XPost: alt.comp.os.windows-10, alt.comp.microsoft.windows, alt.c   
   mp.os.windows-11   
   From: marianjones@helpfulpeople.com   
      
   Char Jackson wrote:   
   > *Many years ago, where I worked we trialed a piece of software that   
   > intentionally used the same IP address and MAC address on every server   
   > in the pool. That violates everything we're taught about network   
   > addressing, but it didn't cause any problems. It simply moved certain   
   > tasks farther up the network stack. We ended up buying and deploying   
   > that software into our production network.   
      
   Hi Char Jackson,   
      
   I appreciate your input because you're very knowledgeable in router setup.   
      
   I had left a note in the chimney on Christmas Eve for a consumer router   
   with DD-WRT or OpenWRT firmware that allows me to change the AP BSSID.   
      
   Unfortunately, there is no consumer router brand or model that universally   
   "allows BSSID changes" as far as I'm currently aware. Certainly that   
   ability to change the BSSID of the access point exists in pro routers.   
      
   But what matters is not the router but the Wi-Fi chipset and the driver.   
      
   OpenWrt can only spoof a BSSID on hardware whose mac80211 driver   
   permits overriding the interface MAC address. Most consumer routers do   
   not permit this because the Wi-Fi MAC is stored in OTP/EEPROM and the   
   driver enforces it.   
      
   The only consumer-grade devices that consistently allow BSSID spoofing   
   are those using ath9k (Atheros 802.11n) or ath10k/ath11k (Qualcomm   
   802.11ac/ax) *with specific firmware revisions* that do not lock the MAC.   
   Examples include older TP-Link, Netgear, and Ubiquiti devices based on   
   Atheros AR9xxx or QCA9xxx chipsets. On these units, OpenWrt can override   
   the MAC for AP mode, and the BSSID will follow the configured address.   
      
   However, even within the same product line, behavior varies.   
      
   Many ath10k-based consumer routers ship with board data that locks the MAC   
   or derives multiple interface MACs from a fixed base, preventing spoofing.   
   Mediatek MT76 devices sometimes allow MAC override on 2.4 GHz but not on   
   5 GHz. Broadcom consumer routers almost never allow BSSID changes under   
   OpenWrt because the proprietary firmware enforces the burned-in address.   
      
   Therefore, the most accurate answer is that only certain Atheros-based   
   consumer routers, typically older models using ath9k or early ath10k,   
   permit true BSSID spoofing. No vendor guarantees this capability, and it   
   must be verified per chipset and driver rather than per router model.   
      
   My next chance is my 86th birthday, where I'll ask for an older router that   
   can change the BSSID in the outward-facing access point BSSID as no modern   
   consumer router running OpenWrt or DD-WRT can reliably spoof the   
   outward-facing BSSID.   
      
   As far as I'm aware, only certain legacy Atheros ath9k devices could do   
   this, and they are no longer current hardware, unfortunately for me. :(   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)