iPad WiFi keeps joining "forgotten" network.

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iPad WiFi keeps joining "forgotten" network.

Using iPads in an enterprise kiosk environment. Cisco enterprise wifi system with many nodes. Two SSIDs, one is advertised and is an open guest network. The other is hidden and using WPA2. The second is the one we need to use.

Occasionally a few random iPads decide to join the guest network instead of the configured network. We walk around, unlock them, go to settings, forget the guest network.

Day later they again connect to the guest network.

"Ask to join network" is unchecked.

These are latest iPad Airs running up to date software as of this posting.

iPad, iOS 7.1

Posted on Mar 28, 2014 8:17 AM

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Answer 1

Mar 28, 2014 8:43 AM in response to EricGA

Try this - Reset the iPad by holding down on the Sleep and Home buttons at the same time for about 10-15 seconds until the Apple Logo appears - ignore the red slider - let go of the buttons. (This is equivalent to rebooting your computer.) No data/files will be erased. http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1430

 Cheers, Tom 😉

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Answer 2

EricGA Author

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Mar 28, 2014 8:57 AM in response to Texas Mac Man

Texas Mac Man,

Thanks for your response. There are around 30 of these iPads in use. Most of them have been both hard and soft reset several times.

More information... these are supervised with Apple Configurator in single app mode, and controled via a Cisco Enterprise MDM solution.

Eric

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Answer 3

iToaster

Level 3

739 points

Mar 29, 2014 10:37 PM in response to EricGA

Does the guest SSID have a password

If not I'd say the iPads are failing to authenticate on the assigned wifi and are finding the open guest network and joining it. That's why forgetting the guest network doesn't work

Could be the hidden SSID that's causing problems, can you test it without hiding the SSID

Or setup another unhidden SSID and see if you have the same problem

Anything in the Cisco wifi logs shed any light on what's going on

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Answer 4

EricGA Author

Level 1

0 points

Mar 31, 2014 11:20 AM in response to iToaster

Guest SSID does not have a password. But technically, iOS should not join random networks, regardless of authentication settings, correct? I bet that even though the SSID is different, the BSSID is the same, and iOS is getting confused, but I have no evidence

Unfortunately, I have no access to the wifi logs.

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