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Forum Discussion
IP Address DIsplay/Attached Device Display 870 Series
Just chiming in here with just one of many issues I have been having with my Orbi 870/871 devices. I am set up in AP mode (we wont get into the issues with this) and, looking at the attached devices I see a number of devices that are attached/connected showing up with an unknown IP address and/or an unknown device name. Now, I am a rather picky person and the fact that the device name is 'discovered', which I assume is from the MAC address, really bothers me as I have taken considerable time updating my DNS server to issue device names that make logical sense to me. I have multiple iPhone devices in the house and all of them have a DNS name assigned, yet Orbi thinks it is mor effective to just tell me that an iPhone is attached. Even worse, sometimes it cannot tell me even that AND it cannot tell me IP addresses, even though it has the MAC address. Retrieving the IP address and name of a connected device is one of the simplest tasks a network device can do yet these are not doing it. No one cares about the 'learned' device name, we want the name it is known on the network to show up please. I do not think I am asking too much here; just make the product work like other network devices work.
17 Replies
Haven't check AP mode lately, however router mode works for me currently.
What devices are showing up as unknowns?
If mobile phones and pads, be sure to disable any MAC Address randomizers on phones and pads while at home:
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi-App/NETGEAR-Mobile-Applications-and-Apple-Devices-FAQ/td-p/2220016/jump-to/first-unread-messageThis is one cause of these devices showing up as unknowns.
What is the Mfr and model# of the host router the RBR is connected too in AP mode?
How is AP mode configured on the RBR? Dynamic or Static configuration? I use Static with mine.
What Firmware version is currently loaded?
From just a single satellite. More devices on others show similar. 1st 2 are and iPhone and iWatch. .30 is a Nest Thermostat, The next one if a Bose Soundtouch, and the last is an Amazon Firestick. It's not just iPhones.
Do these devices appear correctly on the RBRs web page?
If this is from the RBS web page, there has been some odd behaviors around what the RBS report. I would agree, should be reporting correctly if all devices and names and MAC addresses are aligned.
Phones and pads, make sure you disable MAC address randomizer on them...
jeffrymaynard wrote:
From just a single satellite. More devices on others show similar. 1st 2 are and iPhone and iWatch. .30 is a Nest Thermostat, The next one if a Bose Soundtouch, and the last is an Amazon Firestick. It's not just iPhones.
They do not show up on the main RBR devices connected page. Example, the SoundTouch would be .111 and called Little Bose and it is missing. So are others.
Perhaps it would help to be more precise with terminology.
A DNS server resolves internet names into IP addresses. With this Orbi system in AP mode, there are two activities going on (neither is DNS):
- DHCP. In AP mode, the DHCP feature is disabled on the Orbi, so when devices connect to the network and issue a DHCP request, the primary network returns information about the network, including the IP address to use, subnet mask, IP of the internet gateway, and IP of the recommended DNS server. Although the DHCP server internal tables may have a description for each entry, that information is not included in the DHCP response.
- Oribi Attached Devices display. The Orbi maintains a table of information about devices using the MAC address as the key. When the user chooses to manipulate the display information by clicking on the entry in Attached Devices, the user can modify what appears for the various fields, such as name, model number, and type of device. If the user has not defined information for this MAC address, the Orbi uses software licensed from Fing to make a guess about appropriate values. Nothing on the display comes from the primary network or the user device. Either the Orbi finds an display entry created by the user or it creates values by itself.
My guess is that FURRYe38 has identified the source of the problem. Modern systems for mobile WiFi devices (phones tablets, laptops) now default to presenting a randomized MAC address when they join WiFi systems rather than present the actual hardware MAC address. They leave most of the MAC address the same, but make some tiny change. If the user has "turned off" this feature in the network settings, when the phone firmware is updated the manufacturer turns the setting back on again. Also, if the device connects to a different WiFi network, the setting is turned back on again.
Can you please examine the Attached Devices display very carefully to determine whether the MAC address shown for these iPhones matches their hardware MAC address exactly?
