Set preferred Wi-Fi network in my preferred order on iOS6

RowdyAudi wrote:

Well, it surprises me that this devolved so interestingly, but I think that I may have an answer.

So, trying to solve this same issue for myself, I went stumbling around my network settings. Lo an behold, it appears that by going into the "Advanced" section of Wi-Fi on my MacBook and dragging the networks into the preferred order there, the settings have (apparently?) synced to my iPhone. I no longer seem to be having issues with my phone connecting to my less desirable network. To be fair, the less desirable network has always been on the far end of my range so maybe my phone is now simply detecting it less, but it seems to be doing the trick by setting the priority list on my MacBook.

Cheers 🙂

Despite what this thread implies, there is already logic in how the iPhone selects the WiFi network to connect to. It works as follows:

• If the phone was connected to a WiFi network when it went to sleep, it first attempts to connect to the same network (based on SSID) when it wakes (Note that WiFi turns off 30 seconds after the phone goes to sleep to preserve battery life)
• If that network is not available when it wakes the phone connects to the strongest network that it has previously connected to.

What this essentially means is that if you were using, say, the xfinitywifi public network when you were out and about, then go home, it will first attempt to connect to xfinitywifi when you get home. If that fails it will connect to your home WiFi network (unless it is no longer the strongest signal, which would be rare in a home setting). However, if you were connected to your home network, then went out and did not connect to xfinitywifi while out, when you get home it will reconnect to your home network.

The logic behind this algorithm is that it takes much longer to connect to a different network than to connect to the same network. Thus, if the phone is asleep and wakes up it will connect instantly to the last network it used. If the logic was changed to use a search list every time it woke up it would take up to a minute before you could use WiFi every time the phone was awakened.

You make a potent argument Laurence. I must concur that what you say, if that's how it works, adds an interesting and likely complicating angle to the problem. Great sleuthing. I still think the normal case of "xfinity" vs "home network + xfinity" deserves a solution in being so common a problem, but maybe this competing and, I admit, important need to keep wake-up behavior optimized trumps the simples of approaches (like trying the strongest network first) to the home wifi problem. I still think there should be a simple enough solution here somewhere, but thanks for the targeted responds to the issue. Having this back to a technical discussion, which still isn't what this thread is exactly about anyway I know, I'm happy and will stop posting.

Thanks Mr TJBUSMC1973,

I admittedly did not read the terms of use and was unaware that Apple does not monitor this. I wasn't trying to anger people in this forum, more trying to get some actual feedback from Apple on the subject as it is apparent this has been an on going issue for several years based on the timeline of this forum. I will be careful to phrase my comments more appropriately in the future.

Not quite. It actually follows the steps listed here: How iOS decides which wireless network to auto-join - Apple Support

When iOS evaluates SSIDs to auto-join, it prefers known networks, higher levels of security, and stronger relative signal strength (RSSI).

iOS will try to connect to networks in this order:

1. The private network it most recently joined
2. A private network
3. A hotspot network

If iOS finds more than one network, it evaluates SSIDs by security level and chooses one based on the following order:

1. Private network: EAP
2. Private network: WPA
3. Private network: WEP
4. Private network: Unsecure/open
5. Hotspot network: HS2.0/Passpoint
6. Hotspot network: EAP
7. Hotspot network: WPA
8. Hotspot network: WEP
9. Hotspot network: Unsecure/open

If iOS finds multiple networks of identical type and security level, it chooses the SSID with the strongest RSSI.

Auto-joining after a restart

After a restart, iOS Wi-Fi credentials are available only after you unlock your device.

On iOS 7 and earlier, if a device is restarted near both open and secure networks, the device auto-joins the open network because secure network credentials aren't available until the device is unlocked.

After a restart on iOS 7 and later, the iOS won't auto-join an open network first because it waits until after the device is unlocked.

The really sad thing is Android devices all have a WiFi manager bakee in that let you remove stored WiFi settings and set the preference order. I like the IOS and Apple's gear; but I wish they'd stop trying to hide everything.

Great idea! I did just that and hopefully it works.

Thanks for sharing this tip! It worked for me! 😀

Apple does participate. When they read something they don't like they remove it.

John Prokos wrote:

Apple does participate. When they read something they don't like they remove it.

WRONG. Apple does not participate. There are moderators ("hosts") who maintain order, but they have no relationship to Apple's development or engineering teams, and they do not read posts or responses unless a post is reported to them by a regular user-member for review. They will then read the actual post and decide if it violates the Terms of Use. Any user with more than 150 points has a button to report a potential TOU violation.

In every practical sense you are correct.

You could have saved some typing by just going with, "You are correct".

You could have saved yourself some typing too.

Nah, I enjoyed that typing.

The point is Apple employees are moderators therefore they do participate/involve themselves in these conversations. Any editing or deletion is an involvement. Saying they never have and never will is just silly.

However,

If your point is that these forums aren't an Apple-User to Apple-Company line of communication… that's generally understood by everyone here,,, and it's snarky when "High Level" contributors repeat it over and over to users who are obviously frustrated, and looking for "community support" here in the forums. Instead, they find unpaid Apple missionaries who are loathe to complain about any Apple product for fear of annoying their master (how does this point system benefit you again?). I think many users would like to see a group effort to put pressure on Apple to fix what's broken. It's not effective when many people try to explain their apparently disparate issues using the "proper channels". Using those channels, we are individuals. Here, we are a community.. Power to the People! 😁

Seriously.

Except Lawrence said they get involved to moderate and never said "never have and never will". So he wasn't the party that said anything "silly".