Recommended settings for Wi-Fi routers and access points

For the best security, functioning, and reliability, we recommend these settings for Wi-Fi routers, base stations, or access points used with Apple products.

This article is primarily for network administrators and others who manage their own network. If you're trying to join a Wi-Fi network, one of these articles should help:

  • Mac: Connect to Wi-Fi and resolve Wi-Fi issues.
  • iPhone, iPad, iPod touch: Connect to Wi-Fi and resolve Wi-Fi issues.

About privacy and security warnings
If your Apple device shows a privacy alert or weak-security warning about a Wi-Fi network, that network could expose data about your device. Apple tree recommends connecting to Wi-Fi networks that come across or exceed the security standards in this article.

Before irresolute the settings on your router

  1. Support your router's settings, in case you need to restore them.
  2. Update the software on your devices. This is critical to ensure that your devices have the latest security updates and piece of work best with each other.
    • Showtime install the latest firmware updates for your router.
    • Then update the software on your other devices, such as on your Mac and on your iPhone or iPad.
  3. On each device that previously joined the network, you might demand to forget the network to ensure that the device uses the router's new settings when rejoining the network.

Router settings

To ensure that your devices can connect securely and reliably to your network, apply these settings consistently to each Wi-Fi router and access point, and to each band of a dual-ring, tri-band, or other multiband router.

Security

Set to WPA3 Personalfor improve security
Set to WPA2/WPA3 Transitional for compatibility with older devices

The security setting defines the type of authentication and encryption used by your router, and the level of privacy protection for data transmitted over its network. Whichever setting you cull, ever gear up a strong password for joining the network.

  • WPA3 Personal is the newest, near secure protocol currently available for Wi-Fi devices. It works with all devices that support Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), and some older devices.
  • WPA2/WPA3 Transitional is a mixed style that uses WPA3 Personal with devices that support that protocol, while allowing older devices to utilise WPA2 Personal (AES) instead.
  • WPA2 Personal (AES) is advisable when you tin't use one of the more secure modes. In that case, also choose AES as the encryption or cipher type, if available.

Weak security settings to avoid on your router

Don't create or join networks that use older, deprecated security protocols. These are no longer secure, they reduce network reliability and performance, and they cause your device to show a security warning:

  • WPA/WPA2 mixed modes
  • WPA Personal
  • WEP, including WEP Open, WEP Shared, WEP Transitional Security Network, or Dynamic WEP (WEP with 802.1X)
  • TKIP, including any security setting with TKIP in the proper noun

Settings that plough off security, such every bit None, Open, or Unsecured, are also strongly discouraged. Turning off security disables hallmark and encryption and allows anyone to bring together your network, access its shared resources (including printers, computers, and smart devices), use your internet connection, and monitor the websites y'all visit and other data transmitted over your network or internet connection. This is a risk even if security is turned off temporarily or for a guest network.

Network proper noun (SSID)

 Set to a single, unique name (case-sensitive)

The Wi-Fi network name, or SSID (service set identifier), is the proper noun your network uses to advertise its presence to other devices. It's likewise the name that nearby users see on their device's list of available networks.

Use a name that's unique to your network, and brand sure that all routers on your network use the same name for every ring they back up. For example, don't use common names or default names such as linksys, netgear, dlink, wireless, or 2wire, and don't requite your 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands different names.

If you don't follow this guidance, devices might not connect reliably to your network, to all routers on your network, or to all available bands of your routers. And devices that bring together your network are more likely to see other networks that have the same proper noun, and so automatically try to connect to them.

Hidden network

Ready to Disabled

A router can be configured to hide its network name (SSID). Your router might incorrectly utilise "airtight" to mean hidden, and "broadcast" to mean not hidden.

Hiding the network name doesn't conceal the network from detection or secure it against unauthorized access. And because of the fashion that devices search for and connect to Wi-Fi networks, using a hidden network might expose data that tin be used to identify you and the hidden networks you use, such every bit your home network. When connected to a subconscious network, your device might testify a privacy alarm because of this privacy risk.

To secure access to your network, use the advisable security setting instead.

MAC address filtering, authentication, admission command

Prepare to Disabled

When this characteristic is enabled, your router can be set up to allow only devices that have specified MAC (media access command) addresses to join the network. You shouldn't rely on this feature to prevent unauthorized access to your network, for these reasons:

  • It doesn't prevent network observers from monitoring or intercepting traffic on the network.
  • MAC addresses can easily be copied, spoofed (impersonated), or inverse.
  • To help protect user privacy, some Apple tree devices use a different MAC address for each Wi-Fi network.

To secure access to your network, use the appropriate security setting instead.

Automatic firmware updates

 Set toEnabled

If possible, prepare your router to automatically install software and firmware updates as they become available. Firmware updates can touch the security settings available to you, and they evangelize other important improvements to the stability, operation, and security of your router.

Radio fashion

Gear up to All (preferred),orWi-Fi ii through Wi-Fi 6 (802.11a/m/north/ac/ax)

These settings, available separately for the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, control which versions of the Wi-Fi standard the router uses for wireless advice. Newer versions offer better performance and support more devices meantime.

