Internet question

[wdfifteen]

Can someone who knows my router's MAC address access devices connected to my WIFI router?

I gave my MAC address to a phone-help technician who was helping me fix a Netgear router extender problem. I became suspicious that he wasn't really a Netgear employee when he started talking about a "nominal fee" for a service. I ended the call, but he still has the MAC address.
Am I screwed?

[sc_rufctr]

I would switch off the router and then call my internet service provider.

They'll advise you as to the next step.

[KFC911]

You are OK. Giving out your router's MAC address does no harm.

That'll be $19.95 ...

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

I would switch off the router and then call my internet service provider.

They'll advise you as to the next step.

And they won't have a clue either

[cabmandone]

I can answer that question if you'll kindly provide me with your router login credentials.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by cabmandone

I can answer that question if you'll kindly provide me with your router login credentials.

...and $19.95 !

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by KC911

...and $19.95 !

I ain't cheap! My rate is $29.95 for the first minute then $19.95 for each minute after.

[KFC911]

For a nominal fee of 9.95 per month, I will protect your MAC too .... as Justin Wilson would say.... I Ga-RONE-TEE it!

Why JW you may ask .... I have no clue

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by cabmandone

I ain't cheap! My rate is $29.95 for the first minute then $19.95 for each minute after.

Hey ... I can afford a 2K/hr hooker .... pro-rated

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by KC911

You are OK. Giving out your router's MAC address does no harm.

Are you serious? All the other replies are obviously jokes, so I'm not sure about this one.

What happened is:
My wifi extender stopped connecting to the router. I bought a new, similar Netgear extender and IT wouldn't connect to the router. I went online to Netgear's help page and went through the procedure to set it up and while I was there a pop-up appeared offering to a chat to help me.

Looking back, I wonder if this pop-up was someone outside of Netgear that somehow popped up on their website. Or maybe it wasn't really Netgear's site to begin with.

Anyway, I said OK and they connected me with a technician. The technician had that familiar accent that tells you he isn't from the USA. He couldn't get it to connect either and in the process of trying he asked for my MAC address and my zip code. He came back and said there were 42 devices connected to my router. I have about 10, maybe 12 or 15, but 42 is out of the question. No one lives within 300 yards of my router, so it isn't a neighbor stealing service. I haven't been experiencing any buffering or unusually slow connections.
He went on to tell me people can piggyback onto your router from anywhere (never heard of that) and he could shoo them away and set up a "cloud based firewall" for a nominal fee based on my usage and my location. This started to sound fishy. On the one hand, by this time we had been on the phone together for 30 to 45 minutes which is a long time to run a scam. But I was suspicious, so my phone battery ran down and the call ended.

So now somebody that I don't trust has the MAC address on my router.

BTW I was able to get the extender to connect to my router by myself, so I'm not a complete idiot.

[KFC911]

I'm 100% serious on this one Patrick .... I nose stuff about this ... mebbe not much else tho'

You're good ... no harm, no exposure ...

Do ya want a PHD level answer?

Call yer Dr.

I truly got this tho .... to quote that old Humble Pie song...

"I don't need no Doctor" ... sleep well.

[masraum]

KC is on the money. MAC addresses are mostly worthless. If you're on the same wired or wireless network with someone and you have their MAC address that might be useful. But if you're in two different places, useless.

There are two main addresses associated with computers, IP addresses and MAC addresses.


You can think of them this way.
You're IP address is like you mailing address at you home. If I have your full mailing address I can send stuff to your home whether that stuff is a box of cash or gay pr0n or 10,000 pink lawn flamingos.

You MAC address is like knowing that you're house is the third house on the left after you pass the fire hydrant. If I'm on your street then that's useful information but if I'm not on your street then it's useless. I can send you anything that way, good or bad.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Looking back, I wonder if this pop-up was someone outside of Netgear that somehow popped up on their website. Or maybe it wasn't really Netgear's site to begin with.

Anyway, I said OK and they connected me with a technician. The technician had that familiar accent that tells you he isn't from the USA. He couldn't get it to connect either and in the process of trying he asked for my MAC address and my zip code. He came back and said there were 42 devices connected to my router. I have about 10, maybe 12 or 15, but 42 is out of the question. No one lives within 300 yards of my router, so it isn't a neighbor stealing service. I haven't been experiencing any buffering or unusually slow connections.
He went on to tell me people can piggyback onto your router from anywhere (never heard of that) and he could shoo them away and set up a "cloud based firewall" for a nominal fee based on my usage and my location. This started to sound fishy. On the one hand, by this time we had been on the phone together for 30 to 45 minutes which is a long time to run a scam. But I was suspicious, so my phone battery ran down and the call ended.

That does sound fishy. You should be fine though. Like I said, three MAC address isn't helpful.

The only way that I can imagine that a MAC address would be useful is if your device phones home and use able to be managed remotely through a central site using the MAC address as the identifier.

I don't think that's likely, but I'm trying to think of any way that the MAC could be used nefariously.

If you're worried, change the password on your router and extender.

[KFC911]

^^^ I'm not reading all that ...

A MAC address is not a routable address, useful on your LAN only. The outside world (WAN) uses routable protocols .... IP based.

Don't change nuthin'...

I know Steve's answer is good too... we could bore you

[wdfifteen]

Just to avoid starting another thread over technology related issues I submit the following:

For the past week I am absolutely bombarded with spam phone calls for about an hour every day. The onslaught lasts about an hour and then everything quiets down. My blood pressure is high enough so instead of shouting at the clouds I just turn my phone off when it starts.



I got 10 spam phone calls between 1:26 and 2:24.

In other news:

Our 10-year-old robot vacuum died, and I got a new Shark robot vacuum - with an app, of course.
It took an hour to get the damn thing to communicate with my phone so I could control it. I'm going to cool down from that experience before I try to load the app on Vicki's phone so she can enjoy the "freedom and convenience" of not simply pushing a button on the machine to make the damn thing work.

[stevej37]

^^^
I'll wager that almost all of those calls are Medicare Plan related. The open sign-up time started in Sept and goes thru Oct...I think.
(might be Oct and Nov)

I get about 6-8 everyday lately...from scrolling through my caller ID

[stealthn]

As long as you are routing and not bridging its fine, that said don’t use Netgear or DLink