So it would show a Mac ID belonging to a Apple laptop, for example, if you were very ghey and using that? Unless, of course, you had a program to mask/change it.
The yes'ers are right.
Also, the OP asked if the ID is logged only. Identification is another story.
(In doubt I would use a cash paid USB WLan adapter, just sayin )
This is troof. If your neighbor has an unsecured wifi be assured that they have never even heard of a Mac address. But be nice. I depend on my neighbor's unsecured wifi - on it right now, in fact.
All network devices that communicate via IP have a unique address.
A hardware MAC address (ethernet address).
They all have to be unique because otherwise when you plugged two computers into the wall, they would both be communicating with the same name.
To differentiate them, they each have a unique address.
When you buy a network card or a wireless card or any device that supports ethernet, it will have a unique address.
When you connect to a router, you will give it your ethernet address and tie it to an IP address. The ethernet address is only visible on the segment you are on.
All the machines connected to the same segment you are on will see your ethernet address.
If you are on a PC, you can look at the ethernet addresses that your computer knows about typing:
> arp -a
ARP is the address resolution protocol and shows the MAC addresses your computer knows about and the IPs they are associated with.
You will see the MAC address of whatever wireless router you are connected to. And they see your MAC.
On the wireless router, you can look at the ARP table to see who is / was connected.
If you have a known computer, you can check its ethernet address to see if it matches. The MAC address never changes.
Additionally, these unique addresses are doled out in groups to vendors so, from a MAC, you can find out the specific type of computer and the vendor will know the MAC of all the machines they have sold so you can track it down to the specific machine if you really want to do the work.
When Windows generates GUIDs (global unique identifiers) it uses the MAC as part of the GUID. So, Microsoft will also know your computer by your MAC.
There are hardware network devices that allow you to change the MAC to whatever you want. The vast, vast majority of them do not.
Posted 8/9/2009 5:10 pm
Why are you calling it "stealing"? You don't know the motivation for your neighbor to keep their wireless connection open. Maybe they want you to use it.
Posted 8/9/2009 6:46 pm
On all commercial routers if you are using a static IP they won't see your machine in the connected device pane, since it's not controlled by the routers DHCP.
They would have to scan their entire nat subnet in order to see you connected, in which case you need a good software firewall to block ICMP, ping, and all packets, in fact just connect with one static IP and block the rest of the range out so their scan just times on one your computer
Posted 5/22/2011 12:08 pm
The best thing to do with wifi access is catalog such hot spots and use them for your activities when you need to and then never use it again.
NObody in my area leaves their wifi unlocked 
