Bumping: Bypassing Family WiFi restriction using randomized MAC address

[Anj]

As first raised in this thread:  https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Nest-Wifi/Kids-are-by-passing-family-wifi/m-p/386033

Confirmed the issue exists and the "fix" is to disable IP Address Randomization as documented (at least for Windows 11) here:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/how-to-use-random-hardware-addresses-in-windows-ac58de34...

This is a major security flaw with Family WiFi, and actually renders it useless for all but the most juvenile use cases.  IP Address Randomization has been around for years, so I'm shocked that all the Distinguished Engineers at Google couldn't see this one coming.

Given that there is no other reliable and unique identifier available for a network interface, the only solution will be for Google WiFi to implement a mechanism that prevents "new" nodes from connecting to WiFi without approval in the app. 

For a slightly useful workaround, users can enable WiFi Notifications > New Device to at least get notified when their kids change to a new MAC address and reconnect.

[olavrb]

100% agree.

Just wanted to add that controlling the devices themselves could be something to look into. There are multiple alternatives, like:

• Apple screen time: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/ipad/ipadb15cb886/ipados
• Google Family Link: https://families.google.com/familylink
• Microsoft Family Safety: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/family-safety

[Anj]

Certainly there are multiple bespoke ways to deal with the issue, (including teaching ones children to abide by curfews...) but these are OS specific and using them negates the need for the centralized control on the centralized Internet pipe that Family WiFi (proports to) deliver. 

We do use Family Link in conjunction BTW, but our use case is more nuanced, needing to permit access to the device while blocking access to the Internet (which Family Link doesn't support for obvious reasons).

[olavrb]

I see.

Could be that something relevant is in the making ( https://9to5google.com/2023/03/19/google-home-wi-fi-labs/ ), let's hope it results in something more useful than todays functionality.

[AbigailF]

Hey folks, 

Thanks for lending a hand, @olavrb.
@Anj, I wanted to follow up and see if you are still in need of any help. Please let me know if you are still having any concerns or questions from here, as I would be happy to take a closer look and assist you further.

Thanks,
Abi

[AbigailF]

Hello @Anj,

Checking back in should you still have some questions here. Let us know by replying to this thread. 

Best, 
Abi

[AbigailF]

Hi everyone,

We haven't heard from you in a while so we'll be locking this thread if there is no update within 24 hours. If you have any new issues, updates or just a discussion topic, feel free to start a new thread in the Community.

Regards, 
Abi