After a few delays and much anticipation, the Apple Watch is finally shipping out to eager customers worldwide. The device is arguably one of the best-known and most closely watched examples of wearable tech today. But up until now, we haven’t learned enough about one of its key functions – the way it connects to the Internet.

Apple explained early on how the watch links to a user’s iPhone via Bluetooth, letting you push phone alerts, texts, emails and calls directly to the screen on your wrist. Yet the company also announced that the device could connect to Wi-Fi networks on its own, without the need for a Bluetooth-tethered connection.

Sounds ideal, right? Sorry, but hold that thought. That’s because when it comes to wireless capabilities, the watch has a number of features that clearly make it less useful for communication – especially on corporate Wi-Fi networks.

  • First, the Apple Watch only supports 2.4GHz, Wi-Fi’s legacy spectrum. That’s a problem, because it’s almost entirely out of step with current wireless trends. Networks everywhere are steadily moving toward universal 5GHz coverage. Meanwhile, the old spectrum is being phased out. So before you can test out your new gadget as a possible tool for the office, you’ll first have to check with IT and confirm they still support 2.4GHz to begin with.
  • Apple says the watch relies on the iPhone’s Wi-Fi configuration settings to connect to preferred networks. Yet the watch itself is unable to access any 802.11x networks (the standard for Port-based Network Access Control, or PNAC). Nor can it connect to standard guest networks, since it lacks the captive portal function. This limits your options for finding a connection in different locations.
  • Last, in order for the watch to even work on a corporate network, IT departments must create an open SSID, or an SSID that supports WPA/WPA2 encryption. Unfortunately this is a deal breaker for many enterprises, since it conflicts with needs for security and access control.

Apple is clearly aware of some of these limitations. On May 21st they filed a patent for a new hotspot device that would allow the Apple Watch and other Wi-Fi-enabled products to access wireless networks without a smartphone connection. Though it’s a step forward, I still don’t think it’s enough to leverage the ubiquitous Wi-Fi infrastructure being built around the globe.

But don’t scrap your plans for new wrist-wear just yet. Even with these stumbling blocks, there’s a simple and effective solution you can potentially use. Turn to your Wi-Fi vendor and find out if they support device on-boarding through a User Pre-Shared Key (UPSK) instead of a downloadable supplicant. If so, the watch will take the Wi-Fi configuration from your iPhone and auto connect to your regular networks without a hitch.

It’s important to remember that the arrival of the Apple Watch – limitations and all – is part of a larger shift, one that’s reshaping how we use wireless technology and the expectations we bring to it.

As we move into an IoT world, Wi-Fi companies will need to get creative. We can start by thinking up new methods for device on-boarding, aiming for approaches that are more flexible, yet still secure. One thing is certain: the Apple Watch is here to stay. If history is any judge, there will be plenty of new wearable products vying for this significant market sector. Our job as networking specialists is to ensure that the people using these devices enjoy easy, secure and reliable access to the Wi-Fi networks they depend on. We at Xirrus are happy to pick up this gauntlet.