@BeBiMa 

The RE is not a standard-conforming simple client device. 

Instead of being one client with one MAC address and one IP address the RE uses some "trickery" (non-standard techniques) to bluff the Wi-Fi Access Point (i.e. the Wi-Fi router) and have it recognize several clients on one wireless connection.

I can only guess that the RE using two MAC addresses for itself (the real hardware MAC address and another virtual one) must be required for how the RE makes things work.

The TL-WA860RE V6 uses a Wi-Fi SoC and drivers provided by the company "MediaTek". So, they are the ones who would be able to provide a profound answer to your question why the MAC address changes. 

woozle wrote

  @BeBiMa 

 

The RE is not a standard-conforming simple client device. 

 

Instead of being one client with one MAC address and one IP address the RE uses some "trickery" (non-standard techniques) to bluff the Wi-Fi Access Point (i.e. the Wi-Fi router) and have it recognize several clients on one wireless connection.

 

I can only guess that the RE using two MAC addresses for itself (the real hardware MAC address and another virtual one) must be required for how the RE makes things work.

 

The TL-WA860RE V6 uses a Wi-Fi SoC and drivers provided by the company "MediaTek". So, they are the ones who would be able to provide a profound answer to your question why the MAC address changes. 

  @woozle ,

you are right.

The RE has 'two interfaces on one line', one for the administration (the real MAC) and one for the transport (the virtual MAC).

On the admin interface it is just a client in the wireless and/or ethernet network of the router. Changing identification (MAC address) isn't a good idea, IMO.

My logs show, that the RE sometimes just restarts the DHCP client for the admin interface and then presents the virtual MAC.

It doesn't matter for the end user, who provides the HW and drivers for the device. The manufacturer of the RE is my 'partner' in update tasks. TP-Link has designed the device and written the software from the task 'Range extension'. Therefore I hoped to get some answer about the problem from them.