How Do I Prevent My Wireless Router to Be Used by Other Wireless Clients?
It depends on what you mean with the word “used”. Many routers have the ability to prevent unauthorized access to programs and services based on Internet by connecting clients. This feature can have different names, including Port Filtering, Access Control, Firewall Outbound Access Rules, and so on, but in any case could block access to Internet services from web browsers, file transfer, electronic mail, newsgroup…
To achieve the desired effect, it blocks the port used by the application to specific IP addresses, specified in the configuration pages. The characteristic of the Port Filtering, however, does not forbid users to connect with each other using the switch on the router for file and print sharing services, only serves to limit or completely block access to specified Internet services.
Many wireless access points have MAC address filtering feature called Control Association, or that the basic version allows you to create a list of MAC addresses of customers who may not have access to the wired LAN connected to the PA. Sometimes you may find two lists, one for the client blocked and the other for those accepted. Note that this function controls access to the LAN, deferring decisions on access to the Internet to whatever you provide the connection, for example the router.
So what happens to a wireless router, which conceptually is a mix between a router and a wireless access point when a computer tries to connect with air cards? As previously described, the Port Filtering feature of routers is mainly devoted to controlling access to the Internet and probably does not limit the access of wireless clients to your wired LAN.
So what can I do if I want to to buy a good wireless router? The best advice we can give to you is look in the Wireless section of the administration screens of the router setting that will allow you to enter the client MAC address lists to block and let pass. You will have some chance of finding that setting that allows you to control the IP client association. If your wireless router provides only port filtering based on IP addresses or access controls located in the firewall of the router itself or other sections of administration , your product is not equipped with controls for wireless groups and consequently it let pass wireless client to your wired LAN, unless you have WEP encryption enabled.