Dell Rugged Pro 14 - No LTE at startup after Domain join

Question

We’ve recently deployed several Dell Rugged Pro 14 devices. On both the Out-of-Box Experience and after applying our custom image, the LTE module initializes and connects successfully at the Windows logon screen.

However, after joining the device to a domain—tested with both Azure AD and on-prem Active Directory—the LTE connection no longer initializes until after a user logs in. This prevents users from logging in with Azure AD credentials and blocks DUO MFA authentication due to the lack of network connectivity at the logon screen.

We also use the previous-generation Dell Rugged models, and this issue is specific to the Pro 14 units equipped with the Verizon DW5826e Snapdragon LTE card. No Group Policy Objects (GPOs) are applied to the device.

Has anyone else experienced this issue? We’re looking for guidance on how to restore LTE connectivity at the logon screen after domain join.

Answer 1

Update.

To help isolate the issue, we reimaged the laptop with Windows 10. In this environment, the LTE card states —“No Service” and even after setting the APN will not connect at all in Windows 10.

This suggests that something in the domain join process—possibly related to the logon protocol—is triggering a component or behavior specific to Windows 10, which may be causing the problem.