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I have a WPA3 enabled router (in WPA2/WPA3 personal mode).

My NIC supports WPA3 but I cant seem to enable or force it to use it.

I have checked google for quite a while, perhaps my terminology is bad, but, most results point to enabling WPA3 on the router (which is already done). Or checking drivers (netsh wlan) which confirms my NIC supports WPA3.

Im running Windows 10.
Ive tried the adapter settings
Wifi settings
Advanced network settings

How can I force my Router and Client to connect over WPA3 instead of WPA2

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11
  • "WPA2/WPA3 personal mode" is a problem. WPA is the authentication method. If you want to force WPA 3, you have to enable the router in WPA3-personal only. As per Microsoft your Win 10 version has to be at least 2004. If the NIC supports WPA 3 and you have current driver, you should be able to authenticate without problems.
    – Peregrino69
    Commented Sep 27, 2021 at 16:11
  • The network adapter on a client does not get to choose if it will use WPA2 or WPA3 that is entirely left to the access point. However, the client must still support WPA3, if that is the only authentication method that is supported.
    – Ramhound
    Commented Sep 27, 2021 at 16:22
  • @Peregrino69 Why is it a problem? Is it because of the difference in the authentication methods?
    – ChristAHFER
    Commented Sep 27, 2021 at 16:42
  • @ramhound I would have thought the router/ap would negotiate to the highest Authentication method it could. Which should be WPA3, perhaps a reboot of both systems would change that
    – ChristAHFER
    Commented Sep 27, 2021 at 16:44
  • @ChristAHFER - Yes; Which is the reason which method of authentication is ultimately up to the access point. However, one of the weaknesses of WPA1 for instance is to use WPA1, when WPA2 can be used instead. Which is the reason the common advice is to only use WPA2. WPA2 doesn't have the same weaknesses, so while you should use WPA3, support for it might not be common enough to only allow WPA3. It's not clear the reason you think the client is using WPA2.
    – Ramhound
    Commented Sep 27, 2021 at 16:47

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
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In case, you'd changed the router and/or AP settings on the router after you'd connected and saved the AP on the Windows 10 host, try to forget the AP on Windows and reconnect.

It fixed the issue in my case.

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    Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please edit to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center.
    – Community Bot
    Commented Jun 13, 2022 at 19:53
  • This is not the case for myself, I simply cannot chose for the client to use WPA3 to connect with and my router will only support WPA2 & WPA3 simultaneously
    – ChristAHFER
    Commented Jun 14, 2022 at 10:15
  • This is the correct answer. If an SSID was WPA2, then switches to WPA2/WPA3, it is saved to continue to use WPA2 until you "forget" and reestablish the wifi connection. Alternatively, you could set the SSID to only WPA3, and then you'll get a Windows notification that it has upgraded to WPA3 from WPA2.
    – Brain2000
    Commented Dec 18, 2022 at 20:25

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