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

Wednesday October 26, 2022 11:03 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

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)

Popular Stories

New Entry-Level iPad Not Expected Until Early 2027

Sunday October 11, 2026 8:57 am PDT by Hartley Charlton

Apple's next entry-level iPad models, codenamed J581 and J582, will not arrive until early 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He added that Apple plans a major iPad Air refresh to add an OLED display and a new iPad Pro in 2027. The latter could gain a vapor chamber to improve thermals and performance. A new iPad mini is still expected to arrive at the end of October this...

• 58 comments

iPad Could Get Significantly Thinner Bezels, Leaker Says

Monday October 5, 2026 8:39 am PDT by Hartley Charlton

The iPad is set to gain significantly narrower borders around its display, according to the leaker known as "Instant Digital" on Weibo. The post gives no model or timeline; it could refer to the entry-level iPad or to Apple's tablet lineup in general. Refreshes of the entry-level iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air, and iPad Pro are in the pipeline. The next iPad mini is already rumored to gain OLED and ...

• 39 comments

Apple Raises iPad and Mac Trade-In Values

Monday October 26, 2026 8:17 am PDT by Hartley Charlton

Apple today updated its U.S. trade-in estimates, raising maximum values across the iPad lineup and for most Macs following today's announcement of the new iPad mini. Every iPad category has gained value, although the increases are relatively modest. The iPad mini and standard iPad both rise by $20, while the iPad Air gains $15 and the iPad Pro increases by $10. The revised maximum estimates...

• 3 comments

Top Rated Comments

MakeAppleAwesomeAgain

52 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

52 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)

darngooddesign

52 months ago

Dear Apple, please start making Airport Basestations again.

Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)

LogicalApex

52 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)

falkon-engine

52 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)