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Change WPA3 on hotspot to WPA2?

Hello,


I have an Iphone 11 on IOS 15.2. I recently upgraded to it from an older IOS version. I use the device to hotspot a laptop. Following the upgrade, I no longer can because I receive a message on the laptop saying: 'The connection is limited'. I do not experience this issue using Wi-Fi or hotspot from android devices. I believe this is caused by the WPA3 security standard on Apple devices running the current IOS. The laptop is running on an older version of Windows and cannot support it. Is there a way to change the settings on the Iphone, so that WPA2 is enabled instead of WPA3 on hotspot?


Kind regards

Posted on Dec 25, 2021 6:54 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Apr 8, 2022 12:53 AM

I found a way to solve it: change your phone's name!

I had exactly the same problems, was really annoyed by this as I travel a lot and need this hotspot feature. But changing my phone's name, launching the hotspot and connecting with my Surface to this "new" network actually worked.

Could it be that our Surface saved our hotspot with the WPA2 setting and thus cannot connect anymore as the iOS15 uses WPA3?

9 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Apr 8, 2022 12:53 AM in response to Salfield

I found a way to solve it: change your phone's name!

I had exactly the same problems, was really annoyed by this as I travel a lot and need this hotspot feature. But changing my phone's name, launching the hotspot and connecting with my Surface to this "new" network actually worked.

Could it be that our Surface saved our hotspot with the WPA2 setting and thus cannot connect anymore as the iOS15 uses WPA3?

Dec 25, 2021 8:15 AM in response to Tonkata93

'The connection is limited'.

That means that your phone is connected to Wi-Fi, but the Wi-Fi network isn't connected to the internet.

See this Apple article: If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch won’t connect to a Wi-Fi network

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204051


I believe this is caused by the WPA3 security standard on Apple devices running the current IOS.

That is recommended by Apple as the best security settings.

The security settings WPA 2 or 3 and others is controlled by your router, or rather it depends on the options of your router.

My router doesn't have that.

See this Apple article: Recommended settings for Wi-Fi routers and access points

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202068

Dec 25, 2021 8:23 AM in response to Tonkata93

The personal hotspot should be compatible with WPA2/WPA3, so that is not the issue. When you get the message “the connection is limited” does the connection still work? That message usually means that the speed is limited, not that the connection doesn’t work.


Another possibility is that you have a VPN app on your phone. If you are using a VPN connection, stop. If stopping doesn’t fix it, delete the VPN profile and app.

Mar 11, 2022 1:58 AM in response to Tonkata93

This 100% is a WPA3 issue. I have two iPad 4’s in the back of my car for my kids. I used to hotspot to them so they could watch Netflix etc. iOS 15 introduced WPA3 as a protocol, which essentially eliminates any device that is not compatible with WPA3 connecting to the WPA3 device. Absolutely pee’d off about this. I have spoken with apple and we have downloaded numerous logs and at this time they do not have a fix. They have acknowledge it is a problem.


not holding my breath as apple have a history of forcing people to upgrade old devices.

Jan 8, 2022 10:54 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

Hello,


Thanks for the reply. 'When you get the message “the connection is limited” does the connection still work? ' - no it does not work at all. Also, I am not using any VPN connections/profile as well. This was never an issue prior to upgrading to 15.2 which leads me to believe that this is the root cause of my problem. What I can definitely confirm is that it has nothing to do with my provider as I can use hotspot on other devices.

Jan 30, 2022 5:22 AM in response to Tonkata93

I'm having a similar issue!! I have a Microsoft Surface Pro 3 running Win 10 and I am getting the message "Can Not Connect" when using my phones as a hotspot. I did not have this issue before the IOS 15.2 update. Android, home network, and work network all still connect, just not the iPhone hotspot. I have 2 iPhones, and get the same message with both. This tells me it's an iPhone issue. I've tried every troubleshooting tip listed below and it still will not connect. Open to other suggestions???

Change WPA3 on hotspot to WPA2?

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