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Forum Discussion
Does Access Control block OUTGOING or INCOMING connections?
Hi, I was wondering about the settings in Access Controls, when it "blocks" connections, is it referring to blocking incoming connections (i.e., connections FROM "outside")? Or is it referrin...
Access Control is a mechanism to control which MAC addresses are allowed to connect to the Orbi Local Area Network (LAN). It has nothing to do with connections from the internet. It also has nothing to do with IP addresses.
If a device with MAC address aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff is "Blocked", then that device may connect to the network**, but it cannot send Ethernet packets to any other device on the network, nor can it receive packets from any other device on the network.
** Connecting to the network is different from being able to use the network. Two situations come to mind:
- Ethernet connections. Suppose that a specific Ethernet MAC address has been "Blocked" but it is connected to the Orbi router with a cable. It is definitely "connected" to the Ethernet switch built into the Orbi router. If another device is also connected to the same router, then those two devices can communicate because the switch "knows" where they are. As long as packets flow between those two devices and do not pass through the router itself, then that device is in some sort of weird state. It can communicate with other Ethernet devices connected to the same switch, but not anywhere else.
- WiFi connections are similar. If the MAC address belongs to a WiFi adapter, it can "connect" to the Orbi WiFi if it presents the correct password. But, it cannot communicate with any other device.
It would be helpful to know what you are attempting to do. Access Control may not be the appropriate mechanism.