How to disable the new device pop up

Hi,

How do I stop the new device alert popups from appearing? I find this very disruptive. I am running the portable version.

Thanks
Mark.

The pop-ups from WiFi Guard are actually the app doing exactly what it's meant to do: notifying you when an unfamiliar device appears on your network.

If you'd prefer fewer notifications, you can turn off Instant detection of new devices under Settings - Advanced - Scanning Options. However, the preferable route is to scan your network, and for each device you recognise (shown in red), double-click and mark it as known.

Once all your devices are marked known, pop-ups will only appear when something genuinely new joins your network.

Thank you.

I use Glasswire and it does not use a popup but a notification in the bottom right corner. With no action from me it fades away after 2 seconds.

Your pop is very intrusive. It stays on screen and when I press OK it should disappear and I continue. What it does is take me back to to app. So it takes me two clicks to get back to work.

Also I noticed I keep on getting these notifications for the same device, my phone. I clicked remember device. Is it remembering based on MAC address or IP? If on IP it's no good as my IP changes as I connect to different AP's as I walk around my house.

Thanks.

You're absolutely right: persistent pop-up can be disruptive. However, that behaviour is intentional. WiFi Guard is designed to ensure you are immediately aware of any unknown device on your network, because a quiet notification might be dismissed and a potential intruder could remain undetected. That said, I understand how this can interrupt your workflow and will take your feedback on board for future improvements.

Regarding the repeated notifications for your phone: WiFi Guard tracks devices by their MAC address, not IP address. This means that if the same device is using a different MAC address when it reconnects, WiFi Guard will treat it as a new, unknown device.

Modern smartphones often use randomised or private MAC addresses to enhance privacy, especially on public Wi-Fi networks. That's likely why your phone keeps triggering new alerts, even though you've marked it as known. Here's how to disable this feature on your device so that WiFi Guard consistently recognises it:

On iPhone (iOS 14 or newer):

1. Open Settings, then tap Wi-Fi.
2. Tap the "i" symbol next to the network you're using.
3. Toggle Private Address to Off (MAC address will not change) or, if you require more privacy, to Fixed (MAC address will change between networks, but should remain constant in each particular network).
4. Rejoin the Wi-Fi network if prompted.

On Android (Android 10 and above):

1. Open Settings - Network & Internet (or Connections / Wi-Fi & Network, depending on your device).
2. Tap your Wi-Fi network, then tap Advanced, then Privacy or MAC address type.
3. Choose Use Device MAC (sometimes labelled "Phone MAC").

This ensures your device uses its fixed hardware MAC address on your home or office network, and WiFi Guard will then reliably recognise it as one of your devices. This should also stop the repeated alerts you've been seeing.

Thanks for your response.

1. Notification. I understand the reason for a fixed popup. Can you please add an option to disable it or make it a banner that can be set to disappear automatically? This will be a lot less disruptive for me.

2. Constant notifications from my phone. Thanks for the work around. It's not ideal to implement your fix for obvious reasons. Glasswire, which I am currently using, does not have this problem. Maybe they use the device string, your "Name" column to get around this as this will remain constant.

I am impressed with your support, well done.