The MAC address filter section can be used to filter network access by machines based on the unique MAC addresses of their network adapter(s). It is most useful to prevent unauthorized wireless devices from connecting to your network. A MAC address is a unique ID assigned by the manufacturer of the network adapter.

Enable MAC Address Filter

When this is enabled, computers are granted or denied network access depending on the mode of the filter.

Note: Misconfiguration of this feature can prevent any machine from accessing the network. In such a situation, you can regain access by activating the factory defaults button on the Access Point itself.

Filter Settings

Mode

When "only allow listed machines" is selected, only computers with MAC addresses listed in the MAC Address List are granted network access. When "only deny listed machines" is selected, any computer with a MAC address listed in the MAC Address List is refused access to the network.

Filter Wireless Clients

When this is selected, the MAC address filters will be applied to wireless network clients.

Filter Wired Clients

When this is selected, the MAC address filters will be applied to wired network clients.

Add/Edit MAC Address

In this section, you can add entries to the MAC Address List below, or edit existing entries.

Enable

MAC address entries can be activated or deactivated with this checkbox.

MAC Address

Enter the MAC address of the desired computer or connect to the Access Point from the desired computer and click the Copy Your PC's MAC Address button.

Save

Saves the new or edited MAC Address entry in the following list. When finished updating the MAC Address List, you must still click the Save Settings button at the top of the page to make the changes effective and permanent.

MAC Address List

The section lists the current MAC Address filters. A MAC Address entry can be changed by clicking the Edit icon, or deleted by clicking the Delete icon. When you click the Edit icon, the item is highlighted, and the "Edit MAC Address" section is activated for editing.

Transmit Power

Normally the wireless transmitter operates at 100% power. In some circumstances, however, there might be a need to isolate specific frequencies to a smaller area. By reducing the power of the radio, you can prevent transmissions from reaching beyond your corporate/home office or designated wireless area.

Beacon Period

Beacons are packets sent by a wireless Access Point to synchronize wireless devices. Specify a Beacon Period value between 20 and 1000. The default value is set to 100 milliseconds.

RTS Threshold

This setting should remain at its default value of 2346. If you encounter inconsistent data flow, only minor modifications to the value are recommended.

Fragmentation Threshold

This setting should remain at its default value of 2346. Setting the Fragmentation value too low may result in poor performance.

DTIM Interval

A DTIM is a countdown informing clients of the next window for listening to broadcast and multicast messages. When the wireless Access Point has buffered broadcast or multicast messages for associated clients, it sends the next DTIM with a DTIM Interval value. Wireless clients detect the beacons and awaken to receive the broadcast and multicast messages. The default value is 1. Valid settings are between 1 and 255.

WMM Enable

Enabling WMM can help control latency and jitter when transmitting multimedia content over a wireless connection.

Short GI

Using a short (400ns) guard interval can increase throughput. However, it can also increase error rate in some installations, due to increased sensitivity to radio-frequency reflections. Select the option that works best for your installation.

WDS Enable

When WDS is enabled, this access point functions as a wireless repeater and is able to wirelessly communicate with other APs via WDS links. Note that WDS is incompatible with WPA -- both features cannot be used at the same time. A WDS link is bidirectional; so this AP must know the MAC Address (creates the WDS link) of the other AP, and the other AP must have a WDS link back to this AP. Make sure the APs are configured with same channel number.

WDS AP MAC Address

Specifies one-half of the WDS link. The other AP must also have the MAC address of this AP to create the WDS link back to this AP. Enter a MAC address for each of the other APs that you want to connect with WDS.