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Forum Discussion
Solved
Phantom device
How can I remove a phantom device from my Orbi Wi-Fi network? It is online but I don’t recognize the device name. ANDROID-A2E3D40A148233E1. Any suggestions?
Dewms26 wrote:
How can I remove a phantom device from my Orbi Wi-Fi network? It is online but I don’t recognize the device name. ANDROID-A2E3D40A148233E1. Any suggestions?This is almost certainly an Android device which has the option Randomize MAC turned on. This is defined an an additional option for each WiFi name in the Settings table. (Click on the Gear Icon, then open up the additional settings.) This means the MAC address presented to the Orbi is not the actual hardware MAC address of the device WiFi and thus it will not match anything that you may have entered into the LAN setup table. Orbi has recognized that it has an Android operating system and has created this goofy name which is a mashup of 'ANDROID-" plus the MAC address.
If you change the device network settings, it will appear as it did before. This new 'security' feature of randomizing MAC addresses is supposed to make us feel secure, but (in my opinion) is more of a bother since every time the device updates software, the option gets set back to Randomize. Oh, well.
5 Replies
MAC address? IP address?
Dewms26 wrote:
How can I remove a phantom device from my Orbi Wi-Fi network? It is online but I don’t recognize the device name. ANDROID-A2E3D40A148233E1. Any suggestions?This is almost certainly an Android device which has the option Randomize MAC turned on. This is defined an an additional option for each WiFi name in the Settings table. (Click on the Gear Icon, then open up the additional settings.) This means the MAC address presented to the Orbi is not the actual hardware MAC address of the device WiFi and thus it will not match anything that you may have entered into the LAN setup table. Orbi has recognized that it has an Android operating system and has created this goofy name which is a mashup of 'ANDROID-" plus the MAC address.
If you change the device network settings, it will appear as it did before. This new 'security' feature of randomizing MAC addresses is supposed to make us feel secure, but (in my opinion) is more of a bother since every time the device updates software, the option gets set back to Randomize. Oh, well.
p.s. I forgot to mention that there is no way to make a device 'go away' from the Attached Devices (or Connected Devices on the Orbi app).
The device has presented the correct WiFi password, which enabled it to connect. If you change the WiFi password, then every device will 'go away', but that is hardly a good solution. (It also means that the Android device will suddenly stop working. along with everything else)
- Thanks for the info.
CrimpOn wrote:
This new 'security' feature of randomizing MAC addresses is supposed to make us feel secure, ...
it's less about security, much more about privacy - for *** people which are scared to be traced when roaming around different public or government Wi-Fi networks. The fun part is that if somebody want to track mobiles, they use Bluetooth, IMEI, and SIM data . all very easy to capture over the air.
CrimpOn wrote:
...but (in my opinion) is more of a bother since every time the device updates software, the option gets set back to Randomize.
Fully sharing your opinion!
However, the Android design is to have random MAC on by default if newly connecting to an SSID. At the same time, or later, each SSID config can be changed between random MAC (default) and device MAC at any time. Never seen an Android-update does reset these configuration settings. Even when changing the device, the "better" implementations of replicating the device config and user profiles, carry forward the Wi-Fi networks configured, including network passphrase, device or random MAC setting. works nicely with the Pixel devices, Samsung mobile and tablets, ...
