Windows 8 to Have Greatly Improved Wi-Fi Connection Times

Get back on the net even faster with Windows 8.

Earlier on we learned about the new steps Microsoft is taking in making Windows 8 the most wireless connection-friendly version yet with its simplified and integrated Wi-Fi and mobile broadband controls.

Buried in some of that information was a brief comparison highlighting how much better Windows 8 will be at picking up Wi-Fi networks as compared to Windows 7, particularly when resuming from standby. In fact, according to Microsoft, Windows 8 will be 11 times faster than Windows 7.

"When you resume from standby, Windows can also reconnect you faster to your preferred Wi-Fi networks by optimizing operations in the networking stack, and providing your network list, connection information, and hints to your Wi-Fi adapter," Billy Anders, a group program manager on Microsoft's devices and networking team, explained. "Now when your PC resumes from standby, your Wi-Fi adapter already has all the information it needs to connect to your preferred Wi-Fi networks. This means you can reconnect your PC to a Wi-Fi network from standby in about a second –oftentimes before your display is even ready. You do not have to do anything special for this – Windows just learns which networks you prefer and manages everything for you. This work was a major part of the architectural work we did in the networking stack and with our hardware partners."

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