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Is it possible to conceal MT’s MAC address?

Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2021 5:12 pm
by ramirez
Besides options @ Tools/MAC Server, is there a way to stop MT’s from advertising their MAC addresses when connected on the ISP modem? In other words, for their MAC addresses not to show on a DHCP ISP modem/router.

Re: Is it possible to conceal MT’s MAC address?

Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2021 5:28 pm
by k6ccc
Let me make sure I understand what you want. A MT router gets an IP address from a ISP's modem (or the ISP itself) via DHCP, and you don't want the ISP or ISP modem to know what the MAC of the router is. Did I get that right?
If I understand your request correctly, maybe you could convince the ISP modem manufacturer not to display the MAC, but without knowing what the MAC is, there would be no communication. BTW, it does not make any difference if the router got the IP from the modem/ISP or it is static. The communication between connected devices is via the MAC. Suggest that you look up ARP.

If I did not understand your request, can you restate it?

Re: Is it possible to conceal MT’s MAC address?

Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2021 7:06 pm
by ramirez
Thank you k6ccc, no you got it right :-) was trying to figure out if there is a way to avoid cloning of the mac address (by not knowing it ) but you are right in what you 're saying ...

Re: Is it possible to conceal MT’s MAC address?

Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2021 7:15 pm
by k6ccc
All is takes is a packet sniffer on a LAN and you will quickly find every MAC on that LAN. That's the nature of Ethernet communications.

Re: Is it possible to conceal MT’s MAC address?

Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2021 10:17 am
by ramirez
Correct ! Let me ask you this :

If a wireless device is connected to a MT which in turn is connected vie Ethernet on the ISP modem. Is there any way for this wireless device NOT to show it's MAC address in the LAN? Is there some setting on the MT that will accomplish that ? The MT receives local address from modem via DHCP on eth1 and hands out (on a different subnet) via wifi and DHCP an address to the device .

Re: Is it possible to conceal MT’s MAC address?

Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2021 12:05 pm
by mkx
If traffic between wireless client and ISP modem is routed by MT (possibly including NAT), then ISP modem will not see wireless client's MAC address. If MT is acting as router (between ISP network and any LAN subnets), then ISP modem will only ever see router's MAC address. And that's what happens with any router (in MT's place) because that's the way IP networking (on top of ethernet) works.

Re: Is it possible to conceal MT’s MAC address?

Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2021 12:37 pm
by ramirez
Thank you mkx!