Wifi "Stalking"

[#1]

Just wondering if anyone else has seen anything like this before.

This is what the 2.4GHz band looks like :

My SSID is Smokey2 - there is another device sitting on the same band : Direct-23Media:

So I manually move Smokey2 :

And within a minute the Direct-23Media SSID moves to the same band.

If I turn Smokey2 off then Direct-23Media stops moving.

If I change the name of Smokey2 to something else then Direct-23Media stops following

if I change the name back then within a couple of minutes Direct-23Media jumps onto the same channel again

[#2 · Accepted solution]

@SteveA 

Have you got any connected devices that also have their own web server? For example I have a Solar Inverter that is normally connected to my router as a client. However it also has its own web server that transmits its own SSID. This allows a service ungineer to access the Inverter independantly should the need arise.

The Solar Inverter always transmits its own SSID on the same channel as my router SSID, just like this. Try switching off all your connected devices and see if Direct-23 Media disapears.

[#3]

I haven't got any that are running on Wifi.  I'm going to go round each PC and turn them off and see if it vanishes

[#4]

I found it - one Windows 10 PC had got the "Projecting to this PC" option enabled.  Interesting that it uses a different MAC address than the PC shows as connected to the wifi

[#5]

@SteveA 

I assume that this means that you can cast a windows phone or computer to your pc without them being connected to your network.

[#6]

I assume that it does - I guess the casting application scans for those oddly named wifi access points and then connects to them,