Windows wifi miniport driver

WDI Miniport Driver Design Guide

WiFiCx is the new Wi-Fi driver model released in Windows 11. We recommend that you use WiFiCx to take advantage of the latest features. The WDI driver model is now in maintenance mode and will only receive high priority fixes.

WLAN Device Driver Interface (WDI) is the new Universal Windows driver model for Wi-Fi drivers, for both Windows 10 for desktop editions (Home, Pro, Enterprise, and Education) and Windows 10 Mobile. The WLAN device manufacturer writes a WDI miniport driver to work with the Windows 10 OS implementation. WDI enables device manufacturers to write less code than the previous Native WLAN driver model. All new WLAN features introduced in Windows 10 require WDI-based drivers.

Vendor-supplied native WLAN drivers continue to work in Windows 10, but functionality is limited to the version of Windows for which they were developed.

The WDI requirements and interface specification are documented in this design guide. The key goals for the new model are:

• Improve the quality and reliability of Windows WLAN drivers.
• Reduce the complexity of the current driver model, which in turn reduces the complexity of the IHV driver and reduces the overall cost of IHV driver development.

The focus of this documentation is to specify the flow and behavior of Wi-Fi operations between Windows and the IHV driver component. It does not cover software interface signature (for example, the device driver interface model) and details about how the IHV component is loaded in Windows.

Design principles

The following principles guided the overall model and design of this protocol.

1. Minimize the chattiness of the traffic between the host component and the IHV component/device. This is particularly important for implementations on buses such as SDIO, which is inherently chatty.
2. Wi-Fi functionality (especially functionality that must be performed with low latency) is expected to be handled by the device.
3. All regulatory related functionality resides in the IHV component and is controlled by the IHV.
4. The Windows experience is controlled by the host component and the Windows operating system.
5. Windows has the ability to resurrect hung devices. It has enough state to reprogram the IHV component and recover within 10 seconds.
6. Operations that require lot of system memory or fast processors and are not vendor specific are handled by the host.

Definitions

The entire piece of hardware that connects to the bus. A device can have multiple radios in it (notably Wi-Fi and Bluetooth).

The specific part of the device that implements Wi-Fi functionality as described in this specification.

An object that represents a MAC and PHY state for a particular connection.

The IHV-developed software component that represents the Wi-Fi Adapter/Device to the host.

The host-side Microsoft/operating system software that interacts with the IHV component using the interfaces described in this specification.

UE refers to the WdiWiFi driver, called WDI in this documentation. The UE and the Lower Edge (LE) IHV driver combine into a complete NDIS miniport driver. The UE implements the core Wi-Fi logic.

LE refers to the IHV driver at the lower edge. The LE and UE combine into a complete NDIS miniport driver. The LE implements bus and hardware specific functions.

Functional Level Reset (FLR)

Functional Level Reset, as in the PCIe specification. This term refers to the reset of a function, versus a reset of the complete device which may have a composite function. The reset of such scope does not impair the other functions on the same device.

Platform Level Reset. This reset method impacts all functions on a device. It is very popular to build multiple functions on a device to reduce the cost and footprint. For example, Bluetooth is typically built with Wi-Fi on a chip. However, such a reset method resets all function units on the device.

RR refers to the event sequence of Reset and Recovery.

• The request to NDIS, which forwards the request to the bus to reset the Wi-Fi function.
• Recovery of firmware context by the driver.
• Reconnection to the access point if it was connected before the reset.

• The request to NDIS, which forwards the request to the bus. The bus interacts with PnP to surprise-remove the device.
• Re-enumeration of the device.
• Re-establishing the device stack.
• Wi-Fi is restarted and reconnects.

The UE sends WDI OIDs and calls LE callbacks. All of these are called WDI commands.

MAC Address Randomization

In order to improve the privacy of Windows 10 users, configured Wi-Fi MAC addresses are used in some circumstances, such as before connecting to a particular Wi-Fi network or when initiating scans in specific conditions. This only applies to the station port. The system ensures that randomization is used appropriately, so important connectivity scenarios are not broken. The system manages changes of addresses by issuing OID_WDI_TASK_DOT11_RESET commands prior to issuing a scan or connect command. The reset command parameters include an optional MAC address argument. If the argument is present, the MAC address is reset to the specified value. If it is absent, the MAC address is left to the current value. When configuring randomized MAC addresses, the operating system uses the «locally administered» format defined for IEEE802 addresses.

