Why does WiFi connection to broadband not work until switching to iPhone hotspot?

Possible Fixes:

1. Disable Private Wi-Fi Address:
   1. Go to Settings > Wi-Fi, tap on your work network, and turn off Private Wi-Fi Address.
   2. Since you’ve whitelisted a specific MAC address, make sure the phone is using the correct one.
2. Turn Off Wi-Fi Assist:
   1. Go to Settings > Cellular > Wi-Fi Assist and toggle it off.
   2. Sometimes, this setting can interfere with connecting to hidden networks.
3. Ensure iPhone Saves the Network Properly:
   1. After manually entering the SSID and password, make sure Auto-Join is enabled.
   2. If the issue persists, try Reset Network Settings (Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings).
4. Ask IT to Consider Broadcasting the SSID: Hidden SSIDs do not add security and often cause connection instability. If possible, ask IT to broadcast the SSID but keep it secured via MAC filtering.

With a MAC filter (for which I whitelisted my original MAC address):

1. Your IT team can whitelist both the device’s permanent MAC address and the fixed Private Wi-Fi MAC address.
2. If a Private Wi-Fi Address is enabled, iOS might rotate or reset the MAC under certain conditions, causing re-authentication failures.
3. If your IT system allows
   1. Multiple MAC addresses per user, they can whitelist both to ensure connectivity even if the Private Wi-Fi Address is toggled on/off.
4. One MAC per user, you should disable Private Wi-Fi Address to use your real MAC consistently. (Some enterprise networks force Private Wi-Fi Address on, so check if that’s happening.)