MAC Address Allowlisting - IT Administrator Guide

This article is written for IT administrators responsible for configuring network access for Vector 8 Docks on captive portal networks.

Overview

Vector 8 Docks have no user interface and cannot interact with a captive portal login or acceptance page. To use a Vector 8 Dock on a network with a captive portal, the Dock must be pre-authorised by its MAC address - a process known as allowlisting.

Once allowlisted, the Dock bypasses the captive portal and connects directly to the internet without requiring any manual authentication.

What is MAC address allowlisting?

MAC address allowlisting is a network configuration method that grants a specific device internet access based on its unique hardware identifier (MAC address), without requiring that device to authenticate through a captive portal. This is the standard approach for connecting IoT devices — such as Vector 8 Docks — to networks that use captive portal authentication.

What you will need

• The MAC address of each Vector 8 Dock to be allowlisted. See the section below on how your team can obtain these.
• Access to your network's captive portal administration interface.

How to obtain the Dock MAC address

The Dock MAC address is available from within the Catapult Vector app after the Dock has been registered for the first time. Your team user or system administrator can retrieve and share it with you directly from the app.

If the Dock has not yet been registered: The Dock must first be registered using an alternate network — such as a mobile hotspot — before the MAC address can be obtained. See: Vector 8 Hardware First Time Setup

If the Dock has already been registered: The MAC address is available from the Hardware Info page in the Catapult Vector app. Your team user can share it with you directly using the share button within the app. See: How Do I Use Vector 8 Dock with a Captive Portal Network?

Applying the allowlist

The process for allowlisting a MAC address will vary depending on your network infrastructure and captive portal solution. In general, the steps are:

1. Obtain the MAC address for each Vector 8 Dock from your team user.
2. Log in to your captive portal administration interface.
3. Navigate to the MAC address allowlist or bypass list — this may be labelled as whitelist, trusted devices, or pre-authentication depending on your platform.
4. Add each Dock MAC address to the allowlist.
5. Confirm the change is applied and notify your team user that the Dock can now be connected to the network.

If you are unsure how to apply a MAC address allowlist on your specific platform, refer to your network infrastructure provider's documentation.

If allowlisting is not possible

If your network does not support MAC address allowlisting, the following alternatives are available:

Mobile hotspot — connect the Dock to a mobile hotspot that bypasses the captive portal entirely. See: Connecting Vector 8 When Travelling

Vector Desktop App — transfer data via USB-C using your PC's internet connection, bypassing the need for the Dock to connect to the network directly. See: Vector Desktop App - VECTOR 8