[ipad] iPads Global Proxy Issue/Smoothwall/Meraki

[xowainx]

Hi all,

 

We've recently started using iPad Minis in the school, which has been great apart from a few niggles. The one which I just can't get to the bottom of, involves the Global Proxy setting on the iPads. As we get our wi-fi from our local council, we have to have them running through an authenticated proxy, which is fine, in theory (i.e works with no problem on my phone when entered manually). When we first set them up and deployed the proxy via Meraki MDM profiles, they didn't work on our wi-fi until the username and proxy had been re-entered on the iPad manually, as although it was visible in the iPad proxy settings, it was like the password hadn't been parsed properly (Smoothwall's realtime web filter confirms that no user is being used, so the only things that load are sites in authentication exceptions). I've also checked with multiple people that I haven't mispelled the password in Meraki (there's a "show password" button too). This would be fine if it only happened the once, but it recurs at random points, and a combination of re-entering the password, force closing safari, and restarting the iPad seems to clear it eventually, but this isn't practical for staff and pupils to do during lessons and sometimes it just doesn't work (like with the one I have on my desk here that has prompted this plea for help).

 

I found this thread here which appears to be the same problem with no solution: http://www.edugeek.net/forums/netbooks-pda-phones/141339-global-proxy-issues.html

 

If anyone has any ideas, or has encountered similar, any help or advice would be appreciated!

[Griff]

Not sure if its the same issue but when I first joined here the iPads constantly asked for the proxy authentication details to a point of insanity. I actually ended up turning authentication off, we are waiting for a new broadband + filtering solution to be put it so will revisit it when we get on that. iPads are notoriously bad at proxy authentication and I dug around for ages and the general gist I get is Apple don't really care and haven't fixed the issue.

 

Theres a fairly decent Article from the boys at Lightspeed about it here How Does Proxy Authentication Work with iOS Devices? | Lightspeed Systems Community Site note the last sentence

 

Sorry not much help

[Roopert]

If you setup (or have setup) an 'unauthenticated IP's' group in smoothwall, and have all non-authenticated devices on this profile. Instead of having any proxy configuration.

 

Although this isn't a solution, its a workaround so that the devices can still be filtered for the internet and useable.

 

The obvious limitation is that it cannot be per user its rather 'per device' due to the non-authentication.