NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.
Forum Discussion
New - RBR50 / RBS50 Firmware Version 2.7.4.24 Released
New Features and Enhancements:
Admin password brute force attack prevention
Admin password strength enforcement
EU data analytics opt-out
Bug Fixes:
The backup config file i...
lvangent wrote:
It does make sense that Apple changes MAC address every time it connects to a Wi-Fi. It would not be a good private solution if the coffee shop with free internet knows your device comes back every time with the same MAC address.
In networking what "makes sense" is open to interpretation. It would be relatively simple to verify that article in terms of one's own WiFi system. i.e. "Does the iPhone have the same MAC address for many days in a row, until one day it changes?" I am certain that some activities, such as doing a software update, cause a MAC change. (She Who Must Be Obeyed uses an iPhone and iPad and I see them with new MAC addresses occasionally.) I also think that doing a software update resets the network setting back to "Private Networking" even when the user had set it not to.
Being a Diet Coke addict (and having an Android phone), I am not likely to wander into Starbucks, but someone who does could do the same experiment. Go into Starbucks. Write down WiFi MAC address. Go back the next day. Repeat until over caffeinated. Does the MAC change every trip? Every so many trips?
I've made some relative progress. The iOS devices do change MAC due to the private WiFi address feature now built into iOS. This change seems to occur after certain major state changes, if you reset network settings, forget an access point and re-associate, but never reboots or airplane mode. This seems to result in Armor seeing the iOS device as new, and unprotected in the Orbi app despite having Armor app running and signed in on the iOS device. The Armor portal then shows multiple devices with different MACs and/or IPA. Orbi shows them and needing Armor when clearly it's already running on them.
I semi resolved this by deleting all my iPhone and iPad entries in the web portal for Armor and then reinstalling the app on them and activating Armor. The Orbi app no longer reports these iOS devices as eligible for Armor even though it was running on them before anyway. The security score goes back up as there are no longer unprotected devices. However these iOS devices still report as not having Armor/Bitdefender in Orbi but do report as having it in web portal with a red "B" badge on them but "not scanned yet" but "no threats detected" in green. The security option under the iOS device entry in Orbi says no details available. So it's almost reconciled itself. Maybe it takes a few days of automated checks to fully clear up.
What is bemusing is a web cam I have was constantly reporting as eligible for Bitdefender as it thought it was a "computer" but I could never install the client on it as is it has no user accessible interfaces. However it's suddenly after months no longer showing in the eligible devices list. Maybe they do monthly or so checks and add frequently occurring MACs to their exemptions list. It would be good if the end user could manually exempt an IoT or Android like device it mis recognises as an eligible computer.
Clearly Armor/Bitdefender and Orbi app are a bit fickle with reconciling devices with private or dynamic MAC addresses, or IoT it mis interprets as an end user device it thinks you can instal the Armor/Bitdefender client on.
Clearing out all duplicates in the portal and reinstalling on the iOS devices seems to kick off reconciliation but it appears some back end tidying up occurs over days not hours.
Glad you got it working better.
Any Armor or Bit Defender questions or need help, please review and post over in the Armor forum:
https://community.netgear.com/t5/NETGEAR-Armor/bd-p/en-home-armor
Be sure to save off a back up configuration to file for safe keeping. Saves time if a reset is needed.
https://kb.netgear.com/000062080/How-do-I-back-up-the-configuration-settings-on-my-Orbi-WiFi-System
Enjoy. 📡
Jeffgear wrote:
I've made some relative progress. The iOS devices do change MAC due to the private WiFi address feature now built into iOS. This change seems to occur after certain major state changes, if you reset network settings, forget an access point and re-associate, but never reboots or airplane mode. This seems to result in Armor seeing the iOS device as new, and unprotected in the Orbi app despite having Armor app running and signed in on the iOS device. The Armor portal then shows multiple devices with different MACs and/or IPA. Orbi shows them and needing Armor when clearly it's already running on them.
I semi resolved this by deleting all my iPhone and iPad entries in the web portal for Armor and then reinstalling the app on them and activating Armor. The Orbi app no longer reports these iOS devices as eligible for Armor even though it was running on them before anyway. The security score goes back up as there are no longer unprotected devices. However these iOS devices still report as not having Armor/Bitdefender in Orbi but do report as having it in web portal with a red "B" badge on them but "not scanned yet" but "no threats detected" in green. The security option under the iOS device entry in Orbi says no details available. So it's almost reconciled itself. Maybe it takes a few days of automated checks to fully clear up.
What is bemusing is a web cam I have was constantly reporting as eligible for Bitdefender as it thought it was a "computer" but I could never install the client on it as is it has no user accessible interfaces. However it's suddenly after months no longer showing in the eligible devices list. Maybe they do monthly or so checks and add frequently occurring MACs to their exemptions list. It would be good if the end user could manually exempt an IoT or Android like device it mis recognises as an eligible computer.Clearly Armor/Bitdefender and Orbi app are a bit fickle with reconciling devices with private or dynamic MAC addresses, or IoT it mis interprets as an end user device it thinks you can instal the Armor/Bitdefender client on.
Clearing out all duplicates in the portal and reinstalling on the iOS devices seems to kick off reconciliation but it appears some back end tidying up occurs over days not hours.
