Setting up an Access List, also known as ACL or MAC Filtering on a WiFi range extender requires a person to set it up on a router. This is to inform you that the devices connected to the Netgear_EXT network get a virtual MAC address like 02 0F B5 from the extender which is actually the converted MAC address given by the router.
In this post, you will find instructions on how to add the correct MAC address into the Access List and add a Netgear range extender to the existing LAN so that Access Control feature can be used.
How Access List Works?
If you have set up an Access List on the root router, only allowed device will have access to the network. We’ve already told that if there is a wireless connection between the Netgear extender and router, the MAC address of all the extender’s clients get replaced by a virtual MAC address.
The correct procedure to set up the Access list for extender is to disable the router’s access list and connect clients to the router through the extender and then add MAC address like 02 0F B5 on the Attached Devices page. But, before you do that, you need to ensure that you have completed extender setup via the 192.168.1.250 IP address.
How to Retrieve the MAC Address?
You can find the real MAC address on the label of your Netgear WiFi range extender. For your information, the image given below depicts the example of a Netgear EX6200 extender. The MAC1 is for the 2.4GHz wireless card whereas the MAC2 is for the LAN card. You will be able to see the MAC3 if your extender supports the 5GHz frequency. It is virtually obtained from the real MAC1 address.
In order to get this address, the 7th bit of the first hexadecimal number should be toggled. Let us take the example of C4:02:0F:B5:20:AD MAC address. C4 is the first hexadecimal number. It is equivalent to 1100/0100 in binary. You need to toggle 7th from left to right. When the bit is toggled to 1, you will get 1100/0110 = c6.
So, if MAC 1 is C4:02:0F:B5:20:AD, then MAC3 will be C6:02:0F:B5:20:AD which will be the virtual address for the 5 GHz band. Once you obtain the virtual MAC address, you can create the Access List on your router.
Just in case the wireless client’s real MAC address begins with 02:0F:B5, you will have to select an alternative virtual address for MAC clients.
Although 02 0F B5 will work in most cases, you can select one from the following:
- 02:0F:B5
- 02:09:5B
- 02:14:6C
- 02:18:4D
- 02:1B:2F
- 02:1E:2A
The Final Words
That is all about the 02 0F B5 MAC address and using it as a virtual address for the devices connected to the Netgear WiFi range extender network. We hope that after taking the help of the information provided above, you will be able to know MAC1, MAC2, and MAC3 and hence will be able to set MAC filtering or Access List for the devices connected to your extender.