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Forum Discussion
WN3000RP and MAC Access List
I am new owner of a Netgear WN3000RP Ranger Extender. Already own a Netgear WNR834Bv2 Router. I was hoping that these two devices would communicate together since they are the same manufacture. However, I've come across a bit of an issue.
I live in a pretty rural community out in the sticks and the only security I use on my Router is the MAC address Access List. Yeah, I know most of you are shaking their heads.
I was able to get the 3000RP Range Extender to work perfectly with the router, IF I disabled this access list control. I read in the help documentation FAQs for initial install, to disable it first, get the extender to be recognized and connect, then you should be able to engage it again. Well, no such luck. I can get it to work, only if the Access List is disabled.
I contacted Tech Support via the telephone and find out that there is a workaround with my router, but I'll have to pay a fee of $69 minimum to find out what it is since my router is a couple years old now and out of warranty.
Anyone with some ideas of how I can do this myself? :confused:
Thanks in advance :o
8 Replies
- Clarification: I did add the 3000RP's MAC address to the Access List. It wasn't clear in my first post that I had done so. I'm hoping someone here can give me a tip since I can read English much easier than I can understand the version that I always get on the telephone when I call. I was not about to pay for tech help and then find myself not understanding a word they said. Plus, in my opinion, this shouldn't be a "warranty" issue but should be available to a repeat customer like myself to make their 2 Netgear devices work together.
- 87 views and no suggestions, I must be the only person who wants to use this extender with Access List engaged. Since this was my only security since I can't make any sense of the other options for security - can anyone point me to simple instructions on how to set up minimalist security for my network? And, if I set up security password, etc. - will every computer in our home have to manually "log in" using this every time we want to access the internet? Much thanks in advance.
- Not all devices will work with access list even within the same manufacture.
I would just use wpa2 or just no encryption - I appreciate the reply. I know it's possible, the tech support guy told me it was but he would only tell me if I paid for the help to get the configuration information since my Netgear router is no longer under warranty. I really don't see this as a "warranty" issue, but they do.
- I doubt they will , they want. your money :-)
- This is pretty simple - I don't know why Netgear doesn't document this better.
If you log iinto your WN3000RP and look at the ATTACHED DEVICES screen you will see the attached devices with MAC ADDRESSES and also VIRTUAL MAC ADDRESSES. As you can see the WN3000RP creates a VIRTUAL MAC ADDRESS for each device connected to it.
When you set up the Wireless Card Access List on your WNR834B router you will have to add the VIRTUAL MAC ADDRESSES that were listed by the WN3000RP. Your table was previously setup for the actual MAC ADDRESSES so they did not match - and the router prevented your devices from connecting to it. That is whay when access control was turned off everything worked. Bottom line, just change all of the MAC ADDRESSES on the 834 to the VIRTUAL MAC ADDRESSES formed by the WN3000RP and you will be set to go.
Hope that helps. I just set up my WN3000RP and am having much better coverage throughout my home, especially to my TV, phones, and tablet. smsasaki wrote: This is pretty simple - I don't know why Netgear doesn't document this better.
If you log iinto your WN3000RP and look at the ATTACHED DEVICES screen you will see the attached devices with MAC ADDRESSES and also VIRTUAL MAC ADDRESSES. As you can see the WN3000RP creates a VIRTUAL MAC ADDRESS for each device connected to it.
When you set up the Wireless Card Access List on your WNR834B router you will have to add the VIRTUAL MAC ADDRESSES that were listed by the WN3000RP. Your table was previously setup for the actual MAC ADDRESSES so they did not match - and the router prevented your devices from connecting to it. That is whay when access control was turned off everything worked. Bottom line, just change all of the MAC ADDRESSES on the 834 to the VIRTUAL MAC ADDRESSES formed by the WN3000RP and you will be set to go.
Hope that helps. I just set up my WN3000RP and am having much better coverage throughout my home, especially to my TV, phones, and tablet.
smsasaki thanks for your reply.
I have not tested your solution yet, but I think this wil solve my problem 2.
I have got a WNDR3700 router combined with 2 WN3000RP extenders and I have the same problem with the access list. But I did not know the extenders generates a virtual mac.
Last night I looked in the log of my router and I wondered what all the mac's of the almost correct mac's of my devices where. Now I know.
Tonight I will try your solution and I will let all of you know if my problem is solved.- YES!
It works!
This should be mentioned in the manual.
When enabling the use of the access list you should add de spoofed virtual mac address to the access list in your router!!
By the way, with both my WN3000RPs the virtual address is almost the same as the original except the first hex is '2' higher in number.
E.g.
30:46:9A:0B:61:D7 (origin) ==> 32:46:9A:0B:61:D7 (virtual)
4C:60:DE:2F:18:A6 (origin) ==> 4E:60:DE:2F:18:A6 (virtual)