Information technology's unremarkably all-time to enable every mode offered by your router, rather then a subset of those modes. All devices, including older devices, can and then connect using the fastest radio style they support. This as well helps reduce interference from nearby legacy networks and devices.

Bands

Enable all bands supported past your router

A Wi-Fi band is like a street over which data can period. More bands provide more data chapters and performance for your network.

Channel

Prepare to Auto

Each band of your router is divided into multiple, independent communication channels, like lanes in a street. When channel choice is set to automatic, your router selects the best Wi-Fi channel for you.

If your router doesn't support automated channel selection, choose whichever channel performs best in your network environment. That varies depending on the Wi-Fi interference in your network surround, which can include interference from any other routers and devices that are using the same channel. If you accept multiple routers, configure each to use a dissimilar channel, specially if they are close to each other.

Channel width

Gear up to 20MHz for the ii.4GHz band
Set to Autoor all widths (20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz) for the 5GHz band

Channel width specifies how big of a "pipe" is available to transfer data. Wider channels are faster only more susceptible to interference and more likely to interfere with other devices.

  • 20MHz for the two.4GHz band helps to avoid performance and reliability issues, especially well-nigh other Wi-Fi networks and 2.4GHz devices, including Bluetooth devices.
  • Motorcar or all channel widths for the 5GHz band ensures the best performance and compatibility with all devices. Wireless interference is less of a business concern in the 5GHz band.

DHCP

Prepare to Enabled, if your router is the only DHCP server on the network

DHCP (dynamic host configuration protocol) assigns IP addresses to devices on your network. Each IP address identifies a device on the network and enables it to communicate with other devices on the network and cyberspace. A network device needs an IP address much like a phone needs a phone number.

Your network should have only ane DHCP server. If DHCP is enabled on more than than one device, such as on both your cablevision modem and router, address conflicts might prevent some devices from connecting to the internet or using network resources.

DHCP lease fourth dimension

 Fix to 8 hours for dwelling house or office networks;1 hour for hotspots or invitee networks

DHCP lease fourth dimension is the length of time that an IP accost assigned to a device is reserved for that device.

Wi-Fi routers normally have a limited number of IP addresses that they tin assign to devices on the network. If that number is depleted, the router can't assign IP addresses to new devices, and those devices can't communicate with other devices on the network and internet. Reducing DHCP lease fourth dimension allows the router to more quickly reclaim and reassign old IP addresses that are no longer being used.

NAT

Set to Enabled, if your router is the only device providing NAT on the network

NAT (network accost translation) translates between addresses on the internet and addresses on your network. NAT tin can be understood by imagining a company'south mail department, where deliveries to employees at the company'southward street address are routed to employee offices inside the edifice.

More often than not, enable NAT just on your router. If NAT is enabled on more than one device, such as on both your cable modem and router, the resulting "double NAT" might cause devices to lose access to sure resources on the network or internet.

WMM

Ready to Enabled

WMM (Wi-Fi multimedia) prioritizes network traffic to improve the performance of a diversity of network applications, such as video and voice. All routers that support Wi-Fi iv (802.11n) or later should have WMM enabled past default. Disabling WMM can affect the operation and reliability of devices on the network.

Device features that tin can affect Wi-Fi connections

These features might affect how you lot gear up up your router or the devices that connect to it.

Private Wi-Fi Accost

Location Services

Make sure that your device has Location Services turned on for Wi-Fi networking, considering regulations in each country or region ascertain the Wi-Fi channels and wireless signal strength allowed there. Location Services helps to ensure that your device tin can reliably encounter and connect to nearby devices, and that it performs well when using Wi-Fi or features that rely on Wi-Fi, such as AirPlay or AirDrop.

On your Mac:

  1. Choose Apple carte  > System Preferences, and so click Security & Privacy.
  2. Click the lock in the corner of the window, then enter your administrator password.
  3. In the Privacy tab, select Location Services, then select Enable Location Services.
  4. Scroll to the lesser of the list of apps and services, and so click the Details button next to System Services.
  5. Select Networking & Wireless (or Wi-Fi Networking), then click Washed.

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod bear upon:

  1. Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services.
  2. Turn on Location Services.
  3. Scroll to the bottom of the list, then tap System Services.
  4. Turn on Networking & Wireless (or Wi-Fi Networking).

Machine-Join when used with wireless carrier Wi-Fi networks

Wireless carrier Wi-Fi networks are public networks prepare up by your wireless carrier and their partners. Your iPhone or other Apple cellular device treats them equally known networks and automatically connects to them.

If you lot see "Privacy Warning" nether the name of your carrier's network in Wi-Fi settings, your cellular identity could be exposed if your device were to join a malicious hotspot impersonating your carrier's Wi-Fi network. To avoid this possibility, you can prevent your iPhone or iPad from automatically rejoining your carrier's Wi-Fi network:

  1. Go to Settings > Wi-Fi.
  2. Tap next to the wireless carrier'southward network.
  3. Plough off Auto-Join.

Information about products not manufactured by Apple, or independent websites not controlled or tested by Apple, is provided without recommendation or endorsement. Apple assumes no responsibility with regard to the selection, performance, or apply of tertiary-political party websites or products. Apple makes no representations regarding third-party website accuracy or reliability. Contact the vendor for boosted data.

Published Appointment: