iPhone 17 Pro Max Wi-Fi intermittently disconnects

Settings → Wi-Fi → Tap your network → Private Wi-Fi Address → Toggle OFF

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).

See the Pic below for the complete explanation (There are three scenarios provided below)

The same is true for iPad and Mac too.

The Private Wi-Fi Address feature on an iPhone enhances your privacy when connecting to Wi-Fi networks. Instead of using your device's fixed, global MAC address (a unique identifier for your device's Wi-Fi hardware), your iPhone generates a different random MAC address for each Wi-Fi network.

Private WiFi Address (MAC Address) has three Options:

• Off: Disables the use of a private Wi-Fi address. Your device will use its default (permanent) MAC address when connecting to Wi-Fi networks.
• Fixed: Your device uses one consistent private MAC address for a particular Wi-Fi network. Once your device generates this private MAC address, it will reuse the same one for that network every time you connect.
• Rotating: Your device frequently changes its private MAC address when connecting to the same Wi-Fi network, providing the highest level of privacy. This makes it nearly impossible for the network or observers to track your device over time.

Your iPhone 17 Pro Max disconnects from Wi-Fi because it uses advanced Wi-Fi 6E/7 radios that often conflict with certain routers, especially mixed-band or DFS channels. Turning off the 6 GHz band, separating Wi-Fi into 2.4/5/6 GHz networks, disabling Private Address / Limit IP Tracking, and updating router firmware usually fixes the problem. Older devices don’t disconnect because they use simpler Wi-Fi bands.