Posted: Sat May 10, 2025 20:59 Post subject: Am I doing something wrong? LAN mac changes after restore
I notice that when I save a backup of my settings, then restore it, my LAN mac address defaults to the routers baked in mac. I have to go to the router under setup "networking" and change the bridge mac back to what I had as the "new" mac it defaults to freaks the software firewall and network neighborhood out and they want to "add new network" which I dont want.
Joined: 08 May 2018 Posts: 16146 Location: Texas, USA
Posted: Sat May 10, 2025 21:56 Post subject:
Without information from the current release to determine if the issue still exists, I cannot forward the report. System logs possibly required. Ensure browser cache has been cleared. Moved to Atheros, because this is not an Advanced Networking topic.
Joined: 07 Jan 2025 Posts: 155 Location: Bethel Park, PA, USA
Posted: Sun May 11, 2025 0:12 Post subject:
I had been seeing this behavior for many years, on everything from a Buffalo WZR-600DHP, through Netgear AC1450s, Linksys WRT1900ACs, and Netgear R7800s. Seemed to stop around the time BS went to K6 builds. I'm still using the WZR-600DHP (Kernel 3.10) but it's doing basic port forwarding and I haven't had to restore config, pretty much ever.
For some reason, I just assumed this was known, default behavior. Of course, we all know what happens when you assume... _________________ Formerly dpp3530 Linksys MR7350
Gateway, 2 wired APs, NSS-ECM , Clock 1440MHz
VAPs on wlan0 and wlan1 for guest/IOT devices
IPv4 & IPv6 (Prefix Delegation)
Static Leases & DHCP
SmartDNS (using NextDNS, Cloudflare), DNSMasq
Wireguard and OpenVPN server
2.4GHz: dd-wrt, N/G-Mixed, ACK Timing 1350, WPA3 SAE & WPA2 w/AES
5GHz: dd-wrt, AX/AC/N Mixed, ACK Timing 1350, WPA3 SAE & WPA2 w/AES
Verizon Fios, 500/500Mbps
Yes, because the MAC addresses have nothing to do with the kernel in use.
The problem I am having now is that when I change the LAN mac it deletes the bridge and I have to reset the router.
I followed the forum advice to reset and enter the info manually after updating so many times. I did that and I notice the back up file was encrypted and before I reset the back ups were plain text.
The encrypted back up works but as I said it doesnt populate the LAN mac with the saved one, now after doing the reset and such when I type the mac myself in the Create a Bridge line, instead of updating the desired mac it deletes the bridge and then I'm locked out of the router. So I'm not sure what to do now
The bridge MAC addresses can also be changed without any problems.
Bridges do not have their own MAC addresses but inherit those of the first interface that is added.
and yes, as KP has already mentioned, MAC addresses are not restored from backups - as the backups are compatible with other devices. _________________ Quickstart guides:
I'm not sure whats going on. If I try to restore the encryped backup, it wont let me change the mac of the default bridge.
When I restore the plain text backup it allows it.
I change the
lan_hwaddr it deletes the bridge soon as hit apply. (interface eth0 successfully deleted from bridge br0)
I always have the eth0_hwaddr and lan_hwaddr set to 2 different macs.
The other thing is why would 1 backup bin be plain text but another be like this?
Joined: 08 May 2018 Posts: 16146 Location: Texas, USA
Posted: Thu May 22, 2025 15:54 Post subject:
Please post a screenshot of opening the nvrambak.bin file with a text editor if it's not "encrypted". I don't think the following would've been developed and created if it were a plain text file. The only other program that will show human-readable anything is a hex editor. I guess it's the definition of "encrypted" that is in question.
