topic Re: Technical support - Static connection on my router - what is it? in My Router

Technical support - Static connection on my router - what is it?

Wendy010 — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 12:41:13 GMT

Hello to everyone in the community.

Recently I noticed a STATIC iPhone connection listed as connected on my router device list and it's not something that I am familiar with. I'm looking for some technical advice that will inform and describe to me what these types of connections are and whether it's normal to come across them?

Thank you.

Re: Technical support - Static connection on my router - what is it?

jab1 — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 12:45:39 GMT

@Wendy010 Do you own an iPhone? Can you post a screenshot of that 'device list', please?

Re: Technical support - Static connection on my router - what is it?

Wendy010 — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 12:56:18 GMT

Thank you for replying, I hope you are well.

Here is a photo of the 2 device listings, one of them STATIC that I do not recognise.
Photo of the STATIC iPhone device. I do own an iPhone but I don't recognise the MAC address of either of the bottom 2 iPhone device listings.

Re: Technical support - Static connection on my router - what is it?

jab1 — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 13:09:00 GMT

@Wendy010 Are the two blacked out items 'your' phone and 2.4Ghz?

Re: Technical support - Static connection on my router - what is it?

Dan_the_Van — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 13:15:09 GMT

@Wendy010

Looking at the MAC address of the two iPhone entries suggests the use of a randomised MAC address which is used for added security when connecting to a public wifi.

As to why the top device is listed as Static is of little concern as it has not used any data up and down showing at 0.0 Mb

You could remove it if you wanted

EDIT: there should be a setting for this wireless connection not to use a 'Randomised MAC address' found in settings of the iPhone

Re: Technical support - Static connection on my router - what is it?

Wendy010 — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 13:14:59 GMT

You mean the 2 badly blacked out listings at the top, lol. The top one I recognise as my iPhone the others I do not recognise. I did have a phone call with a Plusnet technical advisor on Tuesday past due to feeling concerned about the possibility that I had been hacked, my suspicions were raised due to my wireless doorbell looking like it had been removed and difficulty I had connecting to my doorbell account but I had deleted these devices so they weren't discussed and the advisor went through my logs and assured me that everything looked ok.

Thank you John.

Re: Technical support - Static connection on my router - what is it?

Wendy010 — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 13:22:23 GMT

I have other device lists with other devices that I have now deleted, one of them shows 252.3MB upload and 5.0GB download.

Re: Technical support - Static connection on my router - what is it?

Dan_the_Van — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 13:28:54 GMT

Using a MAC address search https://maclookup.app/ for 'unknown_b0:fc:0d comes up as a Amazon device

It's probably turned off

EDIT: If you click on the device name you can change the name to something more sensible

HTH

Re: Technical support - Static connection on my router - what is it?

Wendy010 — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 13:36:35 GMT

I did receive a weird text message with an email address only - no mobile number, elating to an Amazon order...I took a screenshot at the time, reported it as Junk and raised the issue with the seller on Amazon. All ended well there.

Re: Technical support - Static connection on my router - what is it?

Wendy010 — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 13:45:08 GMT

Thanks, I have since renamed all devices that I recognise and taken other measures to tighten up security, however I don't know enough to feel that I have done enough to make sure my internet provision is as secure as I can make it. SO I appreciate all the info given from my community post. Thanks guys.

Re: Technical support - Static connection on my router - what is it?

jab1 — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 13:45:36 GMT

FYI, @Wendy010 , that was a opportune scam message - I get a few, but the sender obviously points to it being a scam - EVRi wouldn't send a message from a gmail address.

Re: Technical support - Static connection on my router - what is it?

Wendy010 — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 13:46:36 GMT

Yeah, thankfully I recognised it as such straight away.

Re: Technical support - Static connection on my router - what is it?

Dan_the_Van — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 13:49:58 GMT

@Wendy010

If you are using the default settings and not turned anything off (Firewall, Wireless security) you should be fine.

If you are concerned you could change the wireless security password to something of your choice.

Re: Technical support - Static connection on my router - what is it?

Wendy010 — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 13:51:00 GMT

I don't knowingly use public wi-fi's, so would I be correct to assume that something has happened recently that was not normal? I had quite a few iPhone and unknown devices on my IP router device list. All updated and the ones that I don't recognise are deleted. On searching some of these MAC addresses, well, I am even more confused because I don't recognise them and they are so random.

Re: Technical support - Static connection on my router - what is it?

Wendy010 — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 13:53:25 GMT

Thanks, I changed my router password as soon as I realised that there were unrecognised devices on there. I'm just left with a feeling that something did happen and I wanted to understand it better.

Thank you all.

Re: Technical support - Static connection on my router - what is it?

Dan_the_Van — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 14:03:09 GMT

I would imagine some of the unrecognised devices are in your household, unless you have shared your wireless password with anyone or you have made Wireless Security NONE you should be safe.

The way to tackle this issue would be to turn all your devices off with the exclusion of one for administering the Hub.

Once all the devices in the list have gone grey they would have dropped their wifi connection. Then 'Remove' the devices.

Then one at a time turn a device on, hopefully this will help you identify each device as they connect

HTH

Re: Technical support - Static connection on my router - what is it?

MisterW — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 14:03:14 GMT

I'm just left with a feeling that something did happen and I wanted to understand it better.

Did your iPhones update recently ?

Although I don't have one , there seems to be reports out there about the MAC addresses changing after an update

Re: Technical support - Static connection on my router - what is it?

Wendy010 — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 14:36:50 GMT

Thanks again, I think that all of this has forced me to consider a more secure wired set up with my devices.

Re: Technical support - Static connection on my router - what is it?

jab1 — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 14:45:31 GMT

@Wendy010 Phones (and tablets) cannot be set up 'wired'.

Re: Technical support - Static connection on my router - what is it?

MisterW — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 14:59:48 GMT

Actually, they can ( well at least Android ones! ) with a USB Ethernet adaptor. Although its not very convenient to trail an ethernet cable from your phone/tablet to the router😀