Wi-Fi feature of their Surface device by entering Settings through the Start Menu, and then choosing Network & Internet and Wi-Fi. Users should move the slider under the Wi-Fi option to Off, and then back to On again.
Restart The Modem, Router And The Surface Device
If the problem persists, users can try unplugging their modem and wireless router from the power outlet for 30 seconds and then plugging them back in, modem first and then the router after a while. For modems that have battery backups that keep them on, users should press the reset button or remove the device's battery to ensure that the modem is restarted.
After that, users can then restart their Surface device through the Power option in the Start Menu. Once signed back in to Windows, try to connect to a Wi-Fi network again.
Run Troubleshooters
Users can try running the network troubleshooter or the network adapter troubleshooter. Users can access the network troubleshooter by searching for the term in the Windows search box and then choosing the "Identify and repair network problems option." For the network adapter troubleshooter, users can search for troubleshooting and then select the Troubleshooting option. Users can then choose the Network and Internet option and then the Network Adapter.
Reinstall Wireless Driver Manually
Lastly, users can try manually updating the Surface's wireless driver, as a corrupted or missing wireless card driver could be causing the Wi-Fi connection issues.
Other Possible Solutions
If these solutions do not work, Microsoft recommends that users also check if other devices can connect to the wireless network, if the router is compatible with Windows, if other devices in the home are causing interference to the Wi-Fi network's signals, if the router is utilizing MAC filtering, and if the router is broadcasting the network name.
In other news, Microsoft said that it has rolled out a hotfix package for the Surface 3 and Surface Pro 3 tablets on either Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 that were experiencing issues of poor 5 GHz wireless performance.
