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I have a MAC filter in place for everything that connects to my router. I also have WPA2 on the wireless.
When a friend comes around, I tell them the password (I trust them), they type it into their device, I then go to the admin screen, check the logs, add the MAC address to the filter and save.
Thinking about this process, it seems like since I have to add the MAC address before the device can connect properly, is there any benefit to actually having a password on the wireless?
It seems to me the answer is no (ignoring the fact that other people may see "Open" wifi and try to connect - I doubt I'll be DoS'ed). The only concern I have is how much access the device has to the network before the MAC filter kicks in - eg could an unknown device send a packet to other wifi devices / the local network?
In case it's relevant, the router in question is the D-Link DIR-615
4Isn't it fairly easy to fake MAC addresses? – Keith Thompson – 2011-10-16T00:50:05.037
1True - Is it easy to intercept the MAC address(es) to spoof? Although I agree that's enough of a concern to justify passwords. Post as an answer and I'll accept. – Basic – 2011-10-16T00:53:39.743
I think the real question isn't "is there any benefit to actually having a password on the wireless?", but rather "is there any benefit to having MAC address filtering on the wireless?". – squircle – 2011-10-16T01:21:09.150