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Random devices on my network displayed in Windows explorer under the network section
Random devices that i did not connect to my network are popping up under the Network section of Windows Explorer. However, when i check on my Netgear Router settings, none of these devices appear anywhere. They don't appear on the list that shows what is currently connected and they are not on the list that shows devices are not connected but once were. I don't understand how these devices are on my Network. And I'm not sure if this is just an issue with Windows 10. Even after changing my router password, these devices still remain "connected"
These are 2 items that have popped up 1) Car-1b44: Manufacturer: DENSO, Manufacturer webpage unavailable Model: Honda Generation 1 mid grade, model webpage unavailable Model Number: Generation 1 mid grade Device webpage: Presentation webpage unavailable Serial number: unavailable MAC Address: a0:cc:2b:08:1b:43 Unique identifier: unavailable IP address: unavailable
2) Sitara Manufacturer: TI, manufacturer webpage unavailable Model: Wilink, model webpage unavailable Model number: wl18xx Device webpage: presentation webpage unavailable Seriap number: unavailable MAC address: 50:f1:4a:ad:ca:76 Unique identifier: unavailable IP address: unavailable
Re: Random devices on my network displayed in Windows explorer under the network section
I do believe I found a potential solutions after doing some research about this issue. "Research" was in fact suggested by another user so here's what I found
Here is the link to another forum on Netgear Community of a user who also experiences this issue as well as someone's response to their question
Re: Random device appearing under Network in Windows?
That is a WINDOWS bug... All my computers would show a phone connected to the network. Router access list would not. Explorer wouldn't show it on the network either.
As the last one shows, it is probably due to Windows Connect Now Service:
=========== WCNCSVC hosts the Windows Connect Now Configuration which is Microsoft's Implementation of Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) protocol. This is used to configure Wireless LAN settings for an Access Point (AP) or a Wi-Fi Device. The service is started programmatically as needed. ===========
I just disabled that service and no longer see this. I can only surmise that it senses a phone nearby and 'remembers' it. In my case they tend to disappear within minutes and properties only show a MAC address, it never connects.
Re: Random devices on my network displayed in Windows explorer under the network section
Update: Now added to the list is this 3) BLU_DASH_M2 Manufacturer: BLU, manufacturer webpage unavailable Model: BLU DASH M2, model webpage unavailable Model number: BLUE DASH M2 Device webpage: presentation webpage unavailable Serial number: unavailable MAC address: cc:79:4a:ea:cf:3a Unique identifier: unavailable IP address: unavailable
Re: Random devices on my network displayed in Windows explorer under the network section
Me too!
I also have popping up from time to time a sitara (mac addr a4 d5 78 17 b4 e1) but also an " mstar-edison (mobile phone?) macaddr 00 84 00 03 cb 6d. Mstar edison is not a phone brand or service provider I am familiar with in Australia by the way. I suspect it is a controller for smart lighting in a nearby apartment - I live in an apartment block in Sydney and I see them mostly after dark which currently means after say 6 pm since we are currently in mid-winter. .
My passwords are in ancient greek, which cannot be all that common nowadays so I think it very very unlikely that it is a "hacker". I am not using any mains electricity supported pseudo ethernet connections (WD-livewire etc) anymore and most of my own connections to the router are cat6 ethernet - ( Yes I paid a lot for that! Yes it was worth it., I think. ). Everything else checks out normally with the proviso that in the evenings the lights on the router are indicating more traffic than I can account for because although I do have quite a lot of devices (smart tvs etc) connected, most of them are powered off. (Yes I know they have to update firmware/program guides etc but I did the exercise of turning things off to isolate where the traffic was without success. Would be nice if the router logged it conveniently eg by macaddr - for subsequent analysis. )
What I most want to know is how are these ghost devices connecting? On the face of it they are getting in wirelessly but bypassing security! very worrying! Yet clearly they are, else it would not be possible to see their macaddrs. I have seen them on win 7 and win 10 pcs. I check regularly and am a stickler for keeping antivirus etc up to date so we haven't had any of those problems for decades.
