Device identification and MAC randomization in the GFiber App
The GFiber App helps you manage your home Wi-Fi network by identifying and labeling the devices that are connected to it (like smartphones, tablets, and gaming systems). You can view your connected devices, customize their names and icons, and see details like device type and signal strength — all from the app. However, if an unknown device appears in your network, you may have to find its MAC address or disable MAC randomization in order to identify it.
In this article, you’ll learn more about how the GFiber App identifies unknown devices on your network, how to find your device’s MAC address, and how to enable or disable MAC randomization on your devices (also known as private Wi-Fi addressing).
Recognizing and naming your devices
The GFiber App always tries to automatically detect the device type and manufacturer of every device that joins your network. If a device is recognized, a basic name like “Pixel-7-Pro” and a matching icon (like a smartphone icon) will be displayed. If there are two similar devices on your network, you may want to customize the device name and icon to further distinguish between those devices.
Identifying an unknown device
If the GFiber App cannot recognize a device, it will be labeled as “unknown.” This can happen with less common devices, like smart home and home office devices. To manage these devices (which includes grouping, pausing, or blocking the devices), you’ll need to identify them manually.
You can spot unknown devices by the yellow banner on their device details page in the app. To access the device details page:
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Navigate to the Network tab and tap the Manage devices button at the bottom of the screen.
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Tap the device you want to see details for.
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Any unknown devices will have a yellow banner near the top of their device details page.
To identify an unknown device, try these tips:
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Pause the device: Temporarily pause a device to see which one loses internet connectivity.
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Check the MAC address: Find the device’s MAC address in its settings and match it to the MAC address listed in the GFiber App. (You can learn how to do this in the section below).
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Disable MAC randomization (private addressing): If the device has MAC randomization enabled, it may change its MAC address periodically, making it harder to track. Consider disabling MAC randomization for better device identification.
If you customize the name and icon of a device while MAC randomization is enabled, the device may appear as “unknown” again in the future. This is because MAC randomization assigns a new MAC address to the device periodically, which can lead to duplicate entries.
Finding your device’s MAC address
To identify unknown devices, you’ll need to know the MAC address of your devices. This information can be found within your device settings (and not in the GFiber App). Here’s how to find it:
iPhone and iPad
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Go to Settings and select Wi-Fi.
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Tap the information icon (the blue circle with an "i" in the center) next to your network name.
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The MAC address will be displayed next to Wi-Fi Address.
Android phones and tablets
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Go to Settings.
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Scroll down to the bottom and tap About phone.
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Tap Status or Hardware information (depending on your model).
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The MAC address will be displayed under Wi-Fi MAC address.
Windows PC
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Open Command Prompt and click Start.
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Type cmd in the search box.
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Press Enter.
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Type ipconfig /all and press Enter.
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The MAC address will be displayed in the Command Prompt window.
Mac
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Click the Apple icon in the top left corner.
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Select System Settings.
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Select Network then Wi-Fi.
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Click Advanced in the bottom right corner.
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The MAC address will be displayed next to Wi-Fi MAC address.
MAC randomization
MAC randomization (also known as private Wi-Fi addressing) is a security feature that assigns a new MAC address for each network your device connects to. The MAC address for each network may change, like when you forget or reconnect to that network. While this can be beneficial for privacy on public networks, it can cause issues with identifying devices on your home network. If MAC randomization is enabled on your home network, your device’s MAC address may change, making it difficult to manage in the GFiber App.
To avoid these issues, consider disabling MAC randomization for your home network. You can usually enable or disable this setting in your device’s Wi-Fi settings. We recommend making sure MAC randomization is turned on everywhere else, so you can keep your device private when you’re on the go and using public Wi-Fi.
If a device on your network has MAC randomization enabled, you'll see a yellow banner on its device details page in the GFiber App:
Enabling and disabling MAC randomization
By default, many devices like smartphones, smart watches, and tablets have MAC randomization enabled. This can cause issues with identifying devices on your home network, as the device’s MAC address will change periodically.
You can control MAC randomization for each device based on each network. This means you can disable it for your home network while keeping it enabled for public Wi-Fi networks. For example, you can allow your iPhone or Android phone to use MAC randomization on public Wi-Fi, but disable it on your home network.
To disable MAC randomization for your home network, follow the steps below:
Windows:
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Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi.
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Manage known networks > Select the network > Properties.
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Turn off “Use random hardware addresses for this network.”
iPhone or iPad:
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Go to Settings > Wi-Fi or WLAN.
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Tap the information button next to your primary network.
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Turn off Private Wi-Fi Address.
Android:
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Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi. Connect to your primary network and tap the gear icon.
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Open Advanced settings > Privacy settings.
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Choose Use device MAC.