Contributor
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121 Messages
a new device joined your network -- maybe misidentified?
I got an email from Xfinity yesterday saying a new device joined my network. It was identified as an iPhone. I used the Xfinity app to investigate. the app claims the device is currently connected to my wi-fi network, and I can see its MAC address. The MAC address doesn't correspond to the MAC addresses of any of my devices, including the iPhones I have. I used the app to pause the connection to that device. When I did that, one of my iPhones (again, with a different MAC address) was unable to access the internet (cell service is almost nonexistent at my house, so I know it was trying to use wi-fi). When I unpaused the device, my iPhone was once again able to access the internet.
When I look at the devices connected to my home network, I see that one of my iPhones is listed as connected and one is listed as unconnected, even though it is in fact connected. So it looks like the Xfinity app, or the infrastructure behind it, is thinking that one of my iPhones is a different model of iPhone with a different MAC address. I don't have any problems using my iPhone, even with the identity issues. But it is kind of weird.
I've talked to tech support, and they think it might be a glitch in the system. But I thought I'd post here to see if anyone else had a similar situation. Maybe that will encourage Xfinity to get the problem fixed sooner. I really don't want to keep getting false alarms. It might make me less vigilant.
Accepted Solution
BruceW
Gold Problem Solver
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25.8K Messages
1 year ago
Could Apple's "private Wi-Fi addresses" (see https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211227 ) be the problem?
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user_g1yn8z
1 Message
11 months ago
I had something similar happen yesterday saying a new phone had connected to my home network at a time I was away from my home. The MAC address for the new device connected corresponded to the MAC address on my iPhone, however. Not sure why this happened. Just to be safe, I changed my WiFi password. What was weird was that the name of the iPhone provided was very similar to, but not identical to, the actual name of my iPhone (the actual name was XXX XXXXX's iPhone and the xfinity app reported it as XXX-XXXXXs-iPhone) Anybody have any idea what could be going on here?
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user_45e3fb
Visitor
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4 Messages
10 months ago
I’ve had the same thing happen. The new device address matches my iPhone address but, the xfinity app doesn’t recognize the Device type, or operating system. My husbands did the same thing but it automatically assigned his device to his name. And it shows that it’s an IOS, it shows his name and everything. This is the 1st time in 3 years that his did this, but mine does it all the time. It’s frustrating.
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LadyNumanReznor
Contributor
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37 Messages
8 months ago
I literally just had this happen. I was right next to someone who was showing me things on an iPhone. In the middle of it, I got a notification that a "new iPhone connected 7 minutes ago."
We had been looking at videos & not moving for over 20 minutes when the notification came! I checked, she was on the Gateway, not the Pod. She stayed in one app and did not use the internet. (Sometimes Chrome thinks your device is new, drives me batty.)
Now there's is a generic IPhone along with the one I had long ago personalized with her name. Do I add it? Let it sit? Switching from Gateway to a pod shouldn't cause that, correct?
I've had the same situation as someone above. I deleted a duplicate once, and then my sister couldn't use her tablet (which is an iPad.)
I will read the link above, just in case. I have a Samsung Z Fold 4, not an iPhone. I've not seen a Samsung device do that before. Thank you and Happy New Year to all! 🎉
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user_zb8843
1 Message
8 months ago
I have the same problem needs to be solved. This is a security issue to me
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user_c8ecn1
1 Message
7 months ago
Same thing with me today.
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eastmoreland
Contributor
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121 Messages
7 months ago
I have this happen to me all the time. It has always been one of my own phones. It happens when I update the phone's operating system. Sometimes it happens when I have powered down the phone and powered back up, and sometimes it happens when I have left home for a while with the phone and come back. Not every time, just some times. The notification from Xfinity often doesn't happen right away. Sometimes it is hours later. I believe this has to do with the "private wi-fi addresses" as noted by BruceW in the accepted solution.
The private wi-fi addresses is a security feature of the iPhone and I would not want to disable it. It would be nice, however, if Xfinity could somehow understand this and not flag a situation that isn't a problem. But maybe that's the nature of private wi-fi addresses and it isn't possible. I am beyond my level of "expertise" here.
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Lkpolo
Problem Solver
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493 Messages
7 months ago
I have this problem too. It happens after an iOS update to only my iPhone and iPad. I spoke to Apple about it and they said it doesn’t sound like private Wi-Fi address setting. Apple suggested it is a glitch in the Xfinity app. It happens to my iPhone and iPad every time there is a new iOS update and it happened today after a new router was installed.
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user_ick4qx
1 Message
7 months ago
Currently have the same issue
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user_aw7zsv
1 Message
7 months ago
I get the same thing but I realized
that a person in my household was using a eSIM and didn’t turn it off when entering the house. I found out because I paused it and seen what device. Unfortunately for me every time before I didn’t know and I thought it was Xfinity. Ppl can access another Xfinity account if they know all your information and live right in your house.
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Lkpolo
Problem Solver
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493 Messages
7 months ago
I called Apple and asked about this and the tech I spoke to said it was a glitch in the Xfinity software. Currently, my network won’t stay connect so I can’t do anything. It’s messing everything up in the house including cameras.
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user_4y5yiy
1 Message
7 months ago
Interesting. We have had 'this' occur multiple times and then pause the newly joined devices. One of the glitches with this guidance (post by Bruce) seems to be that devices are joining that we don't own. For example: we had a MacBook pro join which we don't own. At the moment, I paused that device as well.
IDK, seems like things are
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Lkpolo
Problem Solver
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493 Messages
7 months ago
I tried to pause a device twice and I learned that each time it was my iPhone even though it was listed as connected. When I paused, it just froze the app and I had to restart my iPhone then unpause. For me, each time there was something unfamiliar that showed up, I waited until it showed as not connected then clicked on forget this device. I’ve had phone conversations with Apple Care about it and they insisted it wasn’t anything in my settings. It was a glitch in the Xfinty app. I know there are glitches in iOS and Mac OS. One being that locations don’t always show up as even near your location. If you’re really concerned, change your network passwords and change your Apple ID password. I had to have my router switched out twice in the last week. After that occurred, a device that showed up as MurataMa with some numbers behind. I googled that and found out that Murata Manufacturing makes components for smart phones, computers, smart TVs, etc. It disappeared the next day, so I clicked on forget this device.
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sh813
Regular Visitor
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6 Messages
6 months ago
Same problem-constantly!
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user_y0lspf
1 Message
5 months ago
I just had the same thing happen. Got a notification that a new Apple device was added and got on app and it is a MAC address as well but we didn’t add anything new
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