Visible wifi network - don't like the first one

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llarsx

Getting the hang of it
May 7, 2018
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I am using my asus router Wireless - Visible Networks which came up with this. The first one is very strong and I think it must be something in my own house.
Clicking on the empty wireless name it came up with a mac address, which I couldn't find trying whois mac address.

Can the control channel tell us something? Could it be chromecast or simular?

As it open I don't like to show the mac address here.
 

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Hi TVille,

I have tried several mac address whois and lookup, but no find. I also have searched through alle units on my net and subnet. Again I think the strong wifi signal must come from "myself" og nearby. But what can it be?
 
Get a wifi monitoring app for a mobile device and walk around with it monitoring the network. Hopefully it will give you an idea of location based on signal strength. The monitoring apps will generally show actual signal strength as a number, not just "bars" so you can easily see the signal strength change as you walk towards/away from the device.
 
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Walk around your house and look for anything that could be connected to wifi. Refrigerator. Google home or Alexa, Wireless speakers, TVs. The list is damned near endless. And get a wifi app like @The Automation Guy said. Unplug what you think it could be and the app will tell you right there if you found it. Many things broadcast wifi during setup and many leave the damned things on, especially if they are not setup!!
 
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Thank you very much. I use Honor 8 (android) and have now tried 5 different wifi monitoring apps, but no one of them find all the wifis and mac addresses that asus find. Can you recomment an app?
 
Google Home? Guest mode on Chromecast? Lots of results pointing to Google devices if you do a regular search for that MAC.

Posted 4 years agoLast Activity 3 months ago

Mysterious fa:8f:ca:xx:xx:xx MAC address is Google Home's guest mode

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Just in case useful to anyone, I've just tracked down a mysterious hidden access point that has appeared conflicting with my Unifi network over the last couple of days and it's a Google Home operating with "Guest Mode" enabled.

Starts with fa:8f:ca which seems to be unrecognised in most MAC lookups.
Click to expand...
 
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I use Network Analyzer on Android by Jiri Techet. All it needs to do is find the signal strength of the unknown wifi signal. Then walk around and find the area it is the strongest. May need to shield the phone from directions by putting it against your body.
 
llarsx said:
Thank you very much. I use Honor 8 (android) and have now tried 5 different wifi monitoring apps, but no one of them find all the wifis and mac addresses that asus find. Can you recomment an app?
Click to expand...
I use "Ping Tools". That is a much more capably program than just being a wifi scanner, but it does have a wifi scanner option and it does show the actual RSSI strength in dBm.
 
Thanks to The Automation Guy,
Done, but could not find that strong signal at all. I have just upgraded asus RT AC68U to last merlin version 386.3-2 and I think the choice Advanced settings, Wireless, SITE SURVEY and thereunder wireless Visible networks, is quite new (and interesting).

Has anyone else upgraded to last merlin version and found simular first line with strong result - and no name, but with totally rare mac address behind (when you click on the empty name field)? I guess it is a loop or something like that inside my computer or router. If it turn up by someone else, it can help the investigation.
 
If I'm reading right you can see the questionable network on your phone using an app.

What i would try is killing all the mains power circuits including the router itself. This will quickly tell you If the mac address goes away its in your house If not its in a nearby property.

Assuming it does go away re-energise the circuits 1 by 1 giving things time to boot up and settle. This will give you an area / room that it is in.

Try unplugging the equipment in the subsequent area / rooms looking each time for disappear / reappear.

Divide and conquer lol
 
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llarsx said:
Has anyone else upgraded to last merlin version and found simular first line with strong result - and no name, but with totally rare mac address behind (when you click on the empty name field)? I guess it is a loop or something like that inside my computer or router. If it turn up by someone else, it can help the investigation.
Click to expand...

Did you see my post above? That MAC is associated with Google devices.
 
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Mike A. said:
Did you see my post above? That MAC is associated with Google devices.
Click to expand...

I'm just realising the method i described above will not work if it's battery powered. With power off it will be active and you could wrongly assume it's in the neighbours. I'm thinking 1 of those hey Google listening type devices. Are these battery powered?
 
Problem solved.
I found it now, when my wife started the TV. The mysterious mac address came up and now with a name (livingroom.b). And interesting, one of my nabours wifi also came up with a simular name (TV-room.b). A third one only with mac address and no name. I think the TV-evening start now here in Norway.

I rekognize the "livingroom". It is the name I gave chromecast account at home. I mentioned earlier that chromecast not had the same mac address, and that was true, but when the TV started up the "account" livingroom came on the air.

I am happy to have solved the mysterius mac address, and have learned a lot. Thanks to Mike A. who lead me on track.
 
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Glad it was solved.

Another issue it could be for anyone that finds this thread in the future with a similar situation is that with anything Amazon based (Alexa, Ring Cameras, Doorbell, soon to be Ring Alarms and Firesticks, Fire tablets, etc.) is Amazon Sidewalk that extends YOUR wifi to anybody nearby if you system provides a stronger signal.

My friend just found an Alexa device on her network that was her neighbors device...
 
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