Windows 10: Strange devices showing on my network

While trouble shooting another issue, NAS share's not showing in of File Manager - Windows 10 Forums, I started to notice strange devices, mostly phones, showing up in the Network page of File Manger.

These devices do not have IP address, however, I can see the MAC address. I looked at the router logs and can't match the MAC address to anything in the log, not even denied access. I see several attempts from people trying to get in, both from the internet and via the WIFI. Those all are denied.

If this is someone trying to access my WIFI network, would it show up on the Network of my Windows machine? Shouldn't only authenticated devices show up? These show up as Other Devices. The last one that I saw said that it was a Blackberry STV100-2. Another one that showed up was some kind of a USB scanner. Not sure what that was.

Any idea on what these devices are? Do I have a hole in my network somewhere that I am not aware of? I know in the past that I've saw on of my neighbors use a Chrome TV device and it was wide open. But they must have found that hole and plugged it. I'm not aware of anything on my network similar that would provide someone access.

Thanks

Daryl

:)

 

Strange devices showing up on my network

As others have already stated, I have the ghostly Lexmark printer showing up on my network, too. I also am seeing intermittent devices like wireless "CAMERA" RC8026 (never had one), wireless "PHONE" Aimaul_tmous (never had a smart phone) they come and go
but the printer has found a home for some reason. None of my neighbors are close enough to pick up my SSID or have these devices, either. Of course I have taken the modem back to default and reconfigured the network with new hard to crack names and pass phrases
and even done the Mac filtering. I keep having these issues but the "nanny cam better be found, it's range is 25-30 feet from the modem" according to Cox...that has me freaked out. And my ability to keep my network stable for all 4 (TV, speaker, printer and
laptop) of my devices, is beginning to be a problem. I lose the internet radio, scan to computer and sometimes it takes over 10 minutes to pull up a browser and my computer crashes frequently. This also happened on windows 8.1 and on windows 10. I have run
the Malicious tool, malware bytes and McAfee. Nothing comes up. My other wired Vista computer showed up with a PUP called Generic H tool.b. Cox told me to unplug it and wipe the hard drive (McAfee couldn't remove it) and it is a "key logger/network invasive"
program. Mac filtering hasn't stopped anything but the "phone". I am out of ideas and am stressing about a potential nanny cam.

Thanks

 

Strange devices showing up on my network

Thank you for your prompt reply. As it turns out that was not the issue. It was that Cox I asked them for help. They had no answers. I was seeing a wireless camera, phone and printer. I finally decided to study the modem manual and found a place I could
"MAC filter out "other computers" and did that since I could see their MAC information when I clicked on their properties. THAT didn't work for long and soon they were back crowding my resources. Worse yet, the camera was a "nanny cam with a range of 25 feet
per the info I googled about RC 8026. I was told "you had better find the camera." I never did find one.

At this point I decided to study further and found a way to create an access list inside the modem set up page. It wasn't that hard. You better have an accurate list of all the devices you want for your network (TV, speakers, dvrs, etc.) I put in their MAC
addresses into the "allow list" and THAT has worked perfectly. I don't understand how someone could have gotten in with all the passwords of the SSID broadcast, login and I had changed them all (at least 13 digits) and they were in a format no dictionary would
show. This was done on a "wired computer" quickly and accurately. Cox, of course said they didn't even know how to do the deny or allow list for Mac filtering and McAfee was useless. Ultimately, I took my windows vista tower off the internet completely (like
unplugged), and made all the changes only on Ethernet cabled laptop running windows 10 because there was a PUP Generic H tool.b program on it. I was told by McAfee to reinstall the hard drive and wipe it as that wasn't going to be able to be removed. I did
that, too. That program is a key logger and network manipulation program, which so far with running Malware bytes and McAfee hasn't shown on the laptop. But I have never had nor any of my neighbors (within the 180 feet broadcast of the modem) had these devices.
I have seen other posts on the Netgear page about the ghostly Lexmark printer being on their network, too-all over the U.S. So, that is very interesting. Frankly, I don't know what else to do. Since then nothing else has come into the network and with an allow
list i would know if they did I should think. However, a few times the internet does disconnect on it's own and I just have to reenable it. this has happened twice with internet radio and on the laptop, so that is the problem the fix and whatever else anyone
can suggest. Thanks again. JC

 

Hello All.

I think that I just found the answer to my question, so I thought that I would update this thread, so if someone else has the same problem, they'll be able to resolve their issue as well.

Rogue devices showing up on windows 8 network in file exporer. - Microsoft Community

Once I turned off WPS, the strange devices no longer show up in my Windows Network.

Daryl

 

It is not necessary to disable this service. I know, when this happened to me for the first time, I was suspicious too. Did find the same thread as you do, but red it a bit further... The answer bellow describes well, what's going on ...

 

AndreTen,

Thank you for this reply. It was very interesting.

Daryl

 

You're welcome *Smile I was a bit scared, when first noticed those phones, too...

 

Thank you for this nice explanation, I was scared too, and spent 3 hour to investigate this strange device before I come here *Sad

 

You're welcome megerdin *Smile and welcome to Tenforums

 

If you Hide your SSID on your Router it will eliminate these "Drive By" connections if they bother you....

just make sure you know how to connect to a hidden network on your particular device afterwards... including phones etc.

Connect To Wireless Network in Windows 10 Network Sharing Tutorials