Group Rekey Interval

What is the group rekey interval?

Your WiFi network encrypts data so that outsiders cannot read it. Part of this encryption uses a shared key called the Group Temporal Key (GTK), which all devices on the network share. The group rekey interval controls how often this key gets refreshed.

Think of it like changing the locks on a shared office. Every time the lock changes, everyone needs a new key. On WiFi, every time the group key refreshes, each connected device has to briefly renegotiate its connection. The default on most routers is every 3600 seconds (one hour).

Why it matters

When the group key refreshes, some devices handle it smoothly in the background. Others, especially older IoT gadgets, smart home devices, printers, and some phones, drop their connection entirely and have to rejoin the network. If you have ever noticed your smart thermostat or security camera going offline at regular intervals, the group rekey may be the culprit.

With the default one-hour interval, this disruption happens 24 times a day. For most home networks, there is no meaningful security benefit to rekeying this frequently. An attacker who already has your WiFi password gains nothing from the old group key.

What you can do

• Log into your router and look for "Group Key Renewal" or "Group Rekey Interval" under your wireless security settings.
• Change the value from 3600 to 86400 (24 hours). This dramatically reduces how often devices need to renegotiate, while still refreshing the key daily.
• Some routers allow setting the value even higher, or to 0 (which disables rekeying entirely). A value of 86400 is a safe middle ground.
• If you notice specific devices dropping off your network at regular intervals, the group rekey interval is one of the first settings to check.
• Apple's official networking recommendations suggest extending this interval for networks with many devices.
• After changing the setting, reboot your router so all devices pick up the new configuration cleanly.

What Network Weather shows you

Network Weather checks your network's group rekey interval and flags the default setting, which is known to cause periodic disconnections on some devices.