Zero-ish touch iPad setup - How does the iPad initially connect to the MDM?

[eean]

Hi,

Need to wipe and re-setup lots of iPads quickly. We have JAMF MDM and devices are already enrolled. JAMF will take care of the wifi setup and push down all the apps and settings. BUT....

How do you initially connect to the MDM?

On a clean iPad we are currently clicking through initial setup questions and manually connecting to the wifi network. After that, the MDM takes over, and will push through the correct wifi network and apps.

 

• I hear that iPads are hard-coded to connect to a specific wifi network so they can find the MDM server when they are in the setup phase? Is that true? Is it connecting to Apple's DEP service, the local MDM or both?
  
• Could proximity setup be used to find wifi details from a nearby iPad via bluetooth?
  

 

It doesn't need to be zero-touch, but any tips to reduce the number of clicks would be appreciated!

[eean]

OR... Would Apple Configurator 2 do it? I don't want to use it to set everything up, just want it to connect it to the wifi and get it to JAMF.

Could we plug multiple iPads through a USB hub (our charging cart has that, I believe) and set them up in batches?

[RLR]

OR... Would Apple Configurator 2 do it? I don't want to use it to set everything up, just want it to connect it to the wifi and get it to JAMF.

Could we plug multiple iPads through a USB hub (our charging cart has that, I believe) and set them up in batches?

Yep, AC2 is what you need to use. Are your devices in DEP/ASM? If they are, make sure the prestage enrolment they are in have the correct settings so you don't have to choose options like signing into the iPad if the iPad isn't going to be assigned to a user.

 

We pretty much turn off everything except Location Services as this helps set the time.

 

Once the prestage is setup, you can just plug the iPads into AC2 and "Prepare" them. You will need to create a Wifi profile on the MAC as part of the prepare setup. This will make the iPads look at your Jamf instance for its settings. The only thing you then need to do is go through whatever options you allowed in the prestage.

 

Might be worth turning on Shared Content/ Caching on the MAC.

[XiJ]

As @RLR said, excellent guide. Prepare and supervise in AC2. I only leave location setting to enable. Deploying the WiFi profile to force and internet connection means it will then pull down your confidence from MDM

[MicrodigitUK]

An alternative to AC2 is https://www.groundctl.com we have used it for over 4 years and even though it is an extra cost it saves so much time. We can just reset or auto reset our IPads just by plugging them in. Practically Zero touch. No touching iPad screen at all. And no bugs in the workflows that you get in AC2