router with large mac address table & good for vlc streamer?

[lord_strange]

Some slightly odd requirements there perhaps. But my existing D-Link DIR-655 has only 24 mac addresses available, and because I've set the network up so that only approved hardware can connect, it's full up. This situation has rather crept up on me, but in a family of three people, where everyone has their own desktop, laptop, smartphone, and tablet, plus the other things that use the network like a QNAP server, games consoles, printers, etc. etc. it is actually possible to run out of mac addresses, it seems. So does anyone know - because I did look at the finder and it didn't seem to include precisely this info - if there are consumer grade routers that give you more space that that?

The other thing that gets used a lot is the VLC streamer app which runs on my main Windows workstation and encodes video on the fly so that it can be streamed reliably. The clients (sundry ipads of gens 1,2, 3 and a mini retina, plus an android galaxy tab) all periodically lose sight of the PC, and the router needs rebooting to reacquire it, which is kind of annoying when you are all tucked up in bed watching your favourite show and the router is in the living room. So if anyone has experience of a router that seems to play nice with that particular piece of software that would also be a plus.

Otherwise, my requirements are just the usual: speed, range, and stability. Price isn't really a consideration. Any suggestions gratefully received.

 

[remixedcat]

MAC addresses can be easily spoofed so don't rely on that.

 

[CaptainSTX]

Use two routers and double NAT them. This will give you 48 MAC addresses for whatever security that is worth.

Use one router for your video streaming connections and the other router for general purposes. Where necessary you can have a device with its MAC assigned on both routers.

If cost really isn't that important step up from a SOHO router to a commercial grade product and then hang your existing router off it as an AP to provide WiFi. A commercial grade router will have more memory and hopefully a faster processor.

 

[lord_strange]

Thanks for the replies. Remixedcat is quite right to point out that mac addresses can be spoofed so I should say I am also using WPA encryption on the wi-fi as well.

CaptainSTX's suggestion of a double NAT solution is intriguing and would no doubt work in principle but I've no experience with such a setup, and I also don't really have a convenient place to put a second router. Given the layout of my apartment and my lack of familiarity with this arrangement, I'd rather not add an additional layer of complexity if I don't have to.

A commercial grade router is certainly an option, but again I'd welcome suggestions if anyone has them.

 

[stevech]

WPA2 is all you need. Don't mess with double-NAT or MAC access lists.

 

[lord_strange]

Thanks. Even if I discount the MAC issue, I'd still like something that can work more reliably with VLC streamer (and also with Qmobile, which is the android/ios client for QNAP servers). So some advice on routers that people have found very good for media streaming would still be welcome.