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wireless security, MAC needs no key?

wheels

Member
Hello, I am using a linksys wrt54gl router with tomato. Is it possible to set up WPA2 security and set where a certain MAC address can connect to the router without using a key or password?
 
MAC addresses are trivially easy to sniff and spoof, which is why this isn't implemented as a method of authentication.
 
It can be done on a Wireless Router that can be configure with few SSID (or Dual channel).

The WRT54GL is too old and simple for such configuration.


😎
 
Hello, I am using a linksys wrt54gl router with tomato. Is it possible to set up WPA2 security and set where a certain MAC address can connect to the router without using a key or password?

I don't believe you can have it that way. You either have a MAC whitelist or you don't and you either have WPA2 enabled or you don't. I don't think there's any pre-built software that will accept a connection from a known MAC and prompt for a WPA2 key if the MAC isn't on a list.

But as has been said, MAC whitelists provide a very small amount of security and shouldn't be relied upon by themselves. It's like having a door guy that just has a list of names on it without actually knowing the people. If I know a name on the list and I give tell him I'm one of them he'll let me in regardless of whether that's my real name or not.
 
I don't believe you can have it that way. You either have a MAC whitelist or you don't and you either have WPA2 enabled or you don't. I don't think there's any pre-built software that will accept a connection from a known MAC and prompt for a WPA2 key if the MAC isn't on a list.

But as has been said, MAC whitelists provide a very small amount of security and shouldn't be relied upon by themselves. It's like having a door guy that just has a list of names on it without actually knowing the people. If I know a name on the list and I give tell him I'm one of them he'll let me in regardless of whether that's my real name or not.

You can enable both MAC filtering and WPA2. Once the WPA2 key is saved, you don't need to type it in anymore anyway.

Also like everyone else said MAC filtering is useless. You can sniff and spoof the address in 2 minutes. Stick to WPA2 only.
 
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