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How to Filter MAC Addresses on Wireless Network
How to add additional security to you wireless network. If the hacker's internet devices are excluded from accessing your wireless network they cannot get into your network even if they get your password. This is what MAC address filtering does. It excludes any devices used by hackers to access your wireless network even if they do figure out your password. Identify and write down MAC addresses for all devices which you allow access to your wireless network. This includes media devices such as Xbox 360 (with wireless adapter), wireless printers, cell phones (Wi-Fi capable) and each computer allowed on your wireless network. Using the router shown in picture below, the Linksys WRT54G router for the example. Other wireless router menus will vary slightly but not much. Keep this in mind if you do not have exactly the same router model as this. Log into your router. Click the Wireless tab on the upper left of the screen. Click Wireless MAC Filter to the lower right. Click enable under Wireless MAC Filter. By default, disable was selected on my particular model of wireless router. Under the enable or disable choices are the choices to either prevent PCs listed from accessing the wireless network OR to permit only PCs listed to access the wireless network. Select the permit only PCs listed option. Whatever computer is not on your MAC filter list CANNOT get into your network, whether they have your password or not. I have actually tested one PC in my home by excluding it off of the list, put in password and it would not access my network. Click Edit MAC Filter. This button is right below the option to prevent or permit in step above. Add MAC addresses of computers allowed on your wireless network. MAC addresses can be found on the back, bottom or side of most internet devices. Usually MAC addresses are right above or below the serial number. They consist of twelve characters usually beginning with 00 followed by ten more characters of letters and numbers. When you type the MAC addresses into your filter list, it automatically places a colon in between every two characters, so they should be in this format on your filter list: XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX After you have added all of the allowed media devices that you want to allow access to your wireless network, click "Save Settings". Tips & Warnings If someone you know wants to use your network from time to time when they come over with their laptop perhaps, tell them to give you their MAC address ahead of time so that you can add their computer to the list. It does not matter if you type the letters of your MAC address in upper or lower case, when you click save settings they will automatically be saved in upper case. Some devices such as the HP Officejet J6480 All-in-One have two MAC addresses. One for wireless connectivity and one for cable connection. Adding both MACS will not hurt but is not necessary. Only the wireless MAC is necessary. After you have chosen "Permit only PCs listed to access the wireless network" make sure to list all of them. If you do not list them, it could cause you to have to reset your wireless router. Your computer will not get online to access the router so you will not be able to add it to the MAC list causing you to completely configure your wireless network again from scratch !
__________________
Unauthorized decoding of encrypted signals from either domestic or foreign providers is against the law. >>>I personally do not, nor condone such activities<<< |
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