Phone keeps getting a new IP at the office, or blocked access
Modern iPhones and Androids use a different randomized MAC per network. Good for privacy, but it breaks access lists and DHCP reservations.
Try this first
- 1On the phone, open the Wi-Fi settings for your office network. Find "private address" (iOS) or "randomized MAC" (Android).
- 2Disable it for the office SSID. The phone will then use its real hardware MAC.
- 3Reconnect to the network. Sometimes "forget and re-add" once is needed.
- 4Tell IT that your MAC needs to be re-registered if the office network uses MAC filtering or reservations.
When to bring us in
MAC filtering is not strong security anyway and often breaks on modern phones. We replace it with WPA2-Enterprise or 802.1X.
See also
- Wi-Fi drops randomly across the officeFirst rule out whether it is the access points or the internet connection itself. Different fix.
- One room or corner has no or bad Wi-FiNot always "add another AP"; often one is poorly positioned, or there is a metal wall in the way.
- Internet is suddenly slow for everyoneThree suspects: your provider, a colleague soaking the line, or a backup or update kicking in unexpectedly.
None of the above fits?
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