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Can't get 2023 MacBook Pro to use WiFi 6E/6GHz w\ WAX630E
Has anyone managed to get this combination working?
It will associate with the 2.4GHz/5GHz radios but I cannot get it to use 6GHz.
If I disable the 2.4GHz and 5GHz radios in Netgear Insight, then it simply won't associate at all.
Dear. tarsiers.
Thank you for using NETGEAR forums.
Can you also post the Mac OS version you are using? Check if there are any newer OS updates available.
1) What is WAX630E SSID security? Is it WPA3-PSK or WPA2/WAP3-PSK (Transition mode) ?
2) To isolate the issue, I would suggest the following.
2.a Create a “Test6Ghz” SSID with WPA3-PSK and only 6Ghz radio enabled.
Check if the Mac book Pro can scan and associate it.
If that works, That means 6Ghz is working.
2.b Forget the SSID on the MacBook; enable the same SSID on 2.4Ghz, 5Ghz, and 6Ghz.
If the Macbook now chooses 5Ghz instead of 6Ghz, then client-side logic prefers 5Ghz for some reason.
2.c Forget the SSID on MacBookthe and change the SSID to WPA2/WPA3 transition mode; enable it on 2.4Ghz, 5Ghz and 6Ghz
Check which SSID the MacBook joins.
Other factors affect which radio the client device will choose.
Please make sure in NETGEAR Insight UI,
For 6Ghz, PCS channels are enabled.
Max TX power is set for AP.
Here are Apple articles on how their clients behave.
How do devices decide which radio/SSID/AP to Join?
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202831
https://support.apple.com/en-in/HT213433
https://support.apple.com/en-in/HT202068
Apple recommends WPA3-PSK and enables the same SSID on all radios. This gives the best security.
But if you have older clients that do not support WPA3, you can enable WPA2/WPA3 transition mode.
In the NETGEAR test team experience, we have observed that some legacy clients get into issues even in WPA2/WPA3 transmission modes (older IOT devices that do have frequent driver updates).
If there are too many types of Wi-Fi devices (8 years or older), we recommend having two SSIDs. one for legacy clients and another one for faster and more modern clients.
6 Replies
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213433 Use Wi-Fi 6E networks with Apple devices
Also look into -> About Wi-Fi 6E networks that have limited compatibility
I've seen that page but it doesn't help solve my problem.
The first part (About Wi-Fi 6E networks that have limited compatibility) talks about networks where there are separate SSIDs for the individual radios. But Netgear Insight groups APs under their SSID and uses the same SSID for all radios, so that isn't an issue.
The second part (How to turn off Wi-Fi 6E mode on your device) talks about how to disable Wi-Fi 6E, which is the opposite of what I want. If WiFi 6E were working, it says I should see "Wi-Fi 6E Mode" under the "Details" section, but I don't, which leads me to believe that the OS is not seeing 6GHz is available for whatever reason.
Dear. tarsiers.
Thank you for using NETGEAR forums.
Can you also post the Mac OS version you are using? Check if there are any newer OS updates available.
1) What is WAX630E SSID security? Is it WPA3-PSK or WPA2/WAP3-PSK (Transition mode) ?
2) To isolate the issue, I would suggest the following.
2.a Create a “Test6Ghz” SSID with WPA3-PSK and only 6Ghz radio enabled.
Check if the Mac book Pro can scan and associate it.
If that works, That means 6Ghz is working.
2.b Forget the SSID on the MacBook; enable the same SSID on 2.4Ghz, 5Ghz, and 6Ghz.
If the Macbook now chooses 5Ghz instead of 6Ghz, then client-side logic prefers 5Ghz for some reason.
2.c Forget the SSID on MacBookthe and change the SSID to WPA2/WPA3 transition mode; enable it on 2.4Ghz, 5Ghz and 6Ghz
Check which SSID the MacBook joins.
Other factors affect which radio the client device will choose.
Please make sure in NETGEAR Insight UI,
For 6Ghz, PCS channels are enabled.
Max TX power is set for AP.
Here are Apple articles on how their clients behave.
How do devices decide which radio/SSID/AP to Join?
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202831
https://support.apple.com/en-in/HT213433
https://support.apple.com/en-in/HT202068
Apple recommends WPA3-PSK and enables the same SSID on all radios. This gives the best security.
But if you have older clients that do not support WPA3, you can enable WPA2/WPA3 transition mode.
In the NETGEAR test team experience, we have observed that some legacy clients get into issues even in WPA2/WPA3 transmission modes (older IOT devices that do have frequent driver updates).
If there are too many types of Wi-Fi devices (8 years or older), we recommend having two SSIDs. one for legacy clients and another one for faster and more modern clients.
I have WAX630E APs in my place and my Macbook Pro (2023) can connect to the SSID using 6GHz with the default setting for the channel, bandwidth, transmit power, etc. I also have a Samsung WiFi 6E phone that can connect to WAX630E 6GHz. Do you configure any advanced setting in your AP?
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