Changing WiFi at login on multi-user iPad

[DDoecke]

I'm working for a school that uses iPads managed by Jamf - mostly in Multi-User mode.

The SSID that they connect to uses RADIUS to steer the iPads to the right vLan, and currently we have a "shared iPad Auth" account that we use for this purpose.

Our ICT manager has requested that we have the students start using their own usernames and passwords on the iPad, so that any "undesirable" activity logged on our firewall will get tied to a specific user.   We've managed to successfully apply a WiFi Policy by attaching it to the students username - but it doesn't seem to be persistent.

By which I mean that the iPad will boot to the login screen, connected to the network using the Shared iPad Auth account (which is expected) but after the student logs into the iPad, it stays on the Shared iPad Auth account unless-and-until they go to the WiFi settings, and tell it to connect, and enter their network login details.  Then, when the screen goes off, and the iPad returns to the login screen and shared auth, and they log in, they need to go to WiFi settings AGAIN, and enter their network login details AGAIN.

I've searched around a bit and not found this specific issue, so I'm not sure if there's a better way that other people are using - but we're willing to take suggestions. (Currently we're just doing a testing lab, in preparation for rolling out a solution at the beginning of 2023)

[PaulHazelden]

I use a different MDM for iPad management, and with that the only way I could get it to work in a similar fashion to your description was to set up a different SSID.
So we use a hidden SSID for the management and logging in, Then when a User logs in, we send their credentials over and switch out to a visible SSID - the one they normally use.
We found the system was unable to simply swap out the User credentials and yet remain on the same SSID.

[DDoecke]

Yeah, that's pretty much the conclusion we're coming to.  It's a pity - especially since these are 6-year-olds, so small frustrations can mount quickly.

Fingers crossed we can get enough funding for next year that we can do 1:1 iPads, instead of sharing them like this.

[PaulHazelden]

Get a hidden WiFi SSID set up on the network, use that for the management. Create a profile to set that up and assign it to the devices when they have no user. Then take the one you have for the Users and connect them to your visible WiFi.

For us it is pretty seamless, drop one wifi profile and pick up the new one, then later return to the other.

The important bit is it needs to be a different SSID. It doesnt see a change of User as a difference, only the change of SSID.