Home WiFi Extender Research according to specific criteria
Budget: $10 – $30 USD
I need a detailed research report on WiFi extenders suitable for covering an entire apartment or house. I would like a list of as many as can be found.
Wifi extenders tend to give a virtual mac address different than connected devices usual address. Often the same virtual address is given to all devices connected. This means from the router perspective, many duplicate mac addresses will be connected. These devices will only be distinguishable from each other when viewed from within the wifi extender interface.
This is the case for most TP-Link wifi extenders, for example. The problem with this is that mac filtering and access control rely on mac addresses, and cannot be effectively applied when a wifi extender generates duplicate virtual mac addresses.
There are types of wifi extender that generate different virtual mac addresses for every device connected to them, thereby making the devices connected to the wifi extender distinguishable to the router too.
There are yet yet other types of wifi extender that don't change the mac address at all, again leaving the devices connected to the wifi extender distinguishable to the router too.
In the above too cases, mac filtering and access control can still be applied, as separate mac addresses can be added to the router for every device connected to the wifi extender.
The project is to research and create a list of all such suitable wifi extenders, in correspondence with manufacturers if necessary.
This project is not as easy as it seems, as the vast majority of wifi extenders appear to generate a single duplicate virtual mac address for all connected devices, making mac filtering and access control difficult to apply to individual devices connected to the extender.
The products should be currently in production and readily available for purchase at online retail outlets. The project would suit someone with technical knowledge of the internet, routers and wifi extenders.
Ideal Skills and Experience:
- Knowledge of networking equipment
- Experience with WiFi extenders
- Research and report writing skills
Wifi extenders tend to give a virtual mac address different than connected devices usual address. Often the same virtual address is given to all devices connected. This means from the router perspective, many duplicate mac addresses will be connected. These devices will only be distinguishable from each other when viewed from within the wifi extender interface.
This is the case for most TP-Link wifi extenders, for example. The problem with this is that mac filtering and access control rely on mac addresses, and cannot be effectively applied when a wifi extender generates duplicate virtual mac addresses.
There are types of wifi extender that generate different virtual mac addresses for every device connected to them, thereby making the devices connected to the wifi extender distinguishable to the router too.
There are yet yet other types of wifi extender that don't change the mac address at all, again leaving the devices connected to the wifi extender distinguishable to the router too.
In the above too cases, mac filtering and access control can still be applied, as separate mac addresses can be added to the router for every device connected to the wifi extender.
The project is to research and create a list of all such suitable wifi extenders, in correspondence with manufacturers if necessary.
This project is not as easy as it seems, as the vast majority of wifi extenders appear to generate a single duplicate virtual mac address for all connected devices, making mac filtering and access control difficult to apply to individual devices connected to the extender.
The products should be currently in production and readily available for purchase at online retail outlets. The project would suit someone with technical knowledge of the internet, routers and wifi extenders.
Ideal Skills and Experience:
- Knowledge of networking equipment
- Experience with WiFi extenders
- Research and report writing skills