MAC Randomization is back in the news again, thanks to Apple’s latest iOS 18 update. Apple now gives users the option to rotate their MAC address every 2 weeks. In fact, if your network uses weak or no security, like most public space and hospitality networks, that will be the default setting.

If you are still relying on 802.1x to authenticate users onto your network, the writing is not only on the wall, but the script is getting longer. Relying on a user’s MAC address to authenticate them to a network, and track their usage, will continue to degrade your user’s experience, open your network to increasing security vulnerabilities, and ultimately upset your customers.

RoamingiQ has been a champion of MAC Randomization since its inception. In fact, our CEO first wrote in 2021 that the existing technologies in place mean that, “[The way] we connect to networks [is] … based on… characteristics of Wi-Fi frequencies first standardized in 1999, the same year Apple® released the iBook® and Regis Philbin first asked, ‘Who wants to be a millionaire?’”

We followed up in 2022 and explained how RoamingiQ can bring your networks into the modern era with global roaming and secure connectivity for every user.

RoamingiQ’s VAULT solution does not rely on MAC addresses to authenticate users to networks. For VAULT users, any changes from device OEMs regarding MAC Randomization warrant little more than a shoulder shrug, and perhaps an audible, “hmm.” VAULT automates the delivery of secure Pre-shared Keys (PSKs) to each user, allowing a single PSK used across multiple devices to authenticate users to Wi-Fi networks. With API integrations to our backend platform, you can deliver those PSKs to users through any method you choose, including integration with a mobile app.

Once a PSK is tied to a user, it is theirs for life. That means truly once-in-a-lifetime authentication, supported across all devices, and without any certificates to install.

So, if the writing on the wall is concerning (and it should), give us a call to learn more about VAULT.