unknown devices caused by VPN?

[forumname]

Hi

when I check my home hub 3000 "my devices" section I see devices named unknown device with a number beside it like unknown device 15 or unknown device 3 etc.  when my desktop is online sometimes it is listed as I labeled it on the devices list but other times only unknown device is listed.  Today there were two unknown devices listed while my desktop was online but my desktop was not listed.  I am using a VPN on my desktop though and was wondering if this is causing my desktop to be listed as an unknown device.

Thanks

[BellPatricia · Accepted solution]

Good morning! I believe that could be a VPN. The Home Hub will register an I.P as a device. A VPN uses different IPs to trick the computer / internet provider into thinking it is somewhere else.. so it could show "unknown device".

- Patricia

[forumname]

thanks a lot!

[CJW]

Can I or one of your techs, find out who owns 2 "unknown devices" that used my Bell Router 2000 on a particular date in December?

Chris 

[ZaneP]

Hi @CJW 

I don't have your HH2K, but from the dashboard of my HH4K, I can look at My Devices. I'll see the hostname for each connected device.

I can also click on Advanced, to see the IP address and MAC address of the devices. Are these 2 devices still connected? I can click Show to see disconnected devices.

The hostnames and MAC addresses might give you some hints about the devices, and their owners. (MAC addresses can be spoofed)

Here's a screenshot, to illustrate.

Cheers,

ZaneP

[DQ_Wireless-Home]

"Unknown Devices" started showing up on our home network a while back and ended up being our Apple devices. These devices are now defaulted to use "Private WIFI Addresses", when using different WIFI networks to prevent tracking. The Private WIFI Address feature can be turned on/off for WIFI network in the WIFI settings. If it is someone else's device that has connected to your WIFI network in the past your router should show them as disconnected, You can delete them and watch for new occurrences to try to deduce what devices it might be. If the Unknown Devices are showing up as "connected" then check your Apple devices first.

Maybe this link will help:

https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT211227