Sarah is an MEC fiber customer who uses the free CommandIQ app to filter out unwanted websites and apps from her son Jack’s devices.
There’s just one problem: Shortly after she blocks YouTube from Jack’s phone, she gets a notification that a new device has connected to her network. Then, she sees him watching videos with no problem. What gives?
Rotating MAC Addresses
It would be understandable for Sarah to assume that Jack has figured out a way around the parental controls on his device. However, this issue isn’t happening because of something Jack did.
All devices communicate with Wi-Fi networks by identifying themselves with something called a “Media Access Control (MAC) address.” If a device uses the same MAC address at all times, it’s easier to track that device’s activity. Jack’s phone (and many others like it) comes with a privacy feature that “rotates,” or changes, its MAC address every so often to improve privacy.
Think of it like this: If MEC knows your email, we can send you important notifications about your account. However, because your email is always the same, it’s not just MEC that knows it, and it’s possible to start receiving spam or other communications you didn’t sign up for. A rotating MAC address is like if your email changed every day, and only you and MEC knew what it changed to—it would be a lot harder for others to send you unwanted communications.
The problem is that many routers and network management apps, including CommandIQ, use the MAC address to implement parental controls. To stop Jack’s phone from getting around its restrictions, Sarah needs to turn off the rotation feature using the following steps.
Turning Off Rotation – iPhone
Open the Settings app, then tap Wi-Fi.
Make sure the device is not currently connected to the network. Then, tap Edit in the top-right corner.
Tap the info icon (a circle with a lowercase “i” inside) next to the network name, then configure the setting:
If using iOS 18 or later, tap Private Wi-Fi Address, then tap Fixed.
If using an early version of iOS, turn Private Wi-Fi Address off.
Turning Off Rotation – Android
Open the Settings app, then tap Network & Internet/Connections followed by Internet.
Tap the gear icon next to your Wi-Fi network.
Tap Advanced, then Privacy.
Tap Use Device MAC.
Turning Off Rotation – Android (Samsung Galaxy Devices)
Open the Settings app, then tap Connections, followed by Wi-Fi.
Tap the gear icon next to your Wi-Fi network.
Tap MAC Address Type and choose Phone MAC.