Apple iOS 18 / iPadOS 18 / macOS Sequoia - Private Wi-Fi Address on UWNet
Apple is introducing (macOS Sequoia) and changing (iOS/iPadOS 18) the "Private Wi-Fi Address" feature, which can utilize a locally administered hardware address when connecting to wireless networks. New settings allow users to configure this option as 'Off', 'Fixed', or 'Rotating', on a per-network basis. The 'Rotating' setting increases the frequency of device registrations required for wireless clients using the UWNet wireless network at UW-Madison.
Impact to UWNet users
The default setting of the Private Wi-Fi Address feature in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia for an open network like UWNet is 'Rotating', which will occasionally change the locally administered hardware address used by the device when connecting to a wireless network. The intermittently changing hardware address will increase the frequency of registrations required for devices on UWNet.
Ways to avoid frequent device registration
- Configure the device to utilize the eduroam wireless network
- Configure the Private Wi-Fi Address feature to 'Off' or 'Fixed' for UWNet
- Turning the feature 'Off' will use the true hardware address of the device when connecting to UWNet
- Using the 'Fixed' option will generate a locally administered hardware address to be used for UWNet
- This can be done before or after joining UWNet on your device
- Modifying this feature after joining may necessitate another registration using the changed address
Modifying the Private Wi-Fi Address feature
iOS 18
iPadOS 18
macOS Sequoia 15
Resources
https://support.apple.com/en-us/102509
https://support.apple.com/en-us/102076