Android kiosk intermittently drops Wi-Fi with Network ErrorSolved

Hi @clauss,

For an Android kiosk device showing a Network Error, check both the Hexnode kiosk restrictions and the local network behavior.

Start with the kiosk policy:

1. Go to Policies > Kiosk Lockdown > Android Kiosk Lockdown > Peripheral Settings.
2. Under Network, make sure the kiosk policy allows the device to use Wi-Fi and connect and switch between saved Wi-Fi networks.
3. If Website Kiosk is used, make sure the required web domains or API endpoints are allowed in the website kiosk allowlist.

If the device is already offline, remote actions from the portal will not reach it until the device gets internet access again. Use one of these local recovery options:

– Exit kiosk locally using the kiosk exit passcode, then connect from Android Settings > Wi-Fi.
– If normal tapping does not bring up the exit prompt, try rapidly tapping the top-left corner of the kiosk screen.
– If the device is in Hexnode Browser, use the browser menu and choose Exit Kiosk, if available.
– Use a USB-to-Ethernet adapter temporarily to bring the device online.
– Use a mobile hotspot with the same SSID and password as the saved Wi-Fi network so the device can auto-join.

Once the device is online, update and sync the policy:

– In Policies > Wi-Fi, set MAC Randomisation to Disabled.
– Sync the device from Manage > Devices > Actions > Scanning & Monitoring > Scan Device.
– After the policy applies, bind the router’s static reservation to the device’s actual hardware MAC address, not a randomized MAC address.

Enabling Wi-Fi controls in the kiosk policy does not automatically allow kiosk users to disable Wi-Fi. Users still cannot access Android Settings or the notification shade unless those areas are explicitly allowed in the kiosk policy.

Regards,
Sienna Carter
Hexnode UEM

We tried restarting the access point and the device came online for a while, but then it disconnected again. The router showed the device in the DHCP table earlier, but the IP was not reachable. We also created a static reservation on the router. Could the router still release a different IP even after MAC randomization is disabled?

Hi @clauss,

Disabling MAC randomization prevents Android from changing the Wi-Fi MAC address, but the router must also reserve the IP correctly. Check the following:

1. Confirm the reservation is bound to the device’s true hardware MAC address after the MAC randomization policy has synced.
2. Keep the reserved static IP outside the active DHCP pool. For example, if the DHCP pool is .100 to .200, use a reservation outside that range.
3. Remove old or duplicate DHCP lease entries for the same device if the router has stale records.
4. Reboot the access point/router after updating the reservation, if required by the router.

If the device continues to drop Wi-Fi even when the IP address remains the same, that points away from a Hexnode policy issue and more toward the local Wi-Fi environment, access point, signal, or device Wi-Fi hardware.

To isolate this, connect the kiosk device to a different stable Wi-Fi network or to a mobile hotspot and observe it for some time. If it stays online there and Hexnode actions work normally, the Hexnode policy and agent communication are functioning correctly, and the original access point or network path should be investigated.

Regards,
Sienna Carter
Hexnode UEM