What is MAC Address & How to find device MAC address

Media Access Control (MAC) address is also known as hardware address/ physical address which is is a unique value associated with a network adapter. MAC addresses are 12-digit hexadecimal numbers ((0-9, plus A-F, capitalized) 48 bits in length, in order to make it easier to read most often it is written with a colon or hyphen separating every two digits, The ID number of the adapter manufacturer is present in the first 24 bits of a MAC address as assigned by the IEEE. The number given to the adapter by the manufacturer is defined by the second half (24 bits) of a MAC address.

For Example:

Let the MAC Address be 00:12:47:14:C8:29 The prefix (Manufacturer ID) is “00:12:47” which is ID for Samsung Electronics Co.,Ltd manufacturer.

Each device on a network has unique MAC address to be able to identify which device is which on the network. MAC address cannot be changed.

 If you want to protect your network many routers use MAC addresses to restrict access to known devices.

64-Bit MAC Addresses

As we have seen above,  traditional MAC addresses are 48 bits in length. For 64-bit MAC addresses, the IEEE developed the EUI-64 (extended unique identifier) standard. The OUI(organizationally unique identifier, left most 24-bit number) is still 24 bits, but the serial number is 40 bits (which increaset by 16 bits). The only difference between 48 bit MAC address & 64 bit MAC address is that the 64 bit MAC address can accommodate more device serial numbers.

How to find device MAC Address

In Windows

1. Go to Control Panel
2. then go to Network and Internet
3. then go to Network and Sharing Center
4. Select the network whose MAC address you want to see.
5. Click Details.
6. You can find the MAC address labeled as Physical Address.

OR

1. Open a Command Prompt (CMD)
2. Type “ipconfig /all” in the Command Prompt then press Enter
3. You can find the MAC address labeled as Physical Address.

In Apple macOS

1. Go to Apple Menu 
2. Select System Preference
3. Select  Network
4. Select the network whose MAC address you want to see.
5. Click Advanced
6. You can find the MAC address labeled as Wi-Fi Address / Airport Address.

UNIX or Linux devices

1. Open terminal (shortcut = Ctrl + T)
2. Run command “ifconfig -a”
3. You can find the MAC address labeled as HWaddr / ether .