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Cisco Meraki Documentation

Meraki Go - MAC Allow List

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Learn about MAC allow lists on Meraki Go switches, and how to use them.

Overview

Meraki Go switches provide port security in the form of MAC allow lists. In other words, ports on a Meraki Go switch can be configured to only accept certain devices based on their network cards assigned MAC address.

What is a MAC address?

A MAC (media access control) address is used to send messages between computers on a network. It is a 12-digit hexadecimal value, and is considered to be globally unique (no other device should ever have the same MAC address). A MAC address comes in the following format: 00:00:00:00:00:00 (sometimes the colons will be represented with - dashes).

MAC addresses operate at layer 2 in the OSI model, and should not to be confused with IP addresses, which operate at layer 3 in the OSI model. A MAC address is used for local communication only.

Configure MAC Allow Lists

To configure MAC allow lists on Meraki Go switches:

  1. Login to the Meraki Go app, and navigate to the Hardware screen.
  2. Navigate to any switch port, on any switch (preferablly not the uplink port)
    clipboard_eb1b9906641ca59b24f1e3a2f6450287f.png
    You can choose a specific switch and then a specific port, or go straight to See All Ports
  3. Here on Port 2 is a PoE payment gateway on a restricted VLAN. No other devices should connect to port 2.
    clipboard_e2c30add8e2119cc82706f165348225bd.png
    Select port 2 to configure it.
  4. Choose Settings
    clipboard_ea479d9c62cdba55195d366ec37cbfbea.png
  5. The port must be an access port, a trunk port cannot have a MAC allow list.
    clipboard_e99312e751bcc48e183695480180ff825.pngclipboard_eddf3de17e5c08ca6300509078bae664d.png
  6. Choose MAC Address Allow List from the Advanced Settings menu for this port.
    clipboard_ea7d6ddede39054fa1546e90acac785ac.pngclipboard_e371e9448c536b2b5f61f28675e2bcf12.png
  7. Press the + button to only allow particular devices on this port. The entry can be made manually, or can be done by choosing a device from the clients list:
    clipboard_eec2b60ef0160339084ca9bcb62e8c1d6.pngclipboard_ef96fad0fb3be84361a39c55ea4137ac1.png

How do I find my MAC address?

All network enabled devices have a MAC address. Each operating system will have it's own way of finding the information. Follow the steps below for the appropriate hardware.

Note: It is not uncommon for a computer to have multiple network interfaces and MAC addresses.

Windows
  1. Click Start and type cmd
  2. Open the command prompt
    clipboard_e1d17addc75851b20ac2503a5f718cec4.png
  3. In the command prompt window (similar to above) type ipconfig /all to list all network interfaces on the computer.
  4. Note the Physical Address next to the interface that represents the active network connection
    clipboard_e8250edc65d7eeeea2937d612ffcb0013.png

The Physical Address is the MAC address.

Mac
  1. Open a terminal
  2. Type ifconfig to list all network interfaces
    clipboard_eb33c8bcafb8d7999add742b99609ba55.png
  3. Find the appropriate network interface and note the ether line.

The ether address is the MAC address.

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