Using MAC Address Filtering To Secure Your Wireless Network

MAC adDress Filtering is a very simple yet effective way to secure your wireless network. With MAC Filtering you can specify precisely which Computers can connect to your wireless network and which cannot. This way even if someone knows your hidden SSID and security key they will not be able to connect to your wireless network if you don't want them to. This is a great form of additional security.

A MAC adDress is a unique hexadecimal number which has been burned into a networking devices circuit board at the manufacturer. In most cases a network devices MAC is invisible without the use of a command called "ipconfig". By going to your command prompt and typing in "ipconfig /all" (Without the quotes) you'll find your Computers "physical adDress". The physical adDress is your MAC address and usually looks something like this: 00-0F-1F-D5-6A-37. Theoretically no two Mac addresses in the world are alike.

Computers and other wireless devices can only connect to a network if it is assigned an IP address that belongs on that network. Generally speaking if your routers IP address is 192.168.0.1 a network device must have an IP address somewhere between 192.168.0.2 and 192.168.0.254. A network device with an IP address of 192.168.2.10 would not be able to connect directly to that network. IP addresses are typically assigned to computers and network devices dynamically by a service called DHCP. DHCP uses a network devices MAC address to identify it and keep track of which IP address it gets.

No MAC - No IP address.

No IP address - No network connection.

Using MAC Filtering we can influence this behavior to our advanTAGe. We can create what is called a MAC Filtering table on our wireless router and specify only the MAC addresses that we want on our network. This is done by using the "ipconfig /all" command Mentioned earlier to find the MAC of each of our preferred network devices and adding them to the MAC filtering table on our router. Adding addresses is done by accessing the routers web interface. Many routers have utilities which make this process a breeze.

Once everything is set up the router will check a computers MAC before allowing it to connect to your network. If there is a match in the routers table it will be allowed to connect or "associate" to the network. If not a connection is not allowed. Period.

MAC address filtering is not a foolproof way to secure your wireless network and should not be considered a substitute for wireless encryption. It's an additional layer of security for your wireless network and added peace of mind for you and your family.

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Default Router Address (1921681254)

It is an IPv4 adDress and is mostly used as a default IP adDress for many ADSL and cable modems or routers. The major routers and modems which use 192.168.1.254 as a default IP include Westell ADSL modems and Cayman/Motorola Netopia internet gateways, Thompson ADSL routers, some TP-Link routers, Alcatel ADSL modems, 3Com routers, SRW2023 Linksys switches, and ADSL Billion routers.

Following are given answers of some of the important questions from the users related to IP.

What is the Common Usage of 192.168.1.254 IP?

We have explained earlier that it is the private IP for large number of different modems and routers. However, you can use this IP adDress in your local network also, but before that make sure that network is not connected to any other router using the same IP. In that case you will have to face the IP conflict issue.

Why is 192.168.1.254 a Private IP AdDress?

It is called private IP address because it fits into the IP range reserved by IANA as a private range. It is usually done to avoid the lack of availability of IP address.

Can I change IP of My Router?

Default IP is installed on routers and modems by manufacturers, such as 192.168.1.254. Yes, you can change the default IP to any other required address. For this check the user manual you have got with your router for instructions.

I can't Access to My Router at 192.168.1.254. What can I do?

There can be many reasons for this and you have to look out for them. First check the 192.168.1.254 private IP address of your router. Check the cables or any other network drivers for possible damage. Check the whether your local area connection is configured properly or not. There can be anything which has to find out before contacting any technical support or your network administrator. Following are given few more things which you should try before calling in for help.

- In case you have a wireless router, make sure signals are strong and stable.
- Check your router settings, you may accidentally changed them.
- Make sure your firewall settings right.
- Try to reset your router.
- Did you configure TELNET or SSH on your router.
- Make sure that you have typed IP address is right, i.e. 192.168.1.254
- Try to reset your local area connection.
- Try to reset your Computer.
- Make sure that the cables between your Computer and router are properly connected.
- Make sure that the connectors on cables between your computer and router are properly connected and in good condition.
- Make sure that if your router has a switch it should be in good condition. Any broken switch can disrupt the enTire network. Remove the broken switch and try again.

If all these things failed then there is chance that your router has malfunction. Better to call for technical help before reaching to any decision.

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192-168-2-1 wireless router's IP address - What is it?

What is an IP adDress?

Any device connected to a network, including the Internet, is an Internet protocol (IP). The Internet Protocol defines a standard method that is used by digital devices of the Computer to communicate with each other. These devices offer communication and receive daTAGrams as packets of data from the source to the target device and vice versa in the network. Each device has a unique IP adDress, allowingDevices to find each other in a network and exchange of data packets.

Wireless Router

The networks can be equipped with telephone lines, cellular, cable, ethernet cable and wireless router. Routers are used to control temporary IP addresses to devices connected to the router's local network and "route" data packets to a network mapping the right equipMent. Some routers have extra features such as encryption of data packets, data Packet error correction and wireless.

192-168-2-1 wireless router's IP address - What is it?

Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4) has defined 32-bit IP addresses consist of a group of four numbers from 0.0.0.0 to 255.255.255.255. This corresponds to about 4 billion IP addresses. A 128-bit Internet Protocol version called IPv6 has been developed to help you solve many more, the IP addresses when run on IPv4.

How do I use a wireless router's IP address

AllRouter> have a wireless Internet Protocol (IP) address for the local network (LAN) and one which is for an external Wide Area Network (WAN), such as the Internet is used is used. (LAN) IP addresses are usually preset IP address of the manufacturer's default router. If the router's IP address in the Web browser as an HTTP request (eg http://192.168.1.245 for a Linksys router), theBrowser, a request to the default router to router's administration page so that you can access the settings of the router 's open.

To find your wireless router's IP address

The first checkpoint is in the manual of your wireless router. If you are not a manual or can not find it, you can try is to visit the manufacturer's website and look for the default IP address. Alternatively, you can Wi-Fi router with an Ethernet cable and restart the Computer and turn on both devices. If you are using a Windows operating system like Windows XP or Vista for the command prompt window (Start-> Programs-> Accessories-> Command Prompt) and type "ipconfig" without the quotes the word at the command prompt and press . You should come to make a list of IP addresses and that is next to "Default Gateway" lists the IP address of the wireless > Router is connected to your computer. So, open your web browser and type in the HTTP request that the same IP address, and you should see the router administration page, where you can register (the manual is the user name and password to the router administration page) , the router settings.

Manufacturer of wireless routers may use different default IP addresses for the different model> Router, make them. The default IP address is usually stored in the router's firmware. So, if you can not enter the router's administration page, you may need to use one of the IP addresses of other producers in other models in the firmware of the date of publication of Manual has been updated to try. For a list of common IP router products, visit the Web's best wireless router.

192-168-2-1 wireless router's IP address - What is it?