IFP50-3 Compatibility and WPA3

Reason: The IFP50-3 runs Android 8 (Oreo), and WPA3 didn’t arrive in Android until Android 10. WPA3 also changes the Wi-Fi handshake and security requirements in ways Android 8’s Wi-Fi stack and drivers weren’t built to handle—so it can’t join pure-WPA3 networks or (in many deployments) WPA2/WPA3 “mixed/transition” SSIDs.

• WPA3 support starts at Android 10. Google added client support for WPA3-Personal/Enterprise and Enhanced Open (OWE) in Android 10; it isn’t present in earlier releases like Android 8. 
  
  
• New handshake (SAE) and stricter protections. WPA3-Personal replaces the WPA2-PSK handshake with SAE (Simultaneous Authentication of Equals) and requires Protected Management Frames (PMF); these need OS-level supplicant, driver, and firmware support that Android 8 lacks. 
  
  
• WPA2/3 “mixed” (transition) mode nuances. In transition mode, an AP advertises both WPA2 and WPA3. Properly configured, PMF is optional on 2.4/5 GHz so legacy WPA2 clients can still connect—but many networks or vendor defaults make PMF required once WPA3 is enabled, which breaks older clients like Android 8 devices. 
  
  
• Timing matters. The Wi-Fi Alliance only began certifying WPA3 in mid-2018, after Android 8 shipped. Hardware/firmware and OS updates are generally needed to add WPA3, not just a router-side change. 
  
  

• It cannot do WPA3 (no SAE/PMF client support in the OS stack). 

• It may also fail to join WPA2/WPA3 mixed SSIDs if the AP requires PMF or if the older supplicant can’t parse the combined WPA2/WPA3 RSN elements used in transition mode (a known class of compatibility issues on legacy clients). 

• Use a WPA2-PSK (AES-only) SSID for legacy devices (no WPA3 requirement; PMF not required).

• If your network must use WPA3 for newer clients, create a separate WPA2-only SSID for the IFP50-3 (or connect it via Ethernet).

• Where possible, standardize on devices running Android 10+ when WPA3 is required.