Surface 11 Laptop 7 not connected to WiFi, even though Network is secure and works on phone

Question

I have been experiencing a surprising and NEW issue with my Wifi over the past two days. I thought that it was a router problem so I checked and restarted the router but that has not fixed the issue. I even tried using my laptop at different locations but that also didn't solve the issue. I have restarted and updated my laptop multiple times, issue has not been resolved. I am stuck on what or additional troubleshooting steps I should take.

I have a Microsoft Surface Laptop, 7th edition running Windows 11 Pro with a Snapdragon(R) processor. I got this laptop recently, about 3-4 months ago, as well.

To Note: The laptop connects and works perfectly normally when using an Iphone Hotspot mobile connection, but not with my apartment WiFi or a public wifi network like a coffee shop. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

Based on your information, I have some suggestion for you to check it out and let me know the result :

- Check Network Adapter Power Settings

Sometimes aggressive power-saving settings mess with wireless cards.

• Go to Device Manager → Network Adapters
• Right-click your Wi-Fi adapter (likely something like "Qualcomm Atheros" or "Snapdragon Wireless")
• Go to Properties → Power Management
• Uncheck: “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power”
• Click OK.

- Reinstall Wi-Fi Adapter / Reset Winsock

• Reinstall Adapter
  • Device Manager > Network Adapters
  • Right-click the Wi-Fi adapter → Uninstall device
  • Check "Delete the driver software for this device" (if available)
  • Restart your laptop to let Windows reinstall the driver.
• Reset Winsock & Network Stack
  • Open Command Prompt as Administrator, then run:

netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
ipconfig /flushdns

-> Then restart your computer.

- Check DNS and IP Configuration

It might be a problem with how you're resolving IPs on public or apartment networks.

• Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi > Your Network > Hardware Properties
• Scroll to IP settings, click Edit
• Set to Manual
  • IPv4: ON
  • IP: Leave blank
  • DNS:
    • Preferred: 8.8.8.8
    • Alternate: 1.1.1.1
• Save, reconnect to Wi-Fi.

- Disable/Review VPNs, Proxies, or Security Tools

• Are you using any VPN or third-party antivirus? If so, disable temporarily and test.
• Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Proxy
  • Ensure Use a proxy server is set to Off unless explicitly needed.

- Test via Safe Mode with Networking

To rule out software interference:

• Press Win + R, type msconfig, hit Enter.
• Go to Boot tab > Check Safe boot + Network
• Restart and try connecting to your apartment/public Wi-Fi.
• If it works, a third-party software or service is likely the culprit.

- Check for Known Snapdragon Wi-Fi Issues

Snapdragon ARM-based Windows devices have specific driver compatibility quirks. Recent firmware or Windows updates may have caused instability.

• Go to Settings > Windows Update > Update history
  • Look for a recent update to Wi-Fi/Network driver or firmware
• Visit Microsoft’s Surface support page and download the latest driver pack specific for Surface Laptop (7th Edition) and Windows on ARM
  • https://support.microsoft.com/surface

-> Install and restart.

- Create a Test Local Admin Account

Sometimes user profile corruption causes weird issues.

• Go to Settings > Accounts > Other users
• Add a new local account with Admin rights.
• Log in with that account and test Wi-Fi.