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Create Wi-Fi profiles

  • Article

Applies to: Configuration Manager (current branch)

Important

Starting in version 2203, this company resource access feature is no longer supported. For more information, see Frequently asked questions about resource access deprecation.

Use Wi-Fi profiles in Configuration Manager to deploy wireless network settings to users in your organization. By deploying these settings, you make it easier for your users to connect to Wi-Fi.

For example, you have a Wi-Fi network that you want to enable all Windows laptops to connect to. Create a Wi-Fi profile containing the settings necessary to connect to the wireless network. Then, deploy the profile to all users that have Windows laptops in your hierarchy. Users of these devices see your network in the list of wireless networks and can readily connect to this network.

You can configure Wi-Fi profiles for the following OS versions:

  • Windows 8.1 32-bit or 64-bit

  • Windows RT 8.1

  • Windows 10 or Windows 10 Mobile

You can also use Configuration Manager to deploy wireless network settings to mobile devices using on-premises mobile device management (MDM). For more general information, see What is on-premises MDM.

When you create a Wi-Fi profile, you can include a wide range of security settings. These settings include certificates for server validation and client authentication that have been pushed using Configuration Manager certificate profiles. For more information about certificate profiles, see Certificate profiles.

Create a Wi-Fi profile

  1. In the Configuration Manager console, go to the Assets and Compliance workspace, expand Compliance Settings, expand Company Resource Access, and select the Wi-Fi Profiles node.

  2. On the Home tab, in the Create group, choose Create Wi-Fi Profile.

  3. On the General page of the Create Wi-Fi Profile Wizard, specify the following information:

    • Name: Enter a unique name to identify the profile in the console.

    • Description: Optionally add a description to provide further information for the Wi-Fi profile.

    • Import an existing Wi-Fi profile item from a file: Select this option to use the settings from another Wi-Fi profile. When you select this option, the remaining pages of the wizard simplify to two pages: Import Wi-Fi Profile and Supported Platforms.

      Important

      Make sure that the Wi-Fi profile you import contains valid XML for a Wi-Fi profile. When you import the file, Configuration Manager doesn't validate the profile.

    • Noncompliance severity for reports: Choose one of the following severity levels that the device reports if it evaluates the Wi-Fi profile to be noncompliant. For example, if the installation of the profile fails, it's noncompliant.

      • None: Computers that fail this compliance rule don't report a failure severity for Configuration Manager reports.

      • Information

      • Warning

      • Critical

      • Critical with event: Computers that fail this compliance rule report a failure severity of Critical for Configuration Manager reports. Devices also log the noncompliant state as a Windows event in the application event log.

  4. On the Wi-Fi Profile page of the wizard, specify the following information:

    • Network name: Provide the name that devices will display as the network name.

      Important

      Configuration Manager doesn't support using the apostrophe (') or comma (,) characters in the network name.

    • SSID: Specify the case-sensitive ID of the wireless network.

    • Connect automatically when this network is in range

    • Look for other wireless network while connected to this network

    • Connect when the network is not broadcasting its name (SSID)

  5. On the Security Configuration page, specify the following information:

    Important

    If you're creating a Wi-Fi profile for on-premises MDM, the current branch of Configuration Manager only supports the following Wi-Fi security configurations:

    • Security types: WPA2 Enterprise or WPA2 Personal
    • Encryption types: AES or TKIP
    • EAP types: Smart Card or other certificate or PEAP

    • Security type: Select the security protocol that the wireless network uses, or select No authentication (Open) if the network is unsecured.

    • Encryption: If the security type supports it, set the encryption method for the wireless network.

    • EAP type: Select the authentication protocol for the selected encryption method.

      Note

      For Windows Phone devices only: the EAP types LEAP and EAP-FAST aren't supported.

      Select Configure to specify properties for the selected EAP type. This option isn't available for some selected EAP types.

      Important

      The EAP type configuration window is from Windows. Make sure that you run the Configuration Manager console on a computer that supports the selected EAP type.

    • Remember the user credentials at each logon: Select this option to store user credentials so users don't have to enter wireless network credentials each time they sign in to Windows.

  6. On the Advanced Settings page of the wizard, specify additional settings for the Wi-Fi profile. Advanced settings might not be available, or might vary, depending on the options that you select on the Security Configuration page of the wizard. For example, authentication mode, or single sign-on options.

  7. On the Proxy Settings page, if your wireless network uses a proxy server, select the option to Configure proxy settings for this Wi-Fi profile. Then provide the configuration information for the proxy.

  8. On the Supported Platforms page, select the OS versions where this Wi-Fi profile is applicable.

  9. Complete the wizard.

Next step

How to deploy Wi-Fi profiles