MAC filter for wireless security????

Question

I have hooked up my wireless router and had trouble with the security part.  I am now set up with the wireless security disabled but the MAC filter enabled and my wireless computers mac number entered and all is working.  will the MAC filter work as security for my wireless network.  thanks tdm

Answer 1

MAC address filtering is considered a very low level of security.  It will keep honest people from accidentally logging into your network, but that is about it.  MAC addresses are transmitted wirelessly when you use your router.  Anyone can monitor your transmissions, so it is easy to learn a working MAC address.  They can then fake the MAC address and loggin to your network whenever you are not connected.
Also, when your transmissions are not encrypted, anyone within range can monitor your wireless transmissions, even without logging into your network.  With a good antenna, your transmissions can probably be picked up for at least half a mile from your home.  So someone could monitor the web sites you visit, your email, etc., and in some cases, your passwords.
You really should setup wireless security on your network.
Here are my tips for setting up wireless security:
To set up wireless security, you must use a computer that is wired to the router.
Where to find the router settings: The router's login password is usually on one of the "Administration" pages. The other settings are all found in the "Wireless" section of the router's setup pages, located at 192.168.1.1
First, give your router a unique SSID. Don't use "linksys".
Make sure "SSID Broadcast" is set to "enabled".
Next, leave the router at its default settings (except for the unique SSID), and then use your pc to connect wirelessly to the router. Test your wireless Internet connection and make sure it is working correctly. You must have a properly working wireless connection before setting up wireless security.
To implement wireless security, you need to do one step at a time, then verify that you can still connect your wireless computer to the router.
Next, encrypt your wireless system using the highest level of encryption that all of your wireless devices will support. Common encryption methods are:
WEP - poor (see note below)
WPA (sometimes called PSK, or WPA with TKIP) - good
WPA2 (sometimes called PSK2, or WPA with AES) - best
WPA and WPA2 sometimes come in versions of "personal" and "enterprise". Most home users should use "personal". Also, if you have a choice between AES and TKIP, and your wireless equipment is capable of both, choose AES. With any encryption method, you will need to supply a key (sometimes called a "password" ).
The wireless devices (computers, printers, etc.) that you have will need to be set up with the SSID, encryption method, and key that matches what you entered in the router.
Retest your system and verify that your wireless Internet connection is still working correctly.
And don't forget to give your router a new login password.
Picking Passwords (keys): You should never use a dictionary word as a password. If you use a dictionary word as a password, even WPA2 can be cracked in a few minutes. When you pick your login password and encryption key (or password or passphrase) you should use a random combination of capital letters, small letters, and numbers, but no spaces. A login password, should be 12 characters or more. WPA and WPA2 passwords should be at least 24 characters. Note: Your key, password, or passphrase must not have any spaces in it.
Most home users should have their routers set so that "remote management" of the router is disabled. If you must have this option enabled, then your login password must be increased to a minumum of 24 random characters.
One additional issue is that Windows XP requires a patch to run WPA2. Go to Microsoft Knowledge base, article ID=917021 and it will direct you to the patch.
Sadly, the patch is not part of the automatic Windows XP updates, so lots of people are missing the patch.
Note:
WEP is no longer recommended. The FBI has demonstrated that WEP can be cracked in just a few minutes using software tools that are readily available over the Internet. Even a long random character password will not protect you with WEP. You should be using WPA or preferably WPA2 encryption.
Message Edited by toomanydonuts on 01-16-2008 03:38 AM