Why do I have to restart my Surface Book when switching Wi-fi networks in order to connect to the internet?

Question

Hi - If I start with a computer that is turned off, I can connect to a wi-fi network and get internet without any issue.  However, when I then switch wi-fi network to e.g. to connect to a printer or move to another location, I then have to restart my computer to connect to another network.  I don't have this issue with other devices (such as phone, other laptops). 

I have tried the following fixes from other forums.

  - reset network adapters (did not fix)

  - unchecked IPv6

  - updated windows 10 (force update)

I have had this issue for 6 mos and have been unable to solve.

I have seen other posts with the same issue, yet I'm unable to find any good answer that works (other than restart - which is painful).

Regards,

Craig

Answer 1

It took a week of emailing data back and forth to get my ticket opened with Microsoft, and what you all suggested here helped me form a continuously improving problem definition.

I believe I have been given the answer, and it should help craigb9999 and others.

The Marvell AVASTAR Wireless-AC Network Controller is an all-in-one wireless card, and there are properties for it which appear on the Bluetooth Properties but not on the Wireless Properties.  One of those properties which shows up on the bluetooth properties only  is a check box which you can clear to not allow windows to put the Marvell device into power saving sleep mode.

Clear that checkbox, reboot with a hard reset, and now you should be able to go back to moving with ease from one network to another, even if your laptop had a little sleep during the journey.

I tested by moving between networks here in the office successfully, connecting to the new SSID after a sleep and without first disconnecting from the old SSID.  It appears fixed, but time will tell, especially after I go to a few client sites across town.

Answer 2

Hi Craig,

This is a possible software issue on  your device. We suggest that you run the Network troubleshooter to resolve network issue with your Surface Book.

Keep us updated on the status of the issue. We will be glad to assist you further.

Answer 3

Hi Vicky - I have run the gamut of networking trouble shooting, reset network adapter - nothing has worked.  To be clear, when I restart my machine I can connect to wifi.  While machine is running, if I disconnect from wifi A and choose wifi B - I have no internet connection.  This pattern exists on my home wifi, work wifi - so it's not my routers etc.  For whatever reason, I cannot switch wifi networks w/o a restart.  No other device I have has the same problem.  It's super annoying, as I shouldn't have to restart every time I go from one end of the house to the other.  Please help me!

Answer 4

Hi Craig,

Thank you for providing additional details. There's a possibility that this behavior is being caused by your wireless adapter. If this is the case, we may need to update your device driver and firmware manually. See more information here: Download drivers and firmware for Surface.

Keep us in the loop.

Answer 5

I have similar or the same problem.  Every time my Surface Book sleeps, it wakes up with no network devices functioning.  No Wifi adaptor, no hard wired network NIC, no blue tooth.  Sometimes it is stuck in Airplane mode, sometimes it just shows there aren't any networks of any kind to connect to and when I show the network status it lists all the devices as "not operational".  It is as if something has shut the power off and there is no way to turn it back on or wake things up.  Since I often have a whole bunch of windows open and then want to go to a customer site and present them, it makes a damn fool out of me every time.  I'm supposed to be a computer giant, a consultant and hardware expert, and there I am having to start all over by rebooting the computer and then wasting ten minutes of the customers time while I reopen applications and windows and tabs on the browser again.  Every damn time.  I have never never never had a computer before that I had to spend so much time fighting with to get anything done, or a computer that so humiliated me all the time in front of clients. I shouldn't have to reboot the computer and start everything up all over again every time I change locations or don't use the computer for a while and it goes into power saving sleep.  I bought it to be productive, I bought it fully loaded, and I intended to use it as my primary machine with a couple of dozen things open and running and twenty browser tabs too, all the time.  Instead, it stays in my laptop bag because I'm afraid to try and use it for fear I will not get a thing done and just end up cursing Microsoft anc cursing myself for wasting $4K on something I want to throw at the wall.

Even if I reboot it, there is a very high probability (over 1/3 of the time) that then when I try to open Outlook it will sit and spin forever until I have to rebuild the Outlook profile or sometimes stop to reinstall the whole Office 365 2016 package if it won't repair.

And then, if I am copying USB drives I have to remember that if I connect two of them to the Surface Dock and do a drive to drive copy it will fail.  This also happens with my clients Surface Pro, every time - EVERY time we try it.  You can only do a drive to drive copy between USB3 drives if if you connect one drive to the Surface Book or Surface Pro and the other drive to the Surface Dock.

Such a wonderful machine I thought I was getting, and what a wonderful machine it would be if it worked, but instead it is nothing but trouble.  Microsoft MUST know this, at least some of it, but they just aren't fixing the problems.