WZR-1750DHP Access Control-doesn't seem to work

[matodd_1]

Has anybody tried the Access Control feature of the WZR-1750DHP?  Basically, you can set a schedule to allow/disallow internet access for any network device.  I have set schedules to turn off internet access for several machines and it doesn't work, they continue to have access.  After some testing and a conversation with tech support (which wasn't very useful), it looks like the network device needs to be rebooted for each change in access.  Of course, this makes this feature totally useless.  What's the point of setting a schedule, if you then need to reboot the client machine at each change.  Just wondering if anybody has found a way to get this feature to work.

[Texturtle]

I was able to get this to work, at least for a mobile phone. When I denied internet access to the phone's MAC address it immediately lost access. Is the client a wired or wireless device?

[matodd_1]

I have tried for both and didn't work (although I have not tried the iphone, but I will).  Did you setup a schedule and wait for the "denied" time period to arrive?  For me, if the machine has access and then the "denied" time period starts, the machine will continue to have access unless you reboot it.

[matodd_1]

Tried my iPhone.  Same result, internet service is not blocked according to the schedule.  The router understands the schedule.  If I go to the Security>>Access Control main page, it displays the status for the MAC address correctly (internet access either ENABLED or DISABLED), however it just doesn't block access as it should.  I guess I'll try to RMA this thing. 

[SJCBrian]

Doesn't work for me either.  I have a WZR-1750DHP too.  What I found is that devices with MAC addresses not on the Access Control list can access the network.  What is the point of access control then?  If I change the MAC address on the Access Control list for my cell phone to a different address, my phone can still access the network. 

[Texturtle]

Access control limits time of day for specified MAC addresses. MAC address filtering will allow you to prevent any non-registered MAC address from connecting to the wireless network at all. You can use these in conjunction to effectively lock down your wireless.

[Texturtle]

So let me see if I can explain this a little better. Access control only denies access to MAC addresses with a schedule, so that you can deny certain devices internet access at certain times of the day. For instance, if you want your school aged kid to not be able to access the internet between 10 PM and 8 AM, you add their MAC address to the access control list and give it a schedule. Any MAC not listed in access control has access all the time.

If you want to deny all connections except for the devices you know are part of your household/business/etc., then you will need to use MAC address filtering. If you turn on filtering, only those MAC addresses listed as allowed to connect will be able to connect.

Using these two options in conjunction you can lock down your wireless network to the point where only those devices that you allow are able to connect and certain devices will be able to connect but won't be able to access the internet at certain times of the day.