One device showing as two on WiFi network page

@XfinityKei​ Thanks just removed the newest/additional device from the network. Guess we wait to see what happens when he gets home and reconnects to the wifi. I’ll keep you posted. 

So you think it’s possible that when he logged off of the Ethernet extender and back onto the WiFi, it automatically generated a completely separate MAC address for a device that the network should have already recognized? 

Yes I googled it… and also just did some investigation through AI. It seems there are a few technical explanations that could clarify what happened:

1. iPhone MAC Address Randomization: Modern iPhones use a feature called Private Wi-Fi Address, which randomizes the MAC address when connecting to a new network for the first time. If my husband’s iPhone connected to the Ethernet booster as a “new” network and then switched back to our main Wi-Fi, the router may have registered it as a separate device because of the different MAC address.

2. Hostnames and Device Listings: When an iPhone connects to a network, its hostname (e.g., “John’s iPhone”) and MAC address are reported to the router. However, some routers can misinterpret connections, especially if a device transitions between different access points (like the Ethernet booster and main Wi-Fi). This can lead to the same device appearing twice in the network list, with slightly different identifiers.

3. Timing and Coincidence: It’s likely a coincidence that the network notification occurred during this process. Some routers interpret reconnected devices as “new,” especially if the connection sequence is slightly different due to the booster setup.