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New iPad Pro Includes Special Mode to Turn Off Wi-Fi 6E

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The new iPad Pro models announced last week are the first Apple devices to support Wi-Fi 6E, which uses the 6GHz band to enable faster and more reliable Wi-Fi connectivity. In a new support document, Apple explains how the feature works.

ipad pro 2022
To create a Wi-Fi 6E network, Apple says you need a Wi-Fi 6E router that also has its 2.4GHz or 5GHz bands enabled. For the best Wi-Fi performance, Apple recommends using a single network name across the router's 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands. Otherwise, the iPad Pro identifies the network as having "limited compatibility," with Apple warning that the "overall experience with some activities over the network might not be as expected."

If you experience any issues with a Wi-Fi 6E network, Apple says you can turn off Wi-Fi 6E mode for that network, and the iPad Pro will no longer use that network's 6GHz band. To do so, open the Settings app, tap on Wi-Fi, tap on the name of the network you are connected to, tap on Wi-Fi 6E Mode and toggle it off. However, Apple says this setting appears only for Wi-Fi 6E networks that use a single network name for all bands.

The new iPad Pro was released today and also features the M2 chip, new hover functionality for the Apple Pencil, ProRes video recording, and Bluetooth 5.3.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Tag: Wi-Fi 6E
Buyer's Guide: iPad Pro (Caution)

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Top Rated Comments

MakeAppleAwesomeAgain Avatar
MakeAppleAwesomeAgain
51 months ago
They wouldn't have to explain anything if they'd still make AirPort routers. I'll be the first to buy if they'd ever start making routers again.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
belvdr Avatar
belvdr
51 months ago

Why does apple recommend using the same SSID for the different frequencies? I’ve found that it is best to have separate SSIDs for each band…
I've never done that. With the same SSID, my system roams to the other frequency without dropping.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
D
darngooddesign
51 months ago
Dear Apple, please start making Airport Basestations again.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
L
LogicalApex
51 months ago

I want more details on “overall experience with some activities over the network might not be as expected.” With separate bands. I’m so curious what they mean by that, and why it doesn’t apply to have separate 2.4ghz and 5ghz on routers that don’t support 6E
My educated guess…

WiFi 6E being on the 6Ghz band will have less range than the 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz bands. As a result, consumer routers may only allow limited 6E range. To prevent users from losing connectivity as they move around Apple is going to dynamically walk between frequencies as signal fades for them. So they need the SSID to be the same to facilitate this roaming.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
F
falkon-engine
51 months ago

I want more details on “overall experience with some activities over the network might not be as expected.” With separate bands. I’m so curious what they mean by that, and why it doesn’t apply to have separate 2.4ghz and 5ghz on routers that don’t support 6E
I think it's because 6 Ghz has less range than the 5 Ghz band, and much less range than the 2.4 Ghz band. Signal propagation is inversely correlated to the frequency. So the lower the frequency, the longer the radio wave, and the more easy it is for the signal to propagate through obstructions such as a wall. So perhaps Apple is concerned that if you're on the 6 Ghz band, the RSSI levels may drop to low values depending on how far you are away from the router, and they have some kind of intelligence to roam/handoff to a different frequency to maintain a good connection with the router. Will be interesting to test this.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DHagan4755 Avatar
DHagan4755
51 months ago
That doesn't sound like the old Steve motto of "it just works."
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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