Wireless Router Question

[willplayer]

I have an option on my router to Setup a Wireless Access List, so only specific MAC addresses are allowed onto the network. Is this the safest alternative of them all, so I wouldn't have to setup a WEP or encrypted security? It made sense to me anyways just to have it setup to accept only certain MAC addresses. Let me know what you think or know. Thanks!

[Elite Evil]

Yeah I would think so, unless people started spoofing your MAC address?

Maybe both that and WPA if you are paranoid. If not, just use that.

[willplayer]

I've got it on WEP at the moment since that's the only secure way to do it and still let my Nintendo DS into the network. My whole reason to any of this is, I'd just rather like to have it set to filter MAC addresses so I can just get online with my DS and 360 without having to bother with passwords. If someone specifically wanted to get onto my network they'd need 1 of those 5 MAC keys to get in. What happens if one of those keys is already being used? Would it refuse the 2nd one or let it in anyways? I just wonder why this is such a faulty system that you can just change the MAC address in your hardware or spoof it so you can get into almost any network regardless. Also, I was thinking of just sacrificing security for stability, because with my connection being as low as it is (about 1mb down and 40 kb up), I need every kb I can get. So to filter MAC add's, it's better than nothing at all.

But I guess for now I'll just keep WEP ...

[Elite Evil]

I don't know, as I'm not a hacker, but I think it will only let 1 machine on with each address at any 1 time. If then you disconnect with that machine, and a second machine uses the same MAC address then the router will think it is the first machine.

[Generalidea]

yeah, can't have multiple similar macs at once.

[willplayer]

nice, well thats good to know! thanks man