new device connected to home network

for some reason the last few weeks, every time I leave my home and come back, xfinity treats my phone like a new device and I get a notification that a new device has connected to my network. it's the same device with no setting changes. when I go to my account and look up devices connected to my network, my phone will be listed multiple times.

how to I stop this?

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EG

Expert

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119.6K Messages

4 days ago

Not certain that this is the cause (YMMV). Phones have a random a MAC addressing feature. Yours may be enabled. The router may think that a new device is being presented each time. Google for specific info (Android, iPhone) on how to check and disable it. Good luck !

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UNCNU

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135 Messages

but wouldn't that have always been a problem? neither router nor phone is new and the timing doesn't coincide with any phone updates.

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4 days ago

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EG

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119.6K Messages

I hear you. Who knows ? I did say that I'm "not certain".... Just throwing it out there. Did you check just for the halibut ?

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4 days ago

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XfinityMartyR

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3.5K Messages

2 days ago

UNCNU Did you get this resolved?

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UNCNU

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135 Messages

2 days ago

it hasn't been resolved yet.

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XfinityMartyR

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3.5K Messages

UNCNU

It does sound like MAC randomization issue as @EG suggested. Your phone is appearing as a new device multiple times because Private Wi-Fi Address (MAC randomization) is changing your phone's visible network ID, or your phone is toggling between your home Wi-Fi and an Xfinity public hotspot.

To fix MAC Randomization on Your Phone:

iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > Wi-Fi, tap the "i" icon next to your home network, and toggle off Private Wi-Fi Address (or turn it off specifically for your home network).

Android: Go to Settings > Network & internet > Internet, tap the gear icon next to your home network, tap MAC address type, and change it from randomized to Phone MAC (or Device MAC).

Stop Auto-Connecting to Xfinity Hotspots
Go to your phone's Wi-Fi settings, find xfinitywifi or XFINITY in the list, tap the "i" icon or settings gear next to it, and turn off Auto-Join or Auto-Connect.

Clean Up the Xfinity App
Open the Xfinity App, navigate to the Connect or WiFi tab, click on the old/duplicate entries of your phone under your connected devices list, select Device Details, and choose Forget Device to clear out the ghost entries.

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2 days ago

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UNCNU

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135 Messages

I'll give it a try.

do you know why this would suddenly start happening? like I said, neither my phone nor xfinity equipment is new and I did not change any settings on my phone or xfinity account (nor does the timing correlate to a phone security update).

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2 days ago

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XfinityMartyR

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3.5K Messages

UNCNU It's usually triggered by OS updates, network updates, security settings, etc.

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2 days ago

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Your Home Network

UNCNU

new device connected to home network

EG

UNCNU

EG

XfinityMartyR

UNCNU

XfinityMartyR

UNCNU

XfinityMartyR

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