Mac Address Filter On — Tplink Deco M4

Use the Blacklist for daily life—it’s quick and flexible. Only use the Whitelist for specific scenarios (like a guest house network). And remember: MAC filtering stops casual snoops, not determined hackers (they’ll just spoof an approved address). For the other 99% of threats—like your teenager sneaking extra screen time or a neighbor freeloading—the Deco M4’s MAC filter is the perfect, free gatekeeper.

: The "Wi-Fi Access Control" option only appears if all Deco units in your mesh network support the feature. mac address filter on tplink deco m4

When you navigate to the Deco app and find the Blacklist/Whitelist settings, you are actually choosing between two very different security philosophies. Use the Blacklist for daily life—it’s quick and flexible

: Users on the TP-Link Community forums warn that MAC filtering is not foolproof. Modern devices like iPhones and Androids use Random MAC addresses to enhance privacy, which can bypass fixed MAC filters unless "Private Wi-Fi Address" is disabled for your home network. For the other 99% of threats—like your teenager