My router is a 7000p about a year old. Very pleased with it apart from the floppy aerials which dont seem to have any facility for tightening up in the desired position. (?) And I would prefer the usb3 port on the back, not the front guys. Oh and (sorry about this) the overhang at the back means it is very awkward to reach ethernet ports etc if like me you have it high up for better clearance.
I do have a Google home mini, but no other associated smart devices. (Been doing a lot of the "smart home" stuff for years actually without it. )
I think this is potentially a very serious problem. If somebody is manufacturing things which can just "sneak in" whenever they want, it needs to be sorted out asap before that "technology" finds other uses. I am turning on Access Control and blocking the above macaddrs but one cant do that unless you've id'd the macaddrs. Blocking all new devices seems a bit over the top to me.
Apparently, this gizmo is a generic computer-with-network building-block which could be incorporated into almost any device designed by almost any suitable engineer, and made by almost any device manufacturer.
If you want to track it down, then you might need to run some basic tests, like, for example:
1. Start disabling your smart devices, and watch for the device-of-concern to disappear.
2. Disable your wireless router (or at least its connection to the device-of-concern), and see what you own that stops working.
It's not complicated. (Tedious, perhaps.)
> [...] I am turning on Access Control and blocking the above macaddrs > but one cant do that unless you've id'd the macaddrs. [...]
Or you could do that. The only MAC addresses you'd need to identify are the ones of known-permissible or known-impermissible devices. (See
"2", above.)
> [...] I think this is potentially a very serious problem. If somebody > is manufacturing things which can just "sneak in" whenever they want, > [...]
Yes, if somebody _were_ doing that, then it would be a very serious problem. But you have no actual evidence of that. All that you know is that you don't know what these devices are, not that they joined your network without your cooperation.
> Crickets. What's the solution to this?
Do a little basic investigation? If these gizmos have a wireless connection to your router, then the most likely explanation is that you gave them your wireless-network credentials. If you want to avoid them, then stop buying (and configuring) Internet-of-Junk (IoJ) gizmos.
Re: Random devices on my network displayed in Windows explorer under the network section
Haha very funny bud. You would be that guy. If I gave my WiFi credentials to such devices, I wouldn't have posted this question some time ago because unlike you, I am not a troll.
So what if I told you now that I only keep one device connected to my router yet these mysterious devices are connected, and yes.. WITHOUT MY CONSENT.
Don't you think I did a search. I know what these "gizmos" are but that doesn't answer my questions. How did they and why are they connected to my network EVEN AFTER FACTORY RESETTING AND RE CONFIGURING my router and only allowing ONE(1) device to connect. Due note that the ONE(1) device is in fact the original device I was using when I discovered these "gizmos"
A word to the wise, please do not be sarcastic on these questions as there are plenty of people out there who actually have no clue about computers. Remember, there was once upon a time where you didn't know anything and sought to ask questions.
Re: Random devices on my network displayed in Windows explorer under the network section
I dont understand the word processor in this app: it keeps disappearing my text....
I was basically saying what Robbymalz was, namely I have carefully accounted for all my stuff and proved beyond my own doubt that it is a real intruder. I locked it out using the macaddr in the end, and all my own stuff still works while I havent seen it since. So sorry, cant accept your answer. Big worry is it can get on apparently without the password.
Related info and maybe line of enquiry: was researching WD Cloud stuff (I have passport pro wireless 2tb and think it wonderful) and came across warning Mycloud home (some) had bits of Dlink in firmware which created a possible loophole. This is now fixed I understand. This kind of problem would fit with your suggestion regarding handy block of code - unforeseen consequences etc. But what could it be in?
I Have been in IT since 1964 so there is not much I haven't encountered yet. But Confucius teaches that awareness of our own ignorance is first step towards true wisdom so I try to keep an open mind while continuing to eliminate false assumptions as best I can. Arthur T.
Re: Random devices on my network displayed in Windows explorer under the network section
> Don't you think I did a search. [...]
I don't know what you did, or what you would or wouldn't do. With my weak psychic powers, my response was based only on what I could read. For example, I have no idea which router you have, or its firmware version. Or did I miss something?
> [...] under the Network section of Windows Explorer. [...]
Assuming that your (unspecified) router offers an Attached Devices report, do these devices appear there, too?
