Apple @ Work: Understanding how Apple units resolve which Wi-Fi community to auto-join

Apple @ Work: Understanding how Apple units resolve which Wi-Fi community to auto-join


Apple @ Work is solely delivered to you by Mosyle, the one Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the one resolution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all of the options essential to seamlessly and robotically deploy, handle & defend Apple units at work. Over 45,000 organizations belief Mosyle to make hundreds of thousands of Apple units work-ready with no effort and at an reasonably priced value. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL at present and perceive why Mosyle is every little thing you have to work with Apple.

In any setting with a number of Wi-Fi networks (faculties, residences, companies), you’ve in all probability heard this one earlier than. “Why is my iPhone connecting to the visitor community as a substitute of the employees one” Or “my iPhone retains switching again to a slower entry level regardless that there’s a greater one proper subsequent to me.” It’s a typical drawback in enterprise environments the place IT groups handle a number of SSIDs, some with onboarding portals, some broadcasted brazenly, and others reserved for workers solely.

About Apple @ Work: Bradley Chambers managed an enterprise IT community from 2009 to 2021. By his expertise deploying and managing firewalls, switches, a cellular system administration system, enterprise grade Wi-Fi, 1000s of Macs, and 1000s of iPads, Bradley will spotlight methods during which Apple IT managers deploy Apple units, construct networks to assist them, prepare customers, tales from the trenches of IT administration, and methods Apple may enhance its merchandise for IT departments.


From the top consumer POV, it could typically really feel fully random. From the IT aspect, it’s a assist ticket ready to occur. Ther is a technique to the insanity, and Apple does have a system for prioritizing Wi-Fi networks, and understanding the way it works can assist scale back issues.

Person habits

If you manually swap to a community, Apple will increase that community’s precedence on system. If somebody connects to “Inside” as a substitute of “Visitor,” the system takes observe for future choices. That desire sticks till the consumer manually modifications it once more or forgets that community. The alternative can be true. If somebody manually disconnects from a community, Apple drops it down the record.

Non-public and public networks

Apple classifies networks into separate buckets: personal and public. Non-public networks, together with any SSID on the workplace or dwelling, get’s a precedence nod and that features a hotspot from an iPhone When multiple personal community are in vary, your system connects to essentially the most lately used one. There’s no sensible switching primarily based on present peformance except the consumer manually modifications.

Public Wi-Fi in locations like espresso retailers, airports, or lodges solely is available in play when there’s no identified personal community inside vary. Even then, Apple solely auto-joins open networks in the event that they’ve been used inside the previous two weeks. If somebody joined a lodge community final yr, the system isn’t going to seize it robotically at present.

Configuration profiles

In case you’re managing units via a tool administration system and also you’ve deployed a Wi-Fi profile, it can get precedence over different networks. If you wish to keep away from guarantee units be part of your safe inside community over a visitor, configuring it through system administration is the best apporach.

Apple additionally appears at a number of technical components when making a call:

  • Wi-Fi normal: Gadgets favor Wi-Fi 6 or 6E over older protocols
  • Band desire: 6 GHz is most popular over 5 GHz, then 2.4 GHz
  • Safety kind: Stronger safety (WPA3, WPA2 Enterprise) will get the a precedence
  • Sign power: A stronger sign often wins

Wrap up

One quirk value realizing is that after a tool restarts, Wi-Fi credentials aren’t accessible till the system is unlocked for the primary time after a reboot. From an IT POV, this Wi-Fi logic is nice to notice for future troubleshooting, however one of the simplest ways to keep away from points is to preconfigure networks via your system administration system, ensure your inside networks use robust safety, and educate finish customers on learn how to manually be part of the right community when wanted.

Apple @ Work is solely delivered to you by Mosyle, the one Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the one resolution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all of the options essential to seamlessly and robotically deploy, handle & defend Apple units at work. Over 45,000 organizations belief Mosyle to make hundreds of thousands of Apple units work-ready with no effort and at an reasonably priced value. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL at present and perceive why Mosyle is every little thing you have to work with Apple.

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