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I rooted my Nextbook Ares 8" tablet, model NXA8QC116, so I could change the MAC address and host name, as I hate personal data mining and user behavior monitoring.

Device specifics: Model NXA8QC116S, Android Version : 5.1.1, Build # : V3.0.?

Rooted with the binary "Nextbook Ares 8 Stock 5.1.1 Rom modified boot.img" from forum.xda-developers.com

Commands (terminal app):

u0_xxx@NXA8QC116:/ $: su
root@NXA8QC116:/ #: busybox iplink show wlan0
[reports the MAC address]
root@NXA8QC116:/ #: busybox ifconfig wlan0 hw ether fa:8e:f0:f2:14:27
root@NXA8QC116:/ #: busybox iplink show wlan0
[reports the original, unchanged MAC address]

I tried this with the WiFi both on and off. I also tried leaving "busybox" out of the commands.

Any help is appreciated.

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migrated from superuser.com May 16 '18 at 8:27

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  • Have you also tried ip link set wlan0 fa:8e:f0:f2:14:27? – Robert May 16 '18 at 19:13
  • I tried that. Thanks for the suggestion. I'm trying to locate a thread I saw somewhere where you find the right file, change the MAC with a hex editor, and reboot the device. This apparently worked on a couple of other devices, maybe it will work on this one. – Jason_93 May 16 '18 at 22:59
  • I don't see any nvram files in the data, etc, or wifi directories on this device, so I'm out of ideas. I used Total Commander to look at the directories, after setting it so "show hidden files" and enabling "root functions everywhere." – Jason_93 May 17 '18 at 0:06
  • There are no /*nvram*/ files on this device, so that method is not applicable. I searched for files with Total Commander, after setting it so "show hidden files" and enabling "root functions everywhere." I'm out of ideas. – Jason_93 May 17 '18 at 0:19
  • nvram is usually not a file but a partition/data section in your flash chip. – Robert May 17 '18 at 8:29
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There's a file called mac.txt in /config/wifi, which contains the MAC address, which is the only thing in the file.

Changing this value, and then enabling the wifi adapter results in a new MAC address. (Confirmed by logging into a router it connected to.) This change survives a reboot.

Now to research how to write a script to randomly pick a manufacturer prefix number and the rest of the digits at every restart, along with setting a temporary randomized hostname (setprop net.hostname xxxxxx).

I found the MAC text file by searching the device for files with Total Commander.

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