WiFi Troubleshooting - Turn off random MAC address

Owned by Lyons, Andrew H
Last updated: Sep 24, 2021
1 min read

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To aid in troubleshooting WiFi connections, having a device keep the same hardware network or MAC address is helpful. Some devices and operating systems allow generating random MAC addresses for each connection. These instructions show how to turn off that feature for UAlbanyWiFi.

Instructions

iPad or iPhone

  1. Open the Settings app

  2. Tap WiFi

  3. Tap the information button (an "i" icon) next to the network you need to troubleshoot

  4. Check if the Private Address is turned on. If so, toggle the setting to off.

(From https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211227)

Android-based devices

We do not have specific steps for Android-based phones and tablets, but if they are capable of this feature, the steps to check and change it should be similar to this:

  1. Open the Settings app

  2. Tap WiFi

  3. Tap the network you need to troubleshoot

  4. Check if Randomized MAC is turned on. If so, toggle the setting to off.