Windows 11 24H2 introduced a dependency change where the Windows Connection Manager (WcmSvc) now requires WinHTTPAutoProxySvc to be running. If that service is disabled or slow to start, Wi-Fi drops randomly, especially after waking from sleep, during Teams calls, or when switching between networks.

This isn't a driver issue. Most people waste hours updating drivers and resetting network stacks when the actual fix takes 30 seconds.

Fix 1: Enable WinHTTPAutoProxySvc

Check if the service is disabled:

Get-Service WinHttpAutoProxySvc | Select-Object Status, StartType

If StartType is Disabled, fix it:

Set-Service WinHttpAutoProxySvc -StartupType Manual
Start-Service WinHttpAutoProxySvc

Restart WcmSvc to pick up the dependency:

Restart-Service WcmSvc -Force

Fix 2: Disable Power Management on the Wi-Fi Adapter

Windows aggressively turns off the Wi-Fi adapter to save power, then sometimes fails to bring it back:

$adapter = Get-NetAdapter | Where-Object { $_.InterfaceDescription -like "*Wi-Fi*" -or $_.InterfaceDescription -like "*Wireless*" }
$adapter | Disable-NetAdapterPowerManagement -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Or do it through Device Manager: find your wireless adapter, open Properties, go to the Power Management tab, and uncheck "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power."

Fix 3: Update the Wi-Fi Driver (Not From Windows Update)

Windows Update often installs generic or outdated wireless drivers. Grab the latest directly from your laptop manufacturer's support page or the chipset vendor:

# Check current driver version
Get-NetAdapter | Where-Object Status -eq "Up" |
    Get-NetAdapterAdvancedProperty -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
    Select-Object Name, DisplayName, DisplayValue | Format-Table

Fix 4: Network Reset (Last Resort)

If nothing else works, reset the entire network stack:

netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset
ipconfig /flushdns

Reboot after running these. You'll need to reconnect to saved Wi-Fi networks.

Verify

After applying fixes, check that Wi-Fi stays connected through a sleep cycle:

# Check WcmSvc dependency is healthy
Get-Service WcmSvc | Select-Object Status, DependentServices

# Ping test over 60 seconds
Test-Connection -ComputerName 8.8.8.8 -Count 60 -Delay 1

If pings drop during sleep/wake, the power management fix didn't take. Double-check Device Manager.

Wi-Fi issues killing your team's productivity? Contact Rain City Techworks.