topic Re: Unnamed Offline devices on Nest WiFi in Nest Wifi

Unnamed Offline devices on Nest WiFi

ScottG_TC — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 15:14:52 GMT

There are tons of unnamed offline devices on my Google WiFi device list. There were multiple threads on this in the old community but were locked without resolution.

What are these devices, where did they come from and why cant they be removed? Is my network a security risk even though it requires a password to access my wifi?

I am really concerned that my network safety is being compromised.

Re: Unnamed Offline devices on Nest WiFi

MichaelP — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 17:37:58 GMT

Hello @ScottG_TC

Sorry for the delay – this got lost amongst the deluge of migrated threads. Plus, I didn't have a working theory until now. Do you by chance have a Pixel phone? I suspect it's configured to generate a random MAC address for your home network. Try disabling that (just for your home network). The unnamed offline devices are basically "old" random MAC addresses your Pixel phone was using earlier. They should eventually "age out" of the list and disappear on their own, but that may take a long time. Assuming my working theory is right, this should not be an indication of a security risk – it's a side effect of the privacy-preserving feature in the Pixel phone. Apple iPhones have a similar feature (which can also be disabled), but I don't know if it causes the same issue (they may only generate a new random MAC address once for each unique network), and it's possible non-Pixel Android phones have a similar feature.

Re: Unnamed Offline devices on Nest WiFi

ScottG_TC — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 17:39:46 GMT

Thanks Michael - I just switched to use device MAC on all my pixel devices and see if these fall off, but they have just been growing for months.

Re: Unnamed Offline devices on Nest WiFi

MichaelP — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 17:47:45 GMT

It may take something like 60 days for all of them to finally disappear. But, if the list stops growing, that's a good indication this is the issue. If you see that, it seems like something worth letting the Pixel team know. It's not that they're doing something wrong – and neither is Google / Nest WiFi – it's just an unexpected feature interaction between the two products that the two teams should probably "discuss". Disabling this for the networks you trust is probably a good idea in any case.

Re: Unnamed Offline devices on Nest WiFi

ScottG_TC — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 17:50:12 GMT

I will keep an eye on it, but this is definitely something new that started over the summer, and I have been using Google Wifi and Pixels for years

Re: Unnamed Offline devices on Nest WiFi

MichaelP — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 17:54:31 GMT

Thanks – I don't think this is the result of any recent change in Google WiFi behavior, but I also know you know way more about Pixel than I do, so if there's been a firmware update to Pixel in that timeframe, that could be the root cause.

Re: Unnamed Offline devices on Nest WiFi

ScottG_TC — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 17:57:10 GMT

I wish I knew if there was a specific change causing this.

Re: Unnamed Offline devices on Nest WiFi

ScottG_TC — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 18:08:36 GMT

Actually thinking back to other threads about this issue, its not Pixel specific and it seems to have started when the Wifi app was deprecated and moved to the Home app.

Re: Unnamed Offline devices on Nest WiFi

MichaelP — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 18:19:43 GMT

The Google WiFi app still works (in read-only mode). Do these unnamed devices also show up there? If so, then it's not likely related to the migration between apps.

It may also be that it is Android-specific rather than Pixel-specific. At this point, I just want to learn more about it, and the change you made to your Android devices should tell us something interesting either way.

Re: Unnamed Offline devices on Nest WiFi

ScottG_TC — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 18:26:44 GMT

Nope not listed on the Google wifi app. Only listed on the home app

Re: Unnamed Offline devices on Nest WiFi

MichaelP — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 18:29:50 GMT

Interesting! So, that points the finger at the Google Home app itself. I still suspect disabling random MAC address on your devices will result in those entries disappearing (eventually), but it is good to know there is something different going on in the Google Home app than the Google WiFi app.

Re: Unnamed Offline devices on Nest WiFi

Jeff — Fri, 17 Sep 2021 17:04:17 GMT

Hi, ScottG_TC.

I just wanted to check in and see if there's anything else I could do for you. Thank you so much MichaelP for your help and support on this one. It definitely seems like an odd situation. I would second MichaelP's thoughts that those devices will most likely begin to drop off the device list over time.

If there's anything else you needed, please let me know.

Thanks.

Re: Unnamed Offline devices on Nest WiFi

ScottG_TC — Fri, 17 Sep 2021 17:19:29 GMT

They are not dropping off and please note, these only show in the WiFi portion of the Google Home app, they dont show at all in the Google WiFi app

Re: Unnamed Offline devices on Nest WiFi

emwright — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 13:05:23 GMT

I have the same issue - is there any new information to share?

Re: Unnamed Offline devices on Nest WiFi

Jeff — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 19:54:15 GMT

Hey, ScottG_TC.

The WiFi app has been replaced the the Home app for the WiFi management. While you still can open the app and view some things, it won't be updating as the Home app will. In the transition, the Home app is still a little behind the WiFi app in regards to feature parity. Updates are rolling out over time, including a recent one, that are bringing back that functionality and adding some more to the mix.

As of right now, there's no way to manually edit that list. It's something that several others in the community have asked for, and we've passed that request on to our internal teams. As mentioned earlier, those devices SHOULD be disappearing on their own over time. I'll look into things and see if we're having more known issues with the devices staying put.

If I can find out more, I'll update everyone as soon as I know. Thanks.

Re: Unnamed Offline devices on Nest WiFi

Jeff — Fri, 01 Oct 2021 20:11:53 GMT

Hey, all.

I just wanted to follow up real fast to see if there's anything else we needed here or if there's any more I can do. If so, just let me know.

Thanks.

Re: Unnamed Offline devices on Nest WiFi

ScottG_TC — Fri, 01 Oct 2021 20:13:01 GMT

Yes, let us know why these show in the Home app and not in the Wifi app and if my network is secure or not. I have doubts since I have so many of these unnamed devices

Re: Unnamed Offline devices on Nest WiFi

ScottG_TC — Fri, 01 Oct 2021 20:27:45 GMT

Just a quick update (I know it hasnt been 60 days) but none have dropped off. Still have 32 devices listed in Unamed, with most not showing any activity for 30 days. I say most cause I gote bored checking that many.

Re: Unnamed Offline devices on Nest WiFi

Jeff — Fri, 01 Oct 2021 21:58:51 GMT

Hey, ScottG_TC and emwright.

With the time frame having passed for these devices to drop off and without us knowing where the devices are coming from, I think it's time to escalate this to an internal team. I'll be handling that and I'll update the thread as I hear more.

Thanks.

Re: Unnamed Offline devices on Nest WiFi

ScottG_TC — Fri, 01 Oct 2021 22:00:35 GMT

Great. Thank you