What does HRESULT 0x80342008 (ERROR_NDIS_DOT11_AP_BAND_NOT_ALLOWED) mean?

 
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ERROR_NDIS_DOT11_AP_CHANNEL_NOT_ALLOWED ERROR_VID_REMOTE_NODE_PARENT_GPA_PAGES_USED

ERROR_NDIS_DOT11_AP_BAND_NOT_ALLOWED

ERROR_NDIS_DOT11_AP_BAND_NOT_ALLOWED (0x80342008) is the band-level regulatory counterpart to ERROR_NDIS_DOT11_AP_CHANNEL_NOT_ALLOWED. The WLAN interface rejected the requested AP band because regulatory policy does not permit that band choice under the current constraints.

Band-level rejection is not a channel picker

The code does not identify one alternate channel and should not be treated as a suggestion to try every channel in the band. A regulatory profile is more than a list of channel numbers: it can include frequency ranges, allowed bandwidth, power limits and device-specific restrictions. A local adapter can therefore expose a smaller permitted AP set than a generic regional chart implies.

Separate policy from temporary availability

  • AP_BAND_NOT_ALLOWED states a regulatory rejection of the requested band.
  • AP_BAND_CURRENTLY_NOT_AVAILABLE says the band cannot be used at that moment without declaring it forbidden.
  • AP_CHANNEL_NOT_ALLOWED applies the regulatory rejection to a particular channel.
  • AP_CHANNEL_CURRENTLY_NOT_AVAILABLE reports a temporary condition for one channel.

Diagnostic questions that matter

  • Was the band explicitly requested, or did a channel-selection routine choose it from stale capability data?
  • Does the adapter advertise AP capability for the requested operation mode, not merely client scan support?
  • What regulatory context and device limits did the driver apply when it made the decision?
  • Does the selected channel width keep the whole occupied spectrum inside a permitted range?

Keep the remedy inside supported interfaces

Use the WLAN and driver-reported capability information to select a permitted alternative. A scan result, a hard-coded regional table or a user-facing preferred-band setting cannot override adapter restrictions. If the permitted set appears unexpectedly small, collect a WLAN trace and investigate the driver, firmware and location configuration instead of attempting to force a disallowed band.

Microsoft: SoftAP and virtual WLAN adapter model

Microsoft: Native 802.11 operation and multi-domain capability

Linux Wireless: frequency ranges, bandwidth and country regulatory rules

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