Disabling Private Wi-Fi Addresses for Android Devices

Overview

The following article will provide guidance on configuring Android devices to use private Wi-Fi addresses.

Disabling MAC Randomization will allow your Android device to connect to our campus enterprise Wi-Fi networks, such as our EAGLE-SOAR network, more consistently and allow the connection to remain more stable.

Important Note:  To ensure optimal connectivity, all mobile devices being connected to EAGLE-SOAR should remove/forget any other NCCU campus Wi-Fi networks from their saved connections. Specifically, please delete/forget the following networks from your device settings before proceeding:

  • EAGLES
  • NCCU-GUEST
  • EAGLE-GUEST

Configuring Android Devices (version 10 and later)

Here are the typical steps to disable this setting on Android OS

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Tap Connections or Network & Internet.
  3. Tap Wi-Fi.
  4. Tap the gear icon or the name of the enterprise network you are connected to (e.g., EAGLE-SOAR).
  5. On the network details screen, look for MAC address type or Privacy. 
  6. Tap on the setting and change it from Randomized MAC to Phone MAC or Device MAC.
    • Randomized MAC (Default): This causes the connection instability.
    • Phone MAC / Device MAC: This is the setting you need to select for a stable connection to an enterprise network.

Configuring Android Devices (Older Devices)

In some Android devices, the setting may be located within Advanced network settings:

  1. Follow steps 1-3 above.
  2. Tap on the enterprise network name (EAGLE-SOAR).
  3. Scroll down and tap Advanced or Advanced settings.
  4. Find MAC address type or Privacy and change it from Randomized MAC to Phone MAC or Device MAC.

Note:  Due to the nature of Android devices, in that each manufacturer's settings may differ slightly, please fee free to reach out to ITS for further assistance if you are having issues changing these settings.  

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