We recommend that you use a hard-wired Ethernet connection for deployment activities whenever it is possible to do so. If you need or prefer to use a wireless connection while booted into the SmartDeploy Pre-Installation Environment (SmartPE), you can follow these steps to download and include the SmartDeploy Wireless Platform Pack, which includes drivers that cover some of the most popular models.
- Download the SmartDeploy Wireless Platform Pack.
- Confirm that the SmartDeploy Wireless Platform Pack is selected in the list of Platform Packs when you create your boot media.
Note: It is important to also download the Platform Pack for all models of computer that you plan to deploy to.
If you find that the wireless drivers are still not present in SmartPE, please contact Support, and we can help you identify the driver.
When you are performing a console-initiated deployment, the SmartDeploy Client installed on the endpoint will automatically export wireless connection information for any networks that are currently connected in the installed Windows OS. This connection information will be saved to a file on the hard drive, and when the computer restarts into SmartPE, SmartDeploy will look for this file, and it will use the wireless network information to join the wireless network.
Note: This is only supported with networks that are joined using a password - networks that require certificate or browser-based authentication are not supported.
If you are deploying an image to a bare-metal machine, or a machine that does not have the SmartDeploy Client installed using USB media or WDS, then you will need to specify your wireless network settings in the answer file before creating your boot media.
