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Random MAC address

Bob Bernardi
 

Hi All

 

Fyi. Not sure if you know this or it is useful to you but here goes:

 

I was scanning my wifi network tonight and found a bunch of devices on it with MAC addresses I didn’t recognize. They used my first name  and in some cases a device name that I had entered. I was concerned. After some investigation I found out the ios 14 introduced MAC address randomization. I is supposed to make you apple devices more difficult to track across wifi networks. If you go to SETTING, WI-FI and click on the name of the network you are connected to, you can see if you are using randomization if the Private Address is selected. Below it is the current MAC address  the device is using.

 

The one issue I have with it right now that it clutters up the network map my Linksys router generates. Not sure if I will keep it on when on my home network. Any ideas or suggestions?

 

Bob, KN6DKN
Martin Offenhauer
 

Hi,

My wife has a problem with her MacBook Air and her iPad dropping off (disconnecting from) our home wireless network periodically.  Could this random MAC address setting cause that?  

Thanks
Martin Offenhauer
American Red Cross Disaster Communications Operator
N6QIR 
619 675 2844
N6QIRSD@...


On Tue, Dec 29, 2020 at 12:23 AM Bob Bernardi via groups.io <bobbernardi=icloud.com@groups.io> wrote:

Hi All

 

Fyi. Not sure if you know this or it is useful to you but here goes:

 

I was scanning my wifi network tonight and found a bunch of devices on it with MAC addresses I didn’t recognize. They used my first name  and in some cases a device name that I had entered. I was concerned. After some investigation I found out the ios 14 introduced MAC address randomization. I is supposed to make you apple devices more difficult to track across wifi networks. If you go to SETTING, WI-FI and click on the name of the network you are connected to, you can see if you are using randomization if the Private Address is selected. Below it is the current MAC address  the device is using.

 

The one issue I have with it right now that it clutters up the network map my Linksys router generates. Not sure if I will keep it on when on my home network. Any ideas or suggestions?

 

Bob, KN6DKN
Bob Bernardi
 

Hi Martin

 

The article did mention that some routers may have a problem with randomized MAC. Try turning it off and see if it is better.

 

Bob KN6DKN

 

From: main@ARC2-SDICC.groups.io <main@ARC2-SDICC.groups.io> On Behalf Of Martin Offenhauer
Sent: Tuesday, December 29, 2020 10:38 AM
To: main@arc2-sdicc.groups.io
Subject: Re: [ARC2-SDICC] Random MAC address

 

Hi,

 

My wife has a problem with her MacBook Air and her iPad dropping off (disconnecting from) our home wireless network periodically.  Could this random MAC address setting cause that?  

 

Thanks

Martin Offenhauer

American Red Cross Disaster Communications Operator

N6QIR 

619 675 2844

 

 

On Tue, Dec 29, 2020 at 12:23 AM Bob Bernardi via groups.io <bobbernardi=icloud.com@groups.io> wrote:

Hi All

 

Fyi. Not sure if you know this or it is useful to you but here goes:

 

I was scanning my wifi network tonight and found a bunch of devices on it with MAC addresses I didn’t recognize. They used my first name  and in some cases a device name that I had entered. I was concerned. After some investigation I found out the ios 14 introduced MAC address randomization. I is supposed to make you apple devices more difficult to track across wifi networks. If you go to SETTING, WI-FI and click on the name of the network you are connected to, you can see if you are using randomization if the Private Address is selected. Below it is the current MAC address  the device is using.

 

The one issue I have with it right now that it clutters up the network map my Linksys router generates. Not sure if I will keep it on when on my home network. Any ideas or suggestions?

 

Bob, KN6DKN
Martin Offenhauer
 

Hi Bob, 

Thanks we'll try that. Hope that's the problem. I'll let you know how it goes. 
Marty 
N6QIR 


On Tue, Dec 29, 2020, 12:24 PM Bob Bernardi via groups.io <bobbernardi=icloud.com@groups.io> wrote:

Hi Martin

 

The article did mention that some routers may have a problem with randomized MAC. Try turning it off and see if it is better.

 

Bob KN6DKN

 

From: main@ARC2-SDICC.groups.io <main@ARC2-SDICC.groups.io> On Behalf Of Martin Offenhauer
Sent: Tuesday, December 29, 2020 10:38 AM
To: main@arc2-sdicc.groups.io
Subject: Re: [ARC2-SDICC] Random MAC address

 

Hi,

 

My wife has a problem with her MacBook Air and her iPad dropping off (disconnecting from) our home wireless network periodically.  Could this random MAC address setting cause that?  

 

Thanks

Martin Offenhauer

American Red Cross Disaster Communications Operator

N6QIR 

619 675 2844

 

 

On Tue, Dec 29, 2020 at 12:23 AM Bob Bernardi via groups.io <bobbernardi=icloud.com@groups.io> wrote:

Hi All

 

Fyi. Not sure if you know this or it is useful to you but here goes:

 

I was scanning my wifi network tonight and found a bunch of devices on it with MAC addresses I didn’t recognize. They used my first name  and in some cases a device name that I had entered. I was concerned. After some investigation I found out the ios 14 introduced MAC address randomization. I is supposed to make you apple devices more difficult to track across wifi networks. If you go to SETTING, WI-FI and click on the name of the network you are connected to, you can see if you are using randomization if the Private Address is selected. Below it is the current MAC address  the device is using.

 

The one issue I have with it right now that it clutters up the network map my Linksys router generates. Not sure if I will keep it on when on my home network. Any ideas or suggestions?

 

Bob, KN6DKN
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