Troubleshooting Apple Device Connectivity on Eduroam

Summary

Updates to Apple’s operating systems (macOS Sequoia and iOS 18) have introduced advanced features that may interfere with connectivity and performance on the eduroam network. By adjusting settings for your Wi-Fi connection, eduroam can reliably recognize your device so that your connection stays stable. The recommended changes apply only to the eduroam network.

Symptoms

If your device is affected by Apple's new network defaults, you may notice the following:

• Browser-Specific Slowness: Safari may be slow or intermittent when loading university sites (e.g., Canvas or the .edu domain), while third-party browsers like Chrome function normally.
• Mail Issues: The Apple Mail client may hang on "downloading emails" for 30–60 minutes or fail to load images within messages, whereas Outlook remains unaffected.
• Software Connectivity Errors: Applications like RStudio may fail to download packages, often reporting an inability to reach CRAN mirrors.
• Diagnostic Validation: These issues typically vanish immediately when you switch to cellular data or a home Wi-Fi network, indicating the conflict is specific to the intersection of Apple’s privacy stack and the enterprise network.

Adjusting Connection Settings

To resolve these performance issues, the following instructions will guide you through setting a Fixed Private Wi-Fi address and disabling Limit IP Address Tracking. These changes allow the university registration system to recognize your device’s MAC address—a requirement for campus network security—without compromising your privacy on public networks.

macOS Instructions (macOS Sequoia)

Follow the steps below to optimize your Mac’s connection to the Eduroam network.

Note for Managed Devices: If you find these settings are grayed out or unchangeable, your device may be managed by the University via Jamf. In these cases, network profiles often manage these settings automatically. If you still experience issues on a managed device, please contact the askIT Support Center.

1. Ensure your device is currently connected to eduroam.
2. Open System Settings. In the sidebar, locate and click on Network, then select Wi-Fi.
3. Click the Details... button located to the right of the eduroam network name.
4. Locate the Private Wi-Fi address dropdown and set it to Fixed.
5. Toggle Limit IP address tracking to Off.
6. Close System Settings and attempt to load a university webpage in Safari or refresh your Apple Mail to confirm the fix.

Safari users may still experience slow or non-loading web pages unless Safari's settings are updated:

1. Open Safari.
2. From the menu bar at the top of the screen, select Safari → Settings (or Preferences on older macOS versions).
3. Click the Privacy tab.
4. Uncheck the box next to Limit IP Address Tracking.
5. Close the Settings window.

iOS Instructions (iOS 18)

Follow the steps below to optimize your iPhone or iPad connection.

Note for Managed Devices: If you find these settings are grayed out or unchangeable, your device may be managed by the University via Jamf. In these cases, network profiles often manage these settings automatically. If you still experience issues on a managed device, please contact the askIT Support Center.

1. Open Settings and tap Wi-Fi.
2. Tap the blue "i" (info) icon to the right of the eduroam network name.
3. Locate Private Wi-Fi Address and set it to Fixed.
4. Toggle Limit IP Address Tracking to Off.
5. Attempt to retrieve email or load a campus website to ensure the connection is stable.

Outcome

After applying these settings, your Apple device will maintain a stable, high-performance connection to Eduroam. Safari, Apple Mail, and specialized software like RStudio will function without significant delays or mirror errors. Your device will now comply with organizational network requirements while automatically resuming full privacy protections (like MAC rotation and Private Relay) when you connect to public or home Wi-Fi networks.