Why Does my Device Keep Connecting as a New Device?
When a device disconnects and reconnects to the Deco network, the Deco might recognize it as a new device and send a “New Device Detected” notification.
Some devices have a virtual MAC address feature (Private MAC Address on iOS 14), such as the mobile phone with Android 10 or iOS 14 version, and some other devices.
When the device's virtual MAC address function is turned on, each time it reconnects to Deco's network, it will use a random MAC address, thus Deco recognizes it as a new device and sends a New Device Detected notification.
Solution:
Turn off the virtual MAC address feature on the device, then the device will connect to Deco with its actual MAC address thus Deco won't recognize it as a new device every time.
iOS14: Setting -> WLAN -> tap on the blue info icon at the left of the Deco WiFi name -> disable the Private Address feature.
(Example: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211227 _
Android: Settings app -> Network and Internet -> WiFi ->Connect to deco WiFi -> Tap the gear icon next to the current WiFi connection -> Advanced -> Privacy -> "Use device MAC"
Window 10: Setting -> Network and Internet -> "WiFi" tab -> "Advanced Options." -> "Off" under "Random Hardware Address." -> Restart your computer.
Helpful. Thank you.
When will Deco use the whitelist instead of the useless blaklist. I have seen many requests to TP-Link for this feature which is available in many of TP-Link devices but not in the DECO. I regret big time buying the AX60 because of this issue and TP-Link does not care about the many requests raised in this regard. Why should I manage the connection from the devices I should force the users to use their phiscal MAC address instead of my going to every device to stop the virtual MAC.
We've got several iPhones, iPads and macs on our home network, all on iOS 16 (macs are on Monterey) and all with the Private MAC address toggle enabled. However, only one (an iPhone 11) keeps resetting it's name on the network week after week. All other devices don't do this, and settings seem identical in all devices. Weird.
We only use iOS devices and I assumed because of knowing about the virtual MAC address Apple uses, trying to use the address reservation feature would be impossible. However, the only issue I have is with two iPhone 11's.
The way I handle it is as follows:
- one iPhone 11 is my husband's and I know when he comes and goes from work therefore as soon as he leaves I delete his iPhone and when he gets home I know the alert I receive is his iPhone joining the network. I also take a look at the app shortly before he gets home to ensure there's no additional devices that I could've missed an alert one joined. This also is the time I scan for security and check for updates. It's become a habit and it doesn't have me looking at the app at different times.
- the other iPhone 11 is my youngest son and he's in college so I only have to deal with his during Thanksgiving, Christmas and summer break which isn't bad at all. As long as there's only the two devices joining (I delete them when they leave) it's working fine. Our other iPhones, iPads and MacBooks don't lose the address reservation and they are leaving the network, so not sure why it only affects the iPhone 11s. The one thing I always do is turn my WiFi off anytime I'm leaving because I don't want my devices joining any unsecured WiFi network so maybe that somehow is a factor.
When we have people over, unless they ask about WiFi, I don't mention it. If I'm asked, I share the information and once they leave, I handle it the same by deleting the additional devices. I also take the opportunity to scan for security and check for updates since I'm using the app.
I do check every so often to make sure the way I decided to handle this is working and it's working great!
I have a Deco x55 Mesh Network and I love it. I'm waiting and hoping for one feature to hopefully be added at some point and it'll be perfect!