Surface Pro Miracast Connection Problem

Anonymous
2018-02-09T02:30:39+00:00

I am essentially re-asking the same question, but in a different manner as it has been two weeks and the problem of the Surface Pro 2 not connecting to our new LG OLED, Miracast-compatible TV remains unresolved.  They do attempt to negotiate a connection, but they fail to connect.

I ran dxdiag on the Surface Pro 2 running Windows 10 with all the latest updates, and the results show the computer is Miracast compatible.  I have also separately checked for updated drivers and the result was that the drivers are up-to-date.


System Information


      Time of this report: 1/25/2018, 09:54:36

      ...

                 Miracast: Available, with HDCP

     ...


Display Devices


           Card name: Intel(R) HD Graphics Family

     ...

            Miracast: Supported

Initial attempts failed every time, even when the Surface is just a few feet from the TV.  Conversely, our HP laptop connects flawlessly every time.  This tends to suggest that the problem is within the Surface computer - not the TV.

I read Barb Bowman's informative article describing how Miracast negotiates a connection and, as a result, I checked the visible 2.4GHz networks around here.  There are four weak ones (~20% strength) on CH1, our own 'main' network on CH6 all by itself, and our own secondary network and two other weak ones on CH11 (78% and ~20% strength, respectively).  I presume the Surface and the TV being just a few feet apart, the related signal strengths would be adequate to override the weaker network signals on CH1 and, therefore, Miracast should be able to negotiate a connection.  The HP computer is 6x further away from the TV and, as mentioned, it connects flawlessly every time.

However, I did spot a difference between our two computers when connecting - namely the IPv4 address indicated for the direct-connection 'adapter'.  The IPv4 Address was 192.168.137.1 for the HP computer (and it was the same for my various acquaintances' computers as well), whereas on the Surface it was indicated as Autoconfiguration IPv4 Address 169.254.56.231.  The IPv4 Subnet Masks were 255.255.255.0 and 255.255.0.0, respectively.

As Miracast is essentially a peer-to-peer connection without a DHCP server to provide an IP address, on the virtual wireless adapter that is active during Miracast connections, I configured the IPv4 'Alternate configuration' to an address of 192.168.137.1, the same IP address that works every time when the HP laptop connects.

I thought I had found the answer as it worked briefly (during a 20-minute test period), and the results were very good .

However, the next day when there was something my wife actually wanted to see on the big-screen TV, she tried again and it failed to connect.  Several attempts were made - all unsuccessful.

A few days later a friend suggested that I try adding the same IP address for the Default gateway and DNS server.  I wasn't sure what good this would do, but I tried and it worked again during an hour of testing (to see if it would drop out - it remained solid).

However, once again, while it worked for the hour or so of testing, later it again failed to connect.  We tried several times throughout the day and again over the next couple of days, but no luck.

I have tried shutting off Bluetooth, and even shutting off the HP computer to eliminate any impact they may have, but the Surface and TV will NOT connect.

The issue is almost certainly within the Surface computer, and I have no idea where else to look.  Can someone from Microsoft please shine some light on this?  There are so many discussions on the web about this problem with Surface computers; so, it must be very widespread and there must be a lot of frustrated Surface owners out there!

Any expert assistance would be appreciated.  Thank you.

Surface | Surface Pro | USB-C

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  1. Barb Bowman 80,815 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2018-02-18T11:15:20+00:00

    are you in the US and anywhere near an official retail Microsoft Store? If yes,

    it would be worth making an appointment and seeing if you can connect to the

    store's TV's with your SP2 and if not, let the techs look and possibly file a

    bug using their internal systems.

    >My friend with the SP4 is supposed to return next week, so I am looking forward to an update from him when he has a chance.

    >

    >Thanks again for your continued interest and efforts, especially in spite of Microsoft's absence in this regard.

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-02-18T15:11:47+00:00

    Good morning Barb,

    Thanks for that suggestion.

    I am located in rural Canada but within a few hours drive from a major city that does have a Microsoft store.  In a way that is rather fortunate, as there are only 7 such stores in only 4 different metropolitan areas in a country that is larger (geographically) than the US! :)

    This issue is frustrating enough that I would be willing to make the drive and give your idea a try - but only if I can call ahead and get assurances from the store that my appointment will be with someone with a detailed/thorough knowledge of Miracast issues with Surface computers.  Otherwise it would be a long drive and an entire wasted day.

    I do not know what they would have in the way of TVs in that store - if any, likely one that requires a MWDA but, regardless, it would provide confirmation that the SP2 Miracast has or has not been 'damaged' by one of the OS updates.

    I will call the store after it opens later today.

    Also, I have received confirmation that my friend with the SP4 will be home by mid-week; so, it will be interesting to hear if his computer, unlike the SP and SP2, manages to reconnect after that first success, which, again for some reason, only occurred after changing the IPv4 Alternative Configuration.

    I will report any results.

    Thanks again.

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  3. Barb Bowman 80,815 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2018-02-18T16:21:25+00:00

    the tech lead at my "local" store (17 miles away) in the US is very good. be

    sure to ask to schedule with the technical lead/supervisor. here they have a few

    TV's that all support native Miracast.

    > but only if I can call ahead and get assurances from the store that my appointment will be with someone with a detailed/thorough knowledge of Miracast issues with Surface computers.

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-02-18T17:42:11+00:00

    Thanks Barb.

    I have made an appointment at the closest Microsoft store for this coming Thursday, so I will report back by Friday.  Stay tuned for further updates!

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  5. Anonymous
    2018-02-20T23:09:00+00:00

    Barb,

    Mea Culpa!  I was misinformed and therefore passed along 'some' misinformation.  As I believe I mentioned previously, my two friends with Surface computers live about 400km from here.  I have been communicating with one only, as we are both retired, whereas the third chap is still working and not always available.

    That third chap, the one with the SP4, did return this week and got together with my other friend.  They did a series of tests and confirmed that the SP4 works even without making any changes to the IPv4 configuration - and it successfully reconnects every time.

    So, I do apologize, but my friend with the SP thought the one with the SP4 was suffering identically to us and I passed along that erroneous information.

    So, the confirmed facts are that Miracast on the SP4 works properly and that the Miracast problem we are experiencing is only with the SP and SP2.

    I will mention this when I drive to the Microsoft store on Thursday.

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