Intel BE201 WLAN profile keep changing to wap3 psk after connecting AX or be AP with wpa2 psk

Question

1. create a wlan profile manually with wpa2 psk
2. connect to ax or BE ap with wpa2 psk secuirty configured
3. wlan profile secuirty changed to wpa3 psk

why ?

Answer 1

Because Windows automatically prefers WPA3 when both WPA2 and WPA3 are available on the same SSID and the adapter/AP support it.

When connecting to an 802.11ax/802.11be access point that is configured to allow both WPA2‑Personal (WPA2‑PSK) and WPA3‑Personal (WPA3‑SAE), the following happens:

1. The AP advertises both security methods in its beacons and probe responses.
2. The Windows Wi‑Fi stack detects WPA3 support and, by design, tries to use WPA3‑Personal first to provide stronger security.
3. After a successful WPA3 connection, Windows updates the stored WLAN profile to reflect the actual security used (WPA3‑PSK/SAE instead of WPA2‑PSK).

This behavior is consistent with Microsoft’s guidance that WPA3 is the preferred, more secure successor to WPA2, and that clients should automatically upgrade to WPA3‑Personal when possible.

To keep the profile on WPA2‑PSK, the AP must be configured to use WPA2‑Personal only (no mixed WPA2/WPA3 mode). As long as the AP advertises WPA3 and the adapter supports it, Windows will attempt WPA3 and update the profile accordingly.

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References:

• Faster and more secure Wi-Fi in Windows
• WiFiCx WPA3 SoftAP
• Non-Broadcast profile sample
• WPA-Personal profile sample