Windows 10: Unknown devices keep appearing in my network tab

I frequently see unrecognised devices in the network tab of Explorer (Windows version 1909). These include smartphones, printers, TVs and "generic network" devices. They come and go very quickly. I have changed my wifi password a number of times, most recently to one generated by Lastpass that ought to be very hard to guess and which I have not disclosed to anyone else, yet these devices keep coming back. My router (known as a Bbox) is provided by my ISP (Proximus). It has a public hotspot function, but I have disabled this, yet these mysterious devices keep appearing. However when I log into my router and look at the list of connected devices, I only see devices I recognise as my own. In other words these devices only seem to appear in Windows Explorer, but not in the Router itself.

I have started a thread in my ISP's own forum (it's in French), but not got any plausible explanation. How are these devices appearing on my network, and does this indicate that I have a security problem?

:)

 

Network devices listed under Unknown in Device Manager


I have a Dell Inspiron M731R laptop upgraded from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 Home 64-Bit that suddenly quit connecting to the home network. Was using wireless, so switched to an Ethernet cable, but still no luck. I just discovered that ALL of the network-related devices are now listed under an "Unknown" tab in the Device Manager. A check of properties of each item in that folder says they are all working properly, but that obviously isn't the case. I tried uninstalling each of the 4 items, but when they are recognized again they still show up under the Unknown tab. Any suggestions would be welcome.

 

Unknown devices keep appearing in my network tab

I frequently see unrecognised devices in the network tab of Explorer (Windows version 1909). These include smartphones, printers, TVs and "generic network" devices. They come and go very quickly. I have changed my wifi password a number of times, most recently to one generated by Lastpass that ought to be very hard to guess and which I have not disclosed to anyone else, yet these devices keep coming back. My router (known as a Bbox) is provided by my ISP (Proximus). It has a public hotspot function, but I have disabled this, yet these mysterious devices keep appearing. However when I log into my router and look at the list of connected devices, I only see devices I recognise as my own. In other words these devices only seem to appear in Windows Explorer, but not in the Router itself.

I have started a thread in my ISP's own forum (it's in French), but not got any plausible explanation. How are these devices appearing on my network, and does this indicate that I have a security problem?

 

unknown devices appears in networks and devices

Hi,



Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.



This issue could be caused if there was device connected to the computer previously or if there are currently any device connected to the system.



You can try the methods below and check if it fixes the issue.



Method 1: Check of WIFI security.



If you are using WIFI, hotspot or Bluetooth, I suggest you to check if all of this connection types are password protected, if your WIFI is open network then any phone or PC with WIFI can connect to your system.



Method 2: LAN check.



Check if there are any other systems connected to the same LAN network.



Method 3: Check connected devices.

1. Press Windows + R key on your keyboard together.
   
2. Type control printers and hit enter.
   
3. You will see all the devices and printer connected to the computer.
   
4. You can right click and remove any unknown devices connected to your computer.
   

Method 4: Check Bluetooth and other devices.

1. Navigate to Settings > Devices.
   
2. Check under Bluetooth & other devices if you have any unknown devices connected.
   
3. Click on the device name and click on
   Remove Device.
   

If the issue persists, reply to this post with the results of the troubleshooting methods provided above so that we can narrow down the root cause of the issue.



Hope it helps.

Amit Sunar

Microsoft Community – Moderator