Re: Random devices on my network displayed in Windows explorer under the network section
yes this word processor certainly gets annoying lol.
But anyways, I'm aspiring to be an IT Administrator once I graduate. I've been managing my home network as well as some my neighbors home networks since i was 10, now I'm 23.
All my neighbors experienced this issue as well though they were unaware of it until I pointed it out to them at the time I made this forum.
It's always good to ask questions because not everyone knows everything, even the "know-it-alls" who tend to "doubt" actions of others..
Let's all keep in mind that this post is about an issue I, along with others, am experiencing and looking for a solution, not sarcasm.
Re: Random devices on my network displayed in Windows explorer under the network section
I do believe I found a potential solutions after doing some research about this issue. "Research" was in fact suggested by another user so here's what I found
Here is the link to another forum on Netgear Community of a user who also experiences this issue as well as someone's response to their question
Re: Random device appearing under Network in Windows?
That is a WINDOWS bug... All my computers would show a phone connected to the network. Router access list would not. Explorer wouldn't show it on the network either.
As the last one shows, it is probably due to Windows Connect Now Service:
=========== WCNCSVC hosts the Windows Connect Now Configuration which is Microsoft's Implementation of Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) protocol. This is used to configure Wireless LAN settings for an Access Point (AP) or a Wi-Fi Device. The service is started programmatically as needed. ===========
I just disabled that service and no longer see this. I can only surmise that it senses a phone nearby and 'remembers' it. In my case they tend to disappear within minutes and properties only show a MAC address, it never connects.
Re: Random devices on my network displayed in Windows explorer under the network section
lol again with the sarcasm
no one said anything about your "weak psychic powers". Obviously you don't seem to think because being psychic, weak or strong, is totally different from thinking...
but nonetheless since you now wish to be helpful, the unspecified routers are WNDR3400v3, R6400, and N600. i decided not to specify as it seems to be an issue among several models. They do offer an Attached Devices report and these "gizmos" do not appear in the list but do appear in Windows Explorer Network section
Re: Random devices on my network displayed in Windows explorer under the network section
Damn I just lost another page of text....
First my router is an R7000p; my reading of the intro was that router model is optional and in this context ought to be irrelevant - the point is that an unauthorised device appears to be able to get on to my network without the password and any modern router should protect equally well. And for the record I did fill in the box. So this app and forum has yet another mechanical problem. It's doing weird things when I hit some key (but I dont know which) including dropping out altogether.
Second No sarcasm was intended in what I wrote previously. If it appeared that way I apologise. I was I thought writing to confirm my support and agreement with what you had written namely that you had to the best of your ability, proven that the intruder was a real one, not a misrecognition of your own device, as I had done likewise. I was in this context disappointed with the apparent way it had been dismissed. But be very clear, It was not I who wrote about psychic powers and searches and stuff. Clearly this forum has a problem in that it is hard to ensure that your post always correctly identifies the target and the sender.
Now I have your latest post, reporting that it may be a Microsoft problem and therefore not a Netgear issue at all. I need to think long and hard on this, not because I am any fan of Microsoft any more, but because it is hard to envisage how it could be seen at all unless there were something to trigger the report. I agree the device didnt show up in the Attached list but that's not that quick to respond anyway; and depending on what's happening it is very easy to not see things there even when you are specifically looking for them. So, and no sarcasm intended, it's a bit like Bigfoot's footprint. It doesn't actually prove Bigfoot exists, but it's very hard to account for otherwise. It could still be easier to catch Bigfoot, than whoever is faking it.....
And on that note, I'm out. I wont be contributing to or following this forum any longer.
I am happy that my network is working well enough and secure enough that I have no major concerns. And this is all taking up time and effort I no longer wish to expend.
Re: Random devices on my network displayed in Windows explorer under the network section
My apologies to you. The sarcasm part wasn't in reference to you lol. It was in reference to antinode. You on the other were or are supportive and I'm glad to see your interest is this issue.
This message forum easily gets mixed up it seems lol
The model is optional and indeed irrelevant as this issue can and does affect many models. I am going to reach out to Microsoft and what anyone there has to say about it, though my recent post suggests it's just a bug with Windows.
