We have recently seen cases where Pixel phones had unstable Wi-Fi connections on networks using Firewalla Simple mode. This issue occurs because Firewalla Simple mode is built on a technique called ARP spoofing, and Pixel doesn't feel happy when it sees a different MAC address respond to ARP queries. Learn more about Firewalla Simple mode.
If you're experiencing this issue, here are some solutions that you can try.
Solution 1: Set a static IP on your Pixel and set the Firewalla box IP as the gateway
- First, note down the Firewalla box IP address. You can find this in the Firewalla app by going to the box's main page, tapping the top right icon, then selecting "About," and noting the IP address.
- On your Pixel, go to Settings and open the WiFi settings.
- Find your home WiFi network and select the edit icon (usually located at the top right corner of the screen).
- Select "Advanced Options" settings and switch to a static IP in the range of your Firewalla Primary network.
- Set the current IP address of your Pixel as the phone IP address and enter the Firewalla box IP as the Gateway.
Solution 2: Switch Firewalla to a mode that does not use ARP spoofing
All Firewalla boxes support DHCP mode. Switching to DHCP mode does not require changing any wiring of your network, but you may need to adjust your router settings. Learn more about DHCP mode.
Firewalla Purple and Gold Series also have Router and Bridge modes as well and we recommend using those when possible.
See Which Firewalla Mode Should I Use? for more information.
Solution 3: Turn off monitoring for your Pixel
- Open the Firewalla app and go to the device list.
- Find your Pixel and tap on it.
- Scroll down and disable monitoring for your Pixel.
Note this option means you won't see flows from the device. See this article, What happens when Monitoring is off, or Emergency Access is on?
Solution 4: Manually have the Pixel join the Overlay network of Firewalla (Red/Blue/Blue Plus)
Here is a guide to help you manually configure Pixel to join the Firewalla overlay network
Any of these solutions will resolve the issue with your Pixel disconnecting from WiFi when using Firewalla Simple mode.
Comments
2 comments
When will there be a fix for this problem?
Solution 1 doesn't work all the time. And solution 4 has other problems in my network. And solution 3 isn't where I bought my Firewalla for.
And solution 2 I have a very expensive home network (unifi) what I use for dhcp.
Please come with a solution so Firewalla works normal with android 14.
Unfortunately, this is not something firewalla can fix. It is how the Android operating system deals with ARP spoofing.
If you own one of the Purple/Gold units, it is best to run them in router/bridge mode, these modes doesn't rely on the arp spoofing trick to grab traffic, and likely much more stable.
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