Forum

WiFi-as-WAN Devices
 

Some routers support "WiFi as WAN," meaning it is capable of connecting to an external WiFi hotspot as its source of internet connectivity. If I have a device that broadcasts WiFi - MiFi, Sprint Overdrive, or a smartphone with the hotspot feature active (iPhone or Droid) - I can connect this router to the hotspot/phone via "WiFi as WAN". This is not tethering directly to the router, but the router is picking up the device's WiFi signal and creates a network from that.

If I change the MAC address on the ROUTER for each amazon acct, and I run a separate virtual machine with new MAC addresses on the laptop for each amazon acct., will that be sufficient to run multiple amazon accounts? OR would Amazon also be able to see the MAC from that first item in the chain that is actually providing the internet service to this whole network?

So here is the network chain I'm describing:

1. "whatever internet source broadcasting WiFi signal" (either home FIOS, iphone broadcasting WiFi, neighbor's WiFi, starbucks WiFI, usb dongle plugged into 2nd WiFI as WAN router, whatever) --> 2. WiFi as WAN Router with MAC address control --> 3. my laptop running virtual machines.

I am assuming that Amazon will only see #3. the MAC data from my laptop's virtual machines + #2. the router picking up the internet from the original source. Amazon should not pickup the first item in the chain above, no matter what it is. (although the first item DOES provide the IP address which of course will be seen by Amazon and therefore need to be changed for each acct.).

Do I understand this correctly?

Yes, the accepted theory in how Amazon tracks MAC addresses allows for your setup to work. Amazon sees your PC's MAC and the router's MAC in your configuration.

i appreciate your response. thank you very much.