The article from Windows Latest by Mayank Parmar discusses issues arising from the Windows 11 KB5033375 update, released in December 2023. This mandatory security update, intended to fix bugs, is causing Wi-Fi connectivity problems, particularly in universities and small to medium-sized businesses. Users report slow Wi-Fi speeds and degraded Wi-Fi quality, with problems in sending ping requests and experiencing packet losses and delays.
The issue, initially spotted in an optional update (KB5032288), affects systems with more than one wireless access point. It’s believed to be linked to older Qualcomm wireless adapters common in public universities. Universities like the University of New Haven and Brunel University London have advised uninstalling the update due to connectivity issues.
The problem may stem from compatibility issues between Qualcomm QCA61x4a wireless adapters and the update, or from broken PEAP (Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol) settings in Windows. Wi-Fi problems also occur on WPA2 Enterprise SSIDs with 802.11r, and disabling 802.11r can restore connectivity, though it’s not ideal.
Workarounds include switching from PEAP to EAP-TLS for authentication or turning off 802.11r on affected SSIDs. Uninstalling the update is another option. Microsoft has yet to acknowledge or fix this issue.
Besides the Wi-Fi issues, the December 2023 update enhances the Copilot experience, supporting multiple displays and improved integration with other apps. However, the Wi-Fi problems make this update problematic for many users.