How to Block a Device from Your Wi-Fi
any home router; brand menus described generically · Last checked · Suggest an edit
https://instructions.wiki/wifi/block-a-device-from-your-wifi
There is a device on the network that should not be there, or one that needs to be off the internet at bedtime. The reflex answer, MAC address filtering, is the weakest tool in the box, because phones and laptops now randomize their MAC address and get a fresh one each time they join. A per-device block in the router or its app is the control that holds.
Open the router's admin page or app
On a mesh system or an ISP gateway, open the app: eero, Google Home, or the Xfinity app. On a standalone router, type its gateway address into a browser, usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1, and sign in with the admin password rather than the Wi-Fi password.
Find the device in the connected list
Look for a section named Connected Devices, Attached Devices, Client List, or Devices. Match by the friendly name a phone or laptop broadcasts, and where names are generic, compare the MAC address shown against the one in the device's own Wi-Fi settings. Note the device's current address before you act, so you block the right one.
Use the block or pause control
Select the device and look for Block, Pause, Access Control, or a profile the device belongs to. In eero and Google Home the control is a pause switch per device or per profile; in the Xfinity app it sits under the device's detail screen. A pause is reversible and takes effect within a few seconds.
Change the Wi-Fi password when there is no block
Many budget and ISP routers have no per-device block at all. Change the Wi-Fi password in the wireless settings section, save, then reconnect only the devices you want. Everything else is off the network until someone types the new password, and this works regardless of MAC randomization.
If you do not recognize the device. Change both the Wi-Fi password and the router admin password, since a stranger on the network may also have reached the admin page with its default credentials.
For visitors and smart home gear. Put them on a guest network with client isolation turned on, which keeps them off your computers, printers, and file shares without any blocking.