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I'm considering using a wi-fi extender. It will work fine for lap-tops, tablets, etc. that need a connection but don't need a fixed DNS entry with preassigned IP addresses.

But wi-fi extenders modify each attached device's MAC address (e.g. D-Link DAP-1755 replaces the first 3 of MAC address's 6 hex digits), and this could be a problem with printers or tablets where one might want to download data.

Currently I have the main wi-fi unit assign a fixed IP address based on MAC address to a printer, and then /etc/hosts maps that address to an appropriate hostname to use when printing to it.

But when the printer gets moved around, if it attaches to the extender the main wi-fi unit will see it with a different MAC address and not do the IP address assignment.

Short of creating two reserved addresses and hostnames (forcing people to guess what name it has each time they want to use it), is there any solution?

Ray Butterworth
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1 Answers1

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You need to set up the extender to use WDS (Wireless Distribution System) when communicating with the router.

WDS ensures that client MAC addresses are not modified.

Unfortunately not all extenders support WDS.

Tero Kilkanen
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