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Orbi RBR50

Evp58
Tutor

Orbi RBR50

For some reason, the names of my devices as shown in the Orbi app are changing Why is this happening? Has anyone else experienced this? For example, I often see a wireless doorbell even though I do not have one. And my new Apple iPhones show up differently
Message 1 of 5
FURRYe38
Guru

Re: Orbi RBR50

Netgear has set up a community forum specifically for the Orbi App product. Most of the people who watch that forum are more likely to have experience with Orbi App and know how to work it better than those of us who follow this "general Orbi" forum. Might be more likely to find someone who has a solution if the question is posted there:
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi-App/bd-p/en-home-orbi-app
Good Luck.

Message 2 of 5
CrimpOn
Guru

Re: Orbi RBR50


@Evp58 wrote:
For some reason, the names of my devices as shown in the Orbi app are changing Why is this happening? Has anyone else experienced this? For example, I often see a wireless doorbell even though I do not have one. And my new Apple iPhones show up differently

It would be helpful to know if you have deliberately 'named' these devices yourself, or if you are observing that the Orbi 'app' has changed how it describes devices.  Each company that manufactures WiFi devices gets an allocation of MAC addresses and there are tables that attempt to connect a MAC address to a company and guess what the device is.  For example:

 https://www.wireshark.org/tools/oui-lookup.html 

Netgear appears to have incorporated software from Fing as part of this effort.  It could be that as times goes by, their software changes how it characterizes hardware MAC addresses.

Message 3 of 5
Evp58
Tutor

Re: Orbi RBR50

Thank you for your reply.

I did indeed custom name a number of my devices.  For example, I have about ten Nest thermostats and I labeled them to their respective room locations.  The Orbi app labeled many of them.

Every year we get new iPhones. Last year we had the iPhone 12 and Orbi picked up our names, as EVP's iPhone 12 for me and CAP's iPhone 12 for my wife.  When we installed our new iPhone 13's a month or so ago, my phone simple said iPhone 13, twice and my wife's came up as Apple iPhone 2!!

Additionally, some of my Blink cameras often change to Lighted Doorbell - no idea why this happens.

I have about 35 devices on my network and most are identified correctly.

The other day a new  device showed up, its name comes up as DEV-45:F1:C2 and I have no idea what it is!

What is this all about?

 

Thanks

Message 4 of 5
CrimpOn
Guru

Re: Orbi RBR50


@Evp58 wrote:

The other day a new  device showed up, its name comes up as DEV-45:F1:C2 and I have no idea what it is!

What is this all about?


I am pretty certain that Netgear has incorporated a database approach to guess what devices are based on the MAC address of their WiFi. When devices create artificial MAC addresses, there is no match in the database, so "DEV" plus part of the MAC address is how they name the device.

 

I am not particularly impressed with the software's attempt to name devices.  Would be annoyed if I have gone to the trouble to name one and they replace it with garbage.

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