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I can see one unknown android device on my network, but it has same host-name as my android device.

QUESTION

1.Is this possible that on same network two different devices can have same host-name ?

2.Is someone spoofing my device and accessing my network ?

SITUATION

1.I have WPA2-psk security key encryption.

2.Both have different but similar MAC addresses. (first three octets are same).

vivi
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  • How are you determining that the other device is on your network? Is it simply a case of your device's MAC changing after reboot? https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=23330 – schroeder Oct 08 '14 at 15:42
  • i can see those devices simultaneously at same time on my network. – vivi Oct 08 '14 at 15:45
  • My question was HOW you are determining this. – schroeder Oct 08 '14 at 15:50
  • @schroeder yes you are correct my device is changing it's MAC address whenever i am restarting the wifi on my phone and it's listing on my DHCP Leases list with same host-name but different MAC address each time. Thanks you for your help. – vivi Oct 08 '14 at 18:24

2 Answers2

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Question 1: Yes it is possible for multiple devices to have the same hostname on a network, you can simply change the name of any two computers on a network and they will share the same hostname. Unfortunately this can cause a number of different problems, like domain name resolution will not work correctly since they are both sharing the same hostname. Though they can get different IP addresses assigned via DHCP since that uses MAC addressing to assign IP addresses.

MAC addresses are group assigned to manufacturers much like IP addresses are assigned to ISPs, so that's not unlikely if both devices are from the same manufacturer.

Question 2: Probably not. If you have any friends or family or co-workers (small-business or home network), that have a similar android device and have accessed your network, that entry may be listed in your DHCP Leases/Connected Devices list. If you delete the DHCP lease/disconnect the device in question and it pops up again, it could be caused by a number of things: some devices (phones especially) have multiple MAC addresses and can have multiple DHCP entries, someone could have left a device there, it could be a cracked or stolen wpa-psk key (though I doubt it), and a device spoof seems really unlikely.

Hope that helps!

Desthro
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Apple devices use the owner's first name as the default device name: "John's iPad". Imagine 2 people with the same name owning the same device and walking into a coffee shop offering free WiFi. Do you suspect that they won't be able to connect?

More than the name issue, the MAC addresses of both devices will be similar (first few octets the same) because they are from the same manufacturer and are using the same type of WiFi hardware.

So, yes, it is possible for your situation to exist.

schroeder
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  • I would suspect that it all depends on the wireless AP and I wouldn't put it past a company to release a POS router that didn't allow name collisions. That being said, a coffee shop would be the first to notice and, hopefully, would not support that company any longer. – J.Money Jan 13 '17 at 23:10