Unnamed Offline devices on Nest WiFi

[ScottG_TC]

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. 

[zenfinity]

This is such a relief. Thank you! FYI iOS devices do this too. My Apple watch is a particularly bad offender. I turned it off there because I never connect to other wifi networks with it anyway. I was looking at one of the unnamed devices traffic history and it spiked to 4GB at like 3am and I was like wtf! But that was probably just a system update being installed.

[ScottG_TC]

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

[MichaelP]

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.

[ScottG_TC]

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

[ScottG_TC]

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. 

[MichaelP]

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.

[ScottG_TC]

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

[MichaelP]

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.

[Jeff]

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.

[ScottG_TC]

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

[Jeff]

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.

[SueM1414]

They do not drop off. How hard can it be to add a delete device button? This has been going on for a year now. It’s not only for unknown devices, I also want to delete old phones, TV’s, etc.

[Jeff]

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.

[ScottG_TC]

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

[emwright]

We really need answers to our questions. The Google team should be fixing this ..

[emwright]

Even after rebuilding my network from scratch, they're still there. And, smart devices are malfunctioning, like GE hub free bulbs. It's definitely the Home app.

[emwright]

Not to be smart or anything, but a fix would be important. We have been hearing the "we're working on it" for too long.

[ScottG_TC]

Clearly the team has no interest in protecting our privacy or our network security.  It shouldnt take 5 months to fix something that works properly in the Google WiFi app but not in the Google Home app.

Google's interest and ability to keep users happy with regards to the Google Home has clearly dropped off the earth since every day there are new articles regarding how something new has broken with regards to the Google Home

[Jeff]

Hi, ScottG_TC.

I understand your frustration. I've yet to receive an answer for what might be causing this, but I did want to reach back a ways to something MichaelP said about devices that might be generating random MAC addresses and could be responsible for multiple previously connected instances. For as long as this thread has been going, have you seen ANY drop off at all from those older devices?

[ScottG_TC]

Jeff, no quite the opposite. The list is growing. ANd I have randomized MAC disabled and many of these have not even connected to my network in over 30 days, and still not dropping off. 

[Jeff]

Ok, ScottG_TC.

Thanks for updating. I'll mention it to our teams and see what more they can offer up in regards to insight. This has to be super confusing and frustrating, I know.

Thanks.

[Russmd]

I think that at least some of them are devices that temporarily used the wifi at some time- kids visiting, etc- but they don’t drop off the list  afterwards. 

[Jeff]

Hi, Russmd.

That's definitely a common source of the unknown connections. As some have mentioned, being able to remove those from the device list manually would help to keep things a bit cleaner, and I've passed that onto our internal teams as a requested feature.

Thanks.

[ScottG_TC]

If that's one of the causes, why aren't they in the WiFi app, only on the home app

[Russmd]

My guess, and only a guess, is because THE WIFI APP WORKED SO MUCH BETTER. Why they merged it into this mess I don’t understand. 

[Jeff]

Hi, Zewack.

The unnamed devices aren't of any security concern. Even with the devices showing on your list, connections to your network are still limited to any devices that have the network name and password. As for understanding the unnamed devices showing in the list, we're still trying to chase that down.

Thanks.

[Zewack]

Hi Jeff, 

Thank you for the clarification. We think we may have found the unnamed devices. It appears to be from an app that allows us to access our baby monitor. It appears to establish a different connection every couple of days. The old connection stays on the nest as unnamed and unused. Perhaps this will help for others. 

Appreciate the follow up. 

[SpottedQuoll]

---

@Jeff wrote:

The unnamed devices aren't of any security concern.

---

This is, obviously, not true.  The purpose of a device list is to be able to easily monitor current and recent connections to your network, including with the intention to easily spot irregularities for security purposes.  Someone with malicious intent who would have gotten their hands on your password can make good use of this (now widely known but unresolved) bug to mask their device among the many "Unnamed device"s, potentially going unnoticed for a long time.  The problem is only getting worse over time, with these "Unnamed device"s not being removed from the list.

A feature for users to manually remove these from the list, as was teased here as a future option, would be a poor man's patch, avoiding the real issue and passing on the responsibility to users (who might not necessarily be skilled at spotting malicious devices among a long list of "garbage" devices).  These fake devices should not be in the list in the first place; that is how the advertised product that users paid for is supposed to work.

Given the prevalence of this issue across users, it's unlikely the developers would not have been able to replicate it.  Designing and implementing a solution should just be a matter of priorities.  The fact that the issue still has not been resolved yet, is very telling on those priorities.  Shameless contempt of your customers.

[JohnDoe1]

Exactly! Couldn't have said it better myself 😁

[JohnDoe1]

I was in bed 1 night and a new unknown device connected to my wi-fi. It was clearly someone unknown to me. As we were in bed watching tv. The only thing I could do was pause the device. Now it sits in my offline with the other unknowns. Can't delete it. 

[Macdollors23]

Please stop bird feeding these good hard working innocent people, if google can answer the questions to why the mucury grade is affecting people on earth's energy then this list situation should be like helping your kids with their 4th grade home work ...side bar I do it every night and it's very ez once you read the instructions 😉 

[Antix]

They are a way to bypass the family schedules rendering them useless

[Jeff]

Hi, Redpedr0.

There's actually a firmware update that is starting to roll out to devices now with a variety of fixes included. It should be hitting your device automatically in the next little while. Your system will update on its own, and once you see that update, check to see if you are still seeing the same issues. As for the unnamed devices, a lot of that is due to MAC randomization on devices that connect to the network, but there may be other causes in specific instances. 

Give things a try after the firmware rollout and let me know if you see any improvement.

Thanks.

[ScottG_TC]

It's not because of Mac randomization. I turned that off months ago and the list is growing. Plus unknown devices have remained for well over 4 months with no use. Please fix this already

[Jsrod_fastlane]

Over a year later and no resolution still. I’m experiencing it. 

[BoredFish]

Me too. Just browsing through this old thread reading about promises to fix it from 3 years ago and yet my brand new system I bought this month is still having the exact save issue described here... I am regretting this purchase more and more by the minute.

[JohnDoe1]

1. No have not. They just keep piling up. 

[evanovich]

Would really love a device delete function. I have 60 unnamed devices that haven’t connected in at least 30 days. And having to scroll all the way to the bottom of that asinine list just to see my guest Wi-Fi devices is less than ideal. I guess this product domain just isn’t a priority for google…? 

[TheBeardedOne]

They don’t drop off. It’s been months and i still have devices listed on my Google Home app as unnamed (and offline). 

[emwright]

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