Surface Pro Miracast Connection Problem

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.

When it fails (and can not be reconnected) go to Bluetooth and Other devices to Remove it (and its associated audio device) from there.  Sometimes this is not necessary but too often it seems that it is.  Alternatively, you could try using the Network troubleshooter on the associated Local Area Connection* name. 

Good luck

Robert Aldwinckle

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Thanks for the suggestions Robert.

I have already tried removing the TV a couple of times, but I tried again with no change in outcome.

I am not sure how to use the Network troubleshooter on the Local Area Connection*, when it only shows up briefly while the connection negotiation is occurring, and it disappears as soon as the connection fails.  Perhaps you can advise me on this.

It is extremely frustrating when Miracast works so well every time with my HP computer but has only worked briefly a couple of times with the Surface Pro 2, and I haven't been able to repeat those two brief successes, which occurred immediately after I changed the Alternate Configuration for the IPv4 address as described above.

I am not sure where else to look at this stage.

1. Undo any manual changes you made in network config properties

2. Turn off the TV

3. Turn off the HP

4. Power cycle your router, wait 2 minutes

5. Turn on the TV

6. Restart your Surface

7. Go to device manager and uninstall but do not delete the Marvell wifi adapter driver

8. restart your Surface again and connect to your wifi network

9. try connecting to the TV.

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 am not sure how to use the Network troubleshooter on the Local Area Connection*, when it only shows up briefly while the connection negotiation is occurring, and it disappears as soon as the connection fails. 

What version of W10 do you have?  That peek-a-boo behaviour with no chance of using a troubleshooter is what I used to see.  Now with W10 FCU it at least sticks around in Control Panel's Network Adapters (which can be opened from the Settings Network page) but more significantly it also now appears in the Network Diagnostics troubleshooter (which can also be opened from the Settings Network page, who knew?); so I can see it either way--once the Connect dialog (Win-K) finds the MWDA.

Perhaps it would help to know what you see in the Connect dialog when you try to use it.  Also, if you see an associated audio port in any way I would try disabling that.  Although I have not had a problem with the MWDA's audio it is a continuing long-standing problem with the real HDMI connection.

There are other bits of implementation it may help to look at too.  E.g. in PowerShell Get-NetConnectionProfile at some point in the state changes pops up with the MWDA's LAC* as an "InterfaceAlias".  I have mine as Private and it seems to be sticking but at least in the past it would switch to Public and I would need to switch it back.   Before that  netsh wlan sh ne mo=BSSID shows a connection possibility which then disappears from there and changes its name.  (Etc.)  YMMV.

Windows 10.  Still an Adventure ("Twisty passages, all different.")

Barb, thanks for the thoughtful and detailed sequence of steps to follow.

Undoing the changes I made took three attempts, as I have to work fast each time.  That Local Area Connection* only shows up during attempts to connect and when the negotiation fails and times out, it disappears.  Nevertheless, after three attempts with reboots, it was finally undone and back to its original setting.

Unfortunately your suggested process did not resolve the problem.  Of course, as expected, it put things back to 'square 1' and the result was just as it was in the beginning with the connection failing and the related Local Area Connection* IP address being an Autoconfiguration IPv4 address in the 169.254.xxx.xxx range.  I tried again and checked the properties while the connection negotiation is underway, and found the 'configuration' is identical to that of the HP computer - except for the IP address, that is.  The HP indicates an IPv4 address (not Autoconfiguration IPv4 address) of 192.168.137.1.

The only two times the Surface has connected with the TV were immediately following my changing the Alternate Configuration for the related Local Area Connection* to 192.168.137.1, which I chose merely because that is the address that my HP computer uses when it connects successfully every time.  I knew that only one computer at a time would be able to connect to the TV, so I presumed there would be no IP conflict - and that is the same address as a few friends' computers have when they successfully connect to their TVs.

Although I had a 42+ year career in a high tech field, I am not a computer expert and definitely not all that knowledgeable in networking; so, I do not understand why that same IP address is the one that occurs on all four 'working' connections that I am aware of.

Following the failure of the Surface to connect after completion of your suggested process, I then turned on the HP laptop again and tried to connect with it.  As usual, it connected very quickly.

I remain baffled and at a loss as to what to try next.  Your assistance would be very much appreciated.

Thank you.

Robert - Thanks for the follow-up.

Both computers are running Windows 10 FCU, v1709, build 16299.192, and unlike in your case the LAC* only shows up when connecting or connected and does not show up under the troubleshooter on the Network Wi-Fi settings page.

FYI, we are connecting directly to a Miracast-compatible TV, not the MWDA connected to a TV.

Thanks.

What version of W10 do you have?  That peek-a-boo behaviour with no chance of using a troubleshooter is what I used to see.  Now with W10 FCU it at least sticks around in Control Panel's Network Adapters (which can be opened from the Settings Network page) but more significantly it also now appears in the Network Diagnostics troubleshooter (which can also be opened from the Settings Network page, who knew?); so I can see it either way--once the Connect dialog (Win-K) finds the MWDA.

Barb,

Thanks for the follow-up.  Here are the results from the netsh wlan sho d command.

One more thing.. Does the LG keep a list of connected computers ?? And if yes, have you tried removing all connections? What is the model of the LG OLED TV?

The issue is that the connection isn't being negotiated - so you are getting an autoconfig address in 169. When you manually play with the IP and assign the address, I'm thinking the TV already sees this as assigned to the mac address of the HP...

1. leave things at square 1 and check the TV to see if it keeps a list of connected computers

2. if yes, remove all connected computers

3. restart the Surface and shut down the tv and turn it off and on again

4. try to connect again

Hello Barb,

Thanks for your continued interest and assistance.

I do not know if the TV retains a list of connected computers.  If it does, I have not yet found it but, frankly, trying to find things on this TV is a frustration of its own!  The model is a 2017-year OLED55C7P 4K Ultra Smart TV with LG's WebOS 3.5.

It was purchased from Best Buy about an hour's drive from here on a summer day (we live in a rural community and there is perhaps 2ft of snow on the ground now).  Coincidently, en route back from picking up a load of construction materials tomorrow, I expect to be passing by the city where the TV was purchased.  If I make it before closing time, I will pop into Best Buy and ask their Geek Squad to answer that question (and if there is a retained list, how to find and edit it).

You have raised a valid possibility regarding a retained list associating the manually-configured IP address I selected with a different MAC address (i.e., the HP laptop); so, I will be interested in hearing what the Geek Squad have to say - but it does raise another question in my mind, namely:

• If the TV does retain a list and associate an IP address with a MAC address, and as the HP computer was the first one from which a Miracast connection was successfully attempted, why has the Surface managed to connect twice immediately following my manual changes and yet I cannot repeat that success?

You may be correct in saying that the connection is not being negotiated, but it does appear to be.  By that I mean, the instant I initiate a connection attempt, both devices indicate "Connecting" and that indication continues until the attempt times out.  That tells me the TV is seeing that a device is attempting, but that is all I can tell.

Thanks again, and I will report if/when I get an answer to your question.