MAC address filtering controls network access through device unique identification, and is often used in home or office environments. Its main uses include whitelisting allows specific devices to connect and blacklisting prohibits specific devices to connect. The setting steps are to log in to the router background, enable filtering mode and add corresponding MAC addresses. Obtaining the MAC address can be viewed in various system settings, but it poses the risk of forgery, is high maintenance cost and is inconvenient to visitor connections. Therefore, it is suitable as a supplementary security measure rather than a unique protection method.

MAC address filtering is a network management function that is commonly used in routers or wireless access points to control which devices can be connected to the network. Its core principle is to determine whether to allow access to the device through the MAC address of the device. Each connected device (such as mobile phones, computers, and smart TVs) has a unique MAC address, which is equivalent to the device's "ID number". After turning on MAC address filtering, network administrators can manually add a list of devices that allow or prohibit connections to enhance network security.

Why use MAC address filtering?

MAC address filtering is mainly used to control access devices and is commonly found in home, office or public Wi-Fi environments. For example, parents want to limit the internet time of their children's equipment, or companies want to prevent unauthorized devices from being connected to the internal network.

Its main uses are two:

• Whitelisting mechanism : Only specific devices are allowed to connect, and all other devices are prohibited.
• Blacklist mechanism : Some devices are prohibited from connecting, and others can be accessed.

Although it cannot completely prevent advanced attacks (such as MAC address forgery), it is a simple and effective basic protection method for ordinary users.

How to set up MAC address filtering?

Setting up MAC address filtering is usually done in the router background. The interfaces of different brands are slightly different, but the general steps are as follows:

1. Log in to the router background (usually the browser enters 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1).
2. Find the "MAC Address Filtering" option in "Wireless Settings" or "Security Settings".
3. Select Enable filtering and set to "Allow mode" or "Disable mode".
4. Add the device MAC address that needs to be allowed or prohibited.
5. Save and restart the router to take effect.

To obtain the MAC address of the device, you can:

• Windows: Run ipconfig /all to view the "physical address".
• macOS: In "System Preferences" → "Network" → Select the connection method → click "Advanced" → "Hardware" tab.
• Android: Settings → About phone → Status information.
• iOS: Settings → Wi-Fi → View in the details of the currently connected network.

Limitations of MAC address filtering

Although MAC address filtering can improve security, it also has obvious limitations:

• Forgery cannot be prevented : People who understand technology can bypass restrictions through "MAC address spoofing".
• High maintenance cost : If there are many devices, it will be more troublesome to add and manage MAC addresses frequently.
• Inconvenient to visitor connection : When a temporary friend wants to connect to Wi-Fi, he or she has to manually add the MAC address.

Therefore, it is more suitable for small networks or as a supplement to other security measures such as strong passwords, hidden SSIDs, rather than the only protection.

Basically that's it. If you just want to prevent your neighbors from hiding the Internet or controlling your home equipment to access the Internet, MAC address filtering is enough.

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