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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 device...
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?