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


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Apple @ Work is completely delivered to you by Mosyle, the one Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the one answer that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all of the options essential to seamlessly and routinely deploy, handle & shield 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 price. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL at this time and perceive why Mosyle is every part it is advisable work with Apple.

In any surroundings with a number of Wi-Fi networks (faculties, residences, companies), you’ve most likely heard this one earlier than. “Why is my iPhone connecting to the visitor community as an alternative of the employees one” Or “my iPhone retains switching again to a slower entry level although there’s a greater one proper subsequent to me.” It’s a standard downside in enterprise environments the place IT groups handle a number of SSIDs, some with onboarding portals, some broadcasted overtly, and others reserved for employees solely.

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


From the tip person POV, it will possibly usually really feel utterly random. From the IT aspect, it’s a help 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 cut back issues.

Person habits

Once you manually swap to a community, Apple will increase that community’s precedence on gadget. If somebody connects to “Inside” as an alternative of “Visitor,” the gadget takes word for future choices. That choice sticks till the person manually adjustments it once more or forgets that community. The other can also be true. If somebody manually disconnects from a community, Apple drops it down the checklist.

Personal and public networks

Apple classifies networks into separate buckets: non-public and public. Personal networks, together with any SSID on the workplace or house, get’s a precedence nod and that features a hotspot from an iPhone When a couple of non-public community are in vary, your gadget connects to essentially the most lately used one. There’s no good switching primarily based on present peformance until the person manually adjustments.

Public Wi-Fi in locations like espresso retailers, airports, or accommodations solely is available in play when there’s no recognized non-public community inside vary. Even then, Apple solely auto-joins open networks in the event that they’ve been used throughout the previous two weeks. If somebody joined a lodge community final 12 months, the gadget isn’t going to seize it routinely at this time.

Configuration profiles

If you happen to’re managing units by way of a tool administration system and also you’ve deployed a Wi-Fi profile, it should get precedence over different networks. If you wish to keep away from guarantee units be a part of your safe inside community over a visitor, configuring it by way of gadget administration is the appropriate apporach.

Apple additionally seems to be at just a few technical components when making a call:

  • Wi-Fi customary: Gadgets choose Wi-Fi 6 or 6E over older protocols
  • Band choice: 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 energy: A stronger sign often wins

Wrap up

One quirk value figuring out is that after a tool restarts, Wi-Fi credentials aren’t accessible till the gadget 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 the easiest way to keep away from points is to preconfigure networks by way of your gadget administration system, be certain that your inside networks use sturdy safety, and educate finish customers on methods to manually be a part of the proper community when wanted.

Apple @ Work is completely delivered to you by Mosyle, the one Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the one answer that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all of the options essential to seamlessly and routinely deploy, handle & shield 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 price. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL at this time and perceive why Mosyle is every part it is advisable work with Apple.

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