Extended Channel Switch Announcement.

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Microsoft Virtual WiFi Miniport Adapter Driver Update

The Virtual WiFi Miniport Adapter is a network device manufactured by Microsoft. Issues like weak Wi-Fi signal, slow DNS lookup, duplicate IP addresses, slow network and excessive CPU usage can be solved by updating this driver. Our archive contains Windows 8 drivers that support this device. Windows Vista and Windows XP are also supported. Matching drivers have an average rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars and have been downloaded over 11,558 times. Find the best version below that matches your operating system. Safe and secure downloads are our guarantee. The DriverGuide download archive is scanned regularly using the latest anti-virus software.

Find All Microsoft Virtual WiFi Miniport Adapter Drivers

• Updates PC Drivers Automatically
• Identifies & Fixes Unknown Devices
• Supports Windows 11, 10, 8, & 7

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Popular Driver Updates for Microsoft Virtual WiFi Miniport Adapter

If you have had recent power outages, viruses or other computer problems, it is likely that the drivers have become damaged. Browse the list above to find the driver that matches your hardware and operating system. To see more matches, use our custom driver search engine to find the exact driver.

Tech Tip: If you are having trouble deciding which is the right driver, try the Driver Update Utility for Microsoft Virtual WiFi Miniport Adapter. It is a software utility that will find the right driver for you — automatically.

DriverGuide maintains an extensive archive of Windows drivers available for free download. We employ a team from around the world which adds hundreds of new drivers to our site every day.

How to Install Drivers

Once you download your new driver, then you need to install it. To install a driver in Windows, you will need to use a built-in utility called Device Manager. It allows you to see all of the devices recognized by your system, and the drivers associated with them.

Open Device Manager

• In Windows 11, Windows 10 & Windows 8.1, right-click the Start menu and select Device Manager
• In Windows 8, swipe up from the bottom, or right-click anywhere on the desktop and choose «All Apps» -> swipe or scroll right and choose «Control Panel» (under Windows System section) -> Hardware and Sound -> Device Manager
• In Windows 7, click Start -> Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound -> Device Manager
• In Windows Vista, click Start -> Control Panel -> System and Maintenance -> Device Manager
• In Windows XP, click Start -> Control Panel -> Performance and Maintenance -> System -> Hardware tab -> Device Manager button

Install Drivers With Device Manager

1. Locate the device and model that is having the issue and double-click on it to open the Properties dialog box.
2. Select the Driver tab.
3. Click the Update Driver button and follow the instructions.

In most cases, you will need to reboot your computer in order for the driver update to take effect.

Visit our Driver Support Page for helpful step-by-step videos

Install Drivers Automatically

Many device drivers are not updated through the Microsoft Windows Update service. If you are having trouble finding the right driver, stop searching and fix driver problems faster with the Automatic Driver Update Utility. Automatic updates could save you hours of time.

The Driver Update Utility automatically finds, downloads and installs the right driver for your hardware and operating system. It will Update all of your drivers in just a few clicks, and even backup your drivers before making any changes.

1. Once you download and run the utility, it will scan for out-of-date or missing drivers:
2. When the scan is complete, the driver update utility will display a results page showing which drivers are missing or out-of-date:
3. Next, update individual drivers or all of the necessary drivers with one click.

Benefits of Updated Drivers

Many computer problems are caused by missing or outdated device drivers, especially in Windows 11. If your desktop or laptop is running slow, or keeps crashing or hanging, there is a good chance that updating your drivers will fix the problem.

• Ensures your hardware runs at peak performance.
• Fixes bugs so your system will have fewer crashes.
• Unlocks new features and configuration options in your devices, especially with video cards and gaming devices.

• Updates PC Drivers Automatically
• Identifies & Fixes Unknown Devices
• Supports Windows 11, 10, 8, & 7

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