Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Passpoint is a Wi-Fi Alliance standard and certification program—also known as Hotspot 2.0—that lets compatible devices discover supported Wi-Fi networks and authenticate using credentials provisioned in advance. It can reduce the need to choose a network and sign in manually, but connection still depends on the device, its profile, the hotspot configuration, and whether the provider accepts those credentials.
What Passpoint means
Passpoint is not a Wi-Fi provider, a particular hotspot, or a router feature that guarantees access everywhere. It describes how compatible Wi-Fi clients and access points can handle network discovery and credential-based access. The Wi-Fi Alliance certifies products for Passpoint capabilities; the word on its own does not identify a specific release or promise that two products support every feature.
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Microsoft describes Passpoint as a standard for seamless hotspot authentication and notes that it is sometimes called Hotspot 2.0. Microsoft Learn: Hotspot offload
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- Provisioning: A provider, operator, or organization supplies a Passpoint profile or credentials. Depending on the platform and setup, provisioning can happen through a website or app, mobile-operator configuration, management policy, or an Online Sign-Up flow. Microsoft Learn: Hotspot offload
- Discovery: Before joining, the device can use 802.11u mechanisms to learn information about a hotspot and its provider. This helps it identify a network that may match its provisioned profile.
- Authentication and connection: If the profile and network are compatible, the device authenticates with the credentials in that profile. Microsoft documents WPA2-Enterprise or WPA3-Enterprise security with supported EAP authentication methods for Passpoint. Microsoft Learn: Hotspot offload
These mechanisms describe how a compatible connection can be established; they do not guarantee a provider’s privacy practices, the quality of its internet service, or the security of every part of its network. Check the provider and the profile source before installing credentials.
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Why a phone may not connect automatically
Automatic connection is conditional, not an effect of the Passpoint label alone. The device needs compatible Passpoint support and an appropriate profile; the hotspot must be configured to advertise a matching service, and its provider or roaming partner must accept the credentials. A profile can therefore work at one participating network and not another.
- No profile: The device may detect a hotspot but lack credentials that authorize access.
- Unsupported feature or release: The device, operating system, or access point may not support the specific capability used by the deployment.
- No matching provider relationship: The hotspot may support Passpoint but not accept the identity or subscription represented by the profile.
- Provisioning or policy constraints: Available setup flows vary by platform and operating-system version.
Android’s AOSP documentation says Passpoint support is required on devices running Android 11 or later that include Wi-Fi. That platform requirement is not a guarantee that every network will accept a user’s credentials. Android Open Source Project: Passpoint
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Microsoft documents Windows-specific differences: Windows 10 supports Passpoint Release 1 discovery and profile creation but not Online Sign-Up. Windows 11 supports Online Sign-Up subject to documented constraints, and that flow does not support subscription remediation or policy updates. Check the documentation for the exact Windows release and provisioning method in use. Microsoft Learn: Hotspot offload
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Passpoint is the Wi-Fi Alliance standard and certification ecosystem. OpenRoaming is a Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) roaming federation that uses Passpoint technology to connect participating identity providers and Wi-Fi network providers. A Passpoint-capable hotspot is not automatically an OpenRoaming hotspot, and Passpoint support alone does not show that a particular user’s credentials will be accepted there. WBA: OpenRoaming WBA: OpenRoaming Deployment Guide (PDF)
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What to check when choosing or troubleshooting a Passpoint network
- Profile and onboarding: Confirm that the provider has supplied a profile and that it is installed or provisioned on the device.
- Authentication and encryption: Check that the profile’s credential type and EAP method are supported by the device and match the network’s configuration.
- Device and software: Verify the operating-system version and the specific Passpoint functions it supports.
- Provider or roaming eligibility: Ask whether the hotspot accepts your provider, account, or federation credentials; the Passpoint name alone does not establish eligibility.
- Product capability: For infrastructure decisions, check the certification record for the exact client or access-point product and confirm the deployment configuration. A generic Passpoint label does not establish a precise release or feature set.
Wi-Fi Alliance product certificate records list capabilities for individual products, and those capabilities can differ. Use the record for the specific product rather than assuming all certified products implement the same release features. Wi-Fi Alliance: Product Finder results for Passpoint
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What Passpoint does—and does not—promise
| Passpoint can provide | Passpoint does not establish by itself |
|---|---|
| A standardized way for compatible devices to discover supported hotspots and use provisioned credentials. | That every hotspot is open to every user or that a device will join without an eligible profile. |
| Enterprise authentication and encryption mechanisms, including WPA2-Enterprise or WPA3-Enterprise with supported EAP methods, as documented by Microsoft. | A guarantee about every aspect of a network’s security, operator practices, privacy policy, or internet service. |
| A foundation used by roaming arrangements such as OpenRoaming. | That a Passpoint network participates in OpenRoaming or accepts a particular user’s credentials. |
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