I have the very same issue. Found it with Wifi Analyzer....

johnczaia
Grasshopper

I have the very same issue. Found it with Wifi Analyzer. Even when turning the Wifi -explicitly- off, some hidden 2.4 and 5 GHz stations appear. Easily to id-ed by that they have the -very same MAC address-, only diff is the first hex value if F6 instead of F8.

VERY annoying and I suspect a) incompetence by whoever created the modem's firmware or b) big company ignoring my wishes, which really is not a good thing to do.

Will publish this on Reddit soon, even if not nefarious, this just won't do.

To avoid this to interfere with my (significantly better) Wifi Setup, I turned Bridge Mode off, turned on both Wifi, set both Wifi bands in the Bluecurve to the very lowest channel (manual), then turned them off, then turned Bridge mode on (got a UniFi router behind the modem, why would I use this Mickey Mouse one instead?).

Interestingly enough the Status page for Wifi shows them a) turned off and b) Uptime counting up for each (2.4/5Ghz). I smell a rat.

And sure enough there they were, the shadow wifis, same MACs, just the first F8 replaced by F6.

I sincerely(!) wish Shaw would make it so I can completely disappear those, please? If only for spectrum cleanliness.

I wish the companies would just manufacture modems w/o the reflex to add the $2 toy-router crap on top.

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-- the XB6 and XB7 BlueCurve devices communicate via "hid...

mdk
Legendary Grand Master

@johnczaia -- the XB6 and XB7 BlueCurve devices communicate via "hidden" SSIDs to the Shaw remote TV boxes.  Do you have any such boxes inside your home?

 

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I do not and I don't want to, ever. Checking with LinSSID...

johnczaia
Grasshopper

I do not and I don't want to, ever.

Checking with LinSSID or Vistumbler, there are at least 5 of these hidden ones emanating for the modem. Very easily to identify due to them using the same MAC, except the first hex value.

Someone on Reddit agrees this is bonkers to not to be able to turn those off, he thinks its to reduce customer call ins when people activate the Bridge Mode on the modem, but have those TV boxes. Thus Bridge mode only turns off the customer facing/maintainable SSIDs/APs

It is highly annoying that everyone is treated like a 3  year old imbecile, experts do exists and would it kill the maker of this modem to have a simple switch in there: Expert mode, no support when entering here, etc. where people like me can then do what we do all day as our day job?

Or at least offer a dumb modem. You know, the ones that just do what dumb modems do, w/o the dollar store "router" and "wifi" features. I'll take care of the rest. I'd even pay for one.

I am close to asking Shaw if I can buy the modem off them, open it up, pop off the 6 antenna leads, isolate them properly and be done. Probably move them out of the way for better air flow while I am at it.

The most frustrating part: I like *everything* else about Shaw Internet. Has been nothing but utterly reliable. I got Telus fiber in the house, but, if I can avoid it, I'd rather stay with Shaw.

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XB6 vs XB7 & some hidden active radios

Kritiker
Grasshopper
  1. I am on a new Fibre+ 500 plan and was initially offered an XB7 in the advertising, then offered an XB6 (by mistake?) when I signed up but asked for and was provided an XB7.
  2. As for the extra active radios, for some Hitron, and the XB6 and XB7 see
    MyShaw > My Services > Internet > Shaw Hotspot
    and set "Turn a secondary WiFi network on or off to create a Shaw Hotspot" to OFF.
    In theory it is supposed to default to OFF but in my case it was ON. See if that helps.
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Sorry, nothing I tried worked.

Kritiker
Grasshopper

Sorry, nothing I tried worked.

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