Wireless MAC address filtering

My older Linksys wireless AP router can only do WEP security, so when I got
my new HP laptop with built-in WiFi I decided to add wireless MAC address
filtering to my router. After some unsuccessful search for the laptop's WiFi
MAC address, I discovered that my router can actually display the active MAC
addresses even if the filtering is not set. Then I went ahead and wrote that
MAC address into the filter list and enabled filtering. All that
accomplished was that my laptop got disconnected from the WiFi network. I
also have a wireless Internet webcam and that could not connect with MAC
filtereing as well, even though its MAC address was entered in the filter
list.

I tried to restart the router, the laptop and the webcam but that would not
help the situation. I could only connect them to the router with disabled
MAC filtering.

Has any of you successfully added MAC address filtering into their wireless
home network?
If so, what am I missing?

DB

On Mon, 26 May 2008 17:18:47 -0700, "Dabbler"
<dabbler@freemail.invalid> spake thusly:

>My older Linksys wireless AP router can only do WEP security, so when I got
>my new HP laptop with built-in WiFi I decided to add wireless MAC address
>filtering to my router. After some unsuccessful search for the laptop's WiFi
>MAC address, I discovered that my router can actually display the active MAC
>addresses even if the filtering is not set. Then I went ahead and wrote that
>MAC address into the filter list and enabled filtering. All that
>accomplished was that my laptop got disconnected from the WiFi network. I
>also have a wireless Internet webcam and that could not connect with MAC
>filtereing as well, even though its MAC address was entered in the filter
>list.
>
>I tried to restart the router, the laptop and the webcam but that would not
>help the situation. I could only connect them to the router with disabled
>MAC filtering.
>
>Has any of you successfully added MAC address filtering into their wireless
>home network?
>If so, what am I missing?


I am using MAC filtering right now as I post this. I have used D-link,
Linksys and Belkin routers and the process is very simple.

You indicated that you had some difficulty discovering your laptop's
WiFi MAC address. You just need to open up a command window and type
"ipconfig/all" to get your own MAC addresses.

It's also possible that your router may have picked up somebody elses
computer and gave you THAT MAC address.

Hope this helps a little.

--
Opus62@gmail.com
(Jim, daddy to Lesleigh [Autistic] 04/20/94)

"What, Me Worry?" A. E. Newman

Please note: All unsolicited e-mail sent to me may, at
my discretion, be posted in this newsgroup verbatim.

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Dabbler <dabbler@freemail.invalid> wrote:

> My older Linksys wireless AP router can only do WEP security, so when
> I got my new HP laptop with built-in WiFi I decided to add wireless
> MAC address filtering to my router. After some unsuccessful search
> for the laptop's WiFi MAC address, I discovered that my router can
> actually display the active MAC addresses even if the filtering is
> not set. Then I went ahead and wrote that MAC address into the filter
> list and enabled filtering. All that accomplished was that my laptop
> got disconnected from the WiFi network. I also have a wireless
> Internet webcam and that could not connect with MAC filtereing as
> well, even though its MAC address was entered in the filter list.
>
> I tried to restart the router, the laptop and the webcam but that
> would not help the situation. I could only connect them to the router
> with disabled MAC filtering.
>
> Has any of you successfully added MAC address filtering into their
> wireless home network?
> If so, what am I missing?
>
> DB

Sounds like you've set it up to *deny* the specified addresses and allow
everything else, rather than vice versa. My 3Com router config allows
either - perhaps yours does, and you've gone for the wrong option?
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!

"Roger Mills" <watt.tyler@googlemail.com> writes:

>Sounds like you've set it up to *deny* the specified addresses and allow
>everything else, rather than vice versa. My 3Com router config allows
>either - perhaps yours does, and you've gone for the wrong option?

I have a Linksys WRT54G, and it definitely can either deny specified
addresses or accept only specified addresses. Worse, I think the
default is deny, not accept.

However, to the original poster: I wouldn't expect this to provide much
additional security. Anyone monitoring your wireless traffic can get
the MAC addresses of any computers you are currently using, and setting
their wireless card use the same MAC address as yours is usually easy.

Dave

x-posted to -> alt.internet.wireless
followup there....

Roger Mills wrote:
> In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
> Dabbler <dabbler@freemail.invalid> wrote:
>
>> My older Linksys wireless AP router can only do WEP security, so when
>> I got my new HP laptop with built-in WiFi I decided to add wireless
>> MAC address filtering to my router. After some unsuccessful search
>> for the laptop's WiFi MAC address, I discovered that my router can
>> actually display the active MAC addresses even if the filtering is
>> not set. Then I went ahead and wrote that MAC address into the filter
>> list and enabled filtering. All that accomplished was that my laptop
>> got disconnected from the WiFi network. I also have a wireless
>> Internet webcam and that could not connect with MAC filtereing as
>> well, even though its MAC address was entered in the filter list.
>>
>> I tried to restart the router, the laptop and the webcam but that
>> would not help the situation. I could only connect them to the router
>> with disabled MAC filtering.
>>
>> Has any of you successfully added MAC address filtering into their
>> wireless home network?
>> If so, what am I missing?
>>
>> DB
>
> Sounds like you've set it up to *deny* the specified addresses and
> allow everything else, rather than vice versa. My 3Com router config
> allows either - perhaps yours does, and you've gone for the wrong
> option? --
> Cheers,
> Roger

What Linksys AP do you have ?

I'm running an old BEFSX41 router
along with a WAP54G access point - using MAC filtering -
for all desktops, laptops, Tivo, Xbox, etc