The Windows 11 client was unable to complete 802.1X reauthentication when connected using WPA3 with transition mode disabled.

Question

Hi Team,

Good Day!

I have an access point configured with dot1x SSID with reauthentication enabled. The reauthentication timer is set to 2 minutes & the WPA3 encryption (transistion mode is disabled) is used. When the user connect with the dot1x SSID, the first attempt it works fine without any issue. Once the reauthentication timer is expired, the user completes the authentication using existing PTK key but the four way handshake fails. When we check the logs, the access point send key 1 but no key 2 from the windows client. In the wlan report, we see an error “Wireless security failed” with the reason: “Dynamic key exchange did not complete within the configured time”. When the transision mode is enabled, then reauthentication works fine. This issue is noticed on different wifi adapters installed in windows, so it is not an adapter problem. We suspect there is something on the windows software side where key 2 failed to send while doing reauthenticatiion. Please assist in finding the cause.

Answer 1

Hi Dharmalingam, Dinesh Kumar (Aruba ERT),

Based on your description, this behavior is typically linked to how Windows handles WPA3-only environments without transition mode. When transition mode is disabled, the client must strictly adhere to WPA3 standards, and certain access point configurations or driver implementations may cause the handshake to fail. Since you have already tested across multiple adapters, this points to a Windows software-side issue rather than hardware.

As a first step, ensure that your Windows 11 client is fully updated with the latest cumulative updates, as improvements to WPA3 handling have been included in recent releases. You should also verify that your access point firmware is updated, since interoperability issues can arise during reauthentication. Another useful test is to temporarily adjust the reauthentication timer to a longer interval to confirm whether the failure is strictly tied to the reauth cycle.

If the issue persists, I recommend capturing wireless traces using the Windows WLAN report and reviewing them alongside AP logs to confirm whether the PTK reinstallation is being rejected. In some cases, enabling transition mode allows fallback to WPA2, which explains why the handshake succeeds in that configuration. For strict WPA3-only deployments, you can submit feedback through the Feedback Hub with logs attached, which will help prioritize a fix.

I hope this explanation clarifies the root cause. If you find this answer helpful, please consider clicking Accept Answer so I know your issue has been resolved.

Jason.