
MAC addresses are also known as hardware or physical addresses. Usually it's through the interface configuration, but it differs depending on what operating system you're using (Linux, Mac, Windows).Īugust 2, - The MAC address is a value linked with your network adapter. The other part of a MAC address represents the serial number assigned to the adapter by the adapter manufacturer.Īugust 2, - You actually can change your MAC address. These IDs are regulated by an Internet standards body. The first part of the MAC address contains an ID number of the manufacturer. How do I convert a mac address to an ipv4 address? Your MAC address does not change, your IP does. If the device is portable, it may be printed inside the battery compartment.Ī Media Access Control (MAC) address is a unique code assigned to every piece of hardware that connects to the They're totally separate. If this is the case, the MAC address can typically be found on a sticker on the device. Some service providers will require the address of a device to be registered with them to ensure those who are paying for or are subscribed to the service are the only users who can connect. Many people who use network connected devices will not ever need the MAC address to use the device.

This can provide additional security for the network.


From there the router can either allow or deny the device to connect based on its MAC address. With the recent advances in wireless networking technology, the address from a wireless card can be entered into the configuration pages for a network’s wireless router. Once assigned, the MAC address is used to ensure that each device connected to the LAN or other network is unique. An IP address allows two devices to communicate across a LAN or network environment - normally IP addresses should also be unique and will allow the exchange of data. This helps to ensure that the data is sent to a physical device before being decoded and/or manipulated by a device.Ī MAC address is similar to an IP address that the device also receives in that it ensures each device is unique and allows data to be passed among hardware devices. MAC addresses are used at the data link layer of the OSI hardware model to allow packets to be passed directly between devices on a network.
