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Forum Discussion
RAXE500: Apple and Wi-Fi 6E
Apple’s recommended settings for Wi-Fi routers and access points state: "Make sure that all routers on your network use the same name for every band they support. If you give your 2.4GHz, 5GHz, or 6GHz bands different names, devices might not connect reliably to your network, to all routers on your network, or to all available bands of your routers. If your router is providing a Wi-Fi 6E network that isn't using the same name for all bands, Apple devices that support Wi-Fi 6E will identify the network as having limited compatibility."
It appears that the ability to use the same network name (SSID) for 2.4, 5, and 6GHz bands with the RAXE500 router (firmware 1.0.12.96) does not exist, since the Smart Connect feature allows a single SSID for only the 2.4 and 5GHz bands - and, excludes the 6GHz band.
As a consequence, what “limited compatibility” issues have members of this forum encountered with the RAXE500 when using WiFi 6E with Apple devices? (Thank you.)
16 Replies
I've not seen any issues with the RAXE500, Smart Connect enabled and My Iphone, iMac, Mac Mini, pads and a Mac Book Pro.
I also don't enable WiFI Privacy whilst at home either:
FURRYe38, I also have not observed any issues with Apple devices while using the 6GHz band with a separate SSID.
On my iPhone 15 Pro (iOS 17.1.1), the “limited compatibility” warning is displayed at Settings | Wi-Fi | [6GHz SSID] | “i”. The warning states “This network is configured with a separate network name for 6GHz, which may impact some experiences like AirPlay.”
Thus, Apple recommends and appears to expect a user to configure their network with a single SSID for the 2.4, 5, and 6GHz bands. However, with the RAXE500, is this possible?
What if the same SSID is manually entered for the 2.4, 5, and 6GHz bands in the router web interface (not using the Smart Connect feature), together with the different passwords for each band? Might this work?
I thought there was a separate 6Ghz network if you disable SC?
My RAXE500 uses the same password put in for 2.4 and 5Ghz for 6E, so if you change the name of the networks to the same for them all and use a strong password across all networks it should work I would have thought, as they are all using the same SSID and the same password and then it should then roam properly. Just a thought.
Yes, similar to Killhippie operating WAX630E among other WAX6xx and a few WAC6xx on the same SSID on 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz. Roaming from 2.4 nd/or 5 GHz to 6 GHz appears to be a little bit delayed - however, this seems to be a client specific effect (various Android and Intel AX210, and a small number of BE200/210 based units). Only the Cuppertino devices issue some odd warnings (my old friendship with Apple?).
After updating my iPhone 15 Pro to iOS 17.3 today, I noticed that the “limited compatibility” warning is no longer displayed at Settings | Wi-Fi | [6GHz SSID] | “I”. Previously, the warning appeared and stated: “This network is configured with a separate network name for 6GHz, which may impact some experiences like AirPlay.”
Can anyone else please confirm this observation? Does the removal of this warning imply that an iPhone running iOS 17.3 is now fully compatible with Apple services when connected to a 6GHz network?
