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Forum Discussion
"Attached Devices" and "Access Control": cannot connect
I have had problems contacting my iPhone to my network ever since I turned on Access Control on my Orbi router. Turning this off for anything other than a short duration is not an option for reasons I won't go into. I have an unwelcome pest consistently trying to join my network.
I discovered in another post that one reason for this might be my iPhone assigning random MAC addresses to itself. I have switched this off, so now the MAC address is stable, but there is another problem.
While Access Control is switched on and "Block all new devices from connecting" is selected, my iPhone does not appear in the list of devices on that page. Not even listed as "Blocked". So I don't have the option to "allow" it.
Turning this off temporarily allows me to join the network, but then, having joined the network, turning it back on causes my iPhone to be unable to connect once again. Even though I joined when the Access Control option was off.
Nor is my IPhone listed in Basic > Attached Devices, even when actually connected to Wi-Fi. I have tried rebooting both my iPhone and the router, but it is not appearing, preventing me from "allowing" it. I do not really have the option to keep Access Control turned off.
Why is this list of attached devices not refreshing? Why is it not including my device? And more specifically, why is it not appearing in the list of blocked devices, now that I have a stable MAC address I can allow through?
Even though it is currently connected and working, and not in the list of blocked devices, as soon as I switch on Access Control, it will drop. To me this feels like a bug in the Orbi software.
3 Replies
What Firmware version is currently loaded?
Yes it's the Apple device putting out random MAC addresses if WiFi Private IP address is enabled. https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi-App/NETGEAR-Mobile-Applications-and-Apple-Devices-FAQ/td-p/2220016/jump-to/first-unread-message
Possible that after you were configuring the access control with that enabled then after you disable it, maybe causing some confusion now with Access Control.
Has a power off for 1 minute then back ON with the ISP modem and router been performed since last update?
Be sure to restart your network in this sequence:
Turn off and unplug modem.
Turn off router and computers.
Plug in and turn on modem. Wait 2 minutes for it to connect.
Turn on the router and wait 2 minutes for it to connect.
Turn on computers and rest of network.Has a factory reset and setup from scratch been performed since last FW update? A complete pull of the power adapters for a period of time after the factory reset then walk thru the setup wizard and setup from scratch. Recommend setting the default DHCP IP address pool range to the following after applying and a factory reset: 192.168.#.100 to 192.168.#.200.
I would power OFF the ISP modem for 1 minute. Factory reset the Orbi router and power it off. Power ON the ISP modem and let it sync. Then power ON the Orbi router and walk thru the setup wizard again using a wired PC and a web browser.
Press the back reset button for 15 seconds then release.
https://kb.netgear.com/31486/How-do-I-reset-my-Orbi-system-to-factory-default-settings
Be sure you have WiFi Private IP address disabled if you factory reset and setup from scratch.I wish Apple would default the random mac address to disabled. Its not needed at home. Only really needed if you travel and connect to open wifi connections like at the airport or coffee shop. Really can make things a hassle when enabled. I keep mine disabled. 🙄
