Wifi on surface book 2 dropping when connected to external monitor

Question

I'm having problems whenever I plug my device into my external monitor, in that it will no longer allow internet access whenever i plug my HDMI cable into it via a USB C to HDMI adapter. I've tested the internet on the device when an Ethernet cable is plugged in, and both a different laptop and my phone with the monitor, and no problems occur- this only happens when my monitor is plugged in and my laptop is in clam shell mode. As well, I have a 2.4 GHz and a 5GHz network at my house, and neither of them will work when using my monitor too. My computer will connect to the internet for a few seconds, and then will remain connected to either network, but with no internet. Is there any fix for this that doesn't involve having to replace my monitor, since I've only had it for a few days.

(This is what will appear when "connected" to a network on my laptop with my monitor plugged in)

Answer 1

Hi Gabrielle Bacon,

Thank you for reaching out Microsoft Community.  We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you.

Currently, what is the OS version and build of your Surface?

Probably, this could just be a software issue on the device. You may consider these steps below to troubleshoot the issue.

Step 1: ***Run Surface Diagnostic Toolkit***while your device is not connected to external monitor

Step 2: Uninstall/Re-install Wi-Fi Driver

**** Open Device Manager

Choose and expand Network Adapter

            Right-click on Marvell Avastar AC-Network Controllerand select***"Uninstall"***

For the pop up warning*: if a check box appears and says “delete driver software”*

do not check the box. Leave it empty.  Just select “Uninstall” at the bottom of the pop up.

Step 3: Update Drivers and Firmware

Check what is the current OS Build of your Windows version by going toSettings > System > About.

             Go to **Download driver and firmware for Surface, choose Surface Book 2 then clickDownload** on the next page.

             Choose the .msi file that matches your current OS Build and clickNext.

             After downloading, run and install the .msi file thenRestart.

Step 4:  If the above mentioned instructions won't fix the issue, kindly reset the network of your Surface device by:            

            Going to Settings > Choose Network & Internet > Look for "Network Reset" under Status.

After clicking the "Network Reset", your device will restart automatically after 5 minutes.

Once it restarted, kindly connect your Surface device to your Wi-Fi by re-entering your Wi-Fi password and connect it to your external                                monitor and see to it if it works.

If this answer your question, we highly encourage you to inform our Community by clicking on Yes or marking my post as an answer. This will help other members who may have the same issue as you. Otherwise, don't hesitate to update us so we can further assist you.

Kind Regards,

Crest_Z

Answer 2

Update-

This wifi issue seems to be only connected to when my laptop is put into clamshell mode. I've looked in other forums and seen that for other people changing a setting under the power management tab of the wireless network adaptor seems to fix these problems. However, when I go into device manager and right click on the MARVELL AVASTAR wireless adaptor to get into its properties, there is no power management tab shown. I've tried updating the drivers and installing the device, which both trigger my laptop to no longer connect to my home wifi unless I roll back to a previous driver version and delete the drivers. Is there a way for me to gain access to this tab in some way?

My surface book 2 is running windows 10 version 1903 and is on OS build 18362.535

Answer 3

Hi Gabrielle Bacon,

Thank you for your response. We really appreciate it. 

To gain access to power management, you may: 

 Access Settings > Choose System > Select Power & Sleep > Then, make sure that under "Network Connection " *,*it is set to " Never "so that the Wi-Fi connection won't get disconnected whenever your Surface device is on sleep mode or on battery power.

I have tried checking it on a Surface device, too and I also don't see the option to get into it's Marvell Avastar Wireless adapter properties in Device Manager. So, if you're done setting the network connection to "never" and Wi-Fi keeps getting disconnected, then, we highly suggest to reset this device.

Here's how:

Go to Settings > Choose Updates & Security > Select Recovery > Under "Reset This PC" option, click "Get Started" then, select "Remove Everything" to factory reset your device back to it's default operating system but please don't forget to save all your files first before resetting your Surface device.

You may also want to check the link below to see if your external monitor is really compatible with your Surface device.

Troubleshoot Connecting Surface To A Second Screen  ( Click Solution 7 for External Monitor Compatibility )

If this helps, we highly encourage you to inform our Community by clicking on Yes or marking my post as an answer. This will help other members who may have the same issue as you. Otherwise, don't hesitate to update us so we can further assist you.

Kind Regards,

Crest_Z

Answer 4

Update-

This wifi issue seems to be only connected to when my laptop is put into clamshell mode. I've looked in other forums and seen that for other people changing a setting under the power management tab of the wireless network adaptor seems to fix these problems. However, when I go into device manager and right click on the MARVELL AVASTAR wireless adaptor to get into its properties, there is no power management tab shown. I've tried updating the drivers and installing the device, which both trigger my laptop to no longer connect to my home wifi unless I roll back to a previous driver version and delete the drivers. Is there a way for me to gain access to this tab in some way?

My surface book 2 is running windows 10 version 1903 and is on OS build 18362.535

I am having the same problem.  Wifi is fine, full strength when the lid is open.  When putting it in clamshell mode, the strength falls to 1 bar.  I have also tried using an RDP session to log into the surface book instead of plugging an external monitor directly into the laptop, and the exact same thing happens.  As soon as I open the lid back up, the wifi signal goes back to normal.   This also happens if the surface book is sitting 1 foot from the wireless router.   As mentioned above, there is no power management tab in the properties of the wireless network adapter.

Answer 5

Same exact issue for about a month now - WiFi disappearing in the clamshell mode. Works just fine with the open lid. Any consistent resolution yet?