What is a Mac Address
Let's kick things off by demystifying the acronym ( MAC ) stands for Media Access Control.
Alright, let's simplify it in easy terms.
Think of it as a fingerprint that sets your device apart from the billions of other gadgets in the digital universe. Every device with network capabilities, whether it's your smartphone, laptop, or smart fridge, has one of these unique identifiers.
Your device has a unique Mac address for each of its network devices.
For example, the wireless network card has its own MAC address, and the LAN card has a different, private MAC address.
This address is made up of a series of letters and numbers,
MAC addresses are recognized as six groups of two hexadecimal digits separated by hyphens, colons, or no separators
Example
C4:AC:43:D6:10:E0
When you connect to a network, your device uses his Mac Address to identify itself to the local network .
and used for the local network communication only.
Now we have new questions that need to be answered.
How is the MAC address of any device unique, despite the huge number of devices and manufacturers?
Yes, it is unique because there is an entity that regulates the issue, which is the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers" (IEEE)
process typically involves the following steps:
Manufacturers need to register with (IEEE)
During the registration process, manufacturers are assigned an organizationally unique identifier (OUI).
Once registered, manufacturers can request blocks of MAC addresses from the IEEE.
And Manufacturers assign MAC addresses from their allocated blocks to individual devices during the manufacturing process
From the above, we find that the first section of the MAC address shown in the image above identifies the manufacturer.
For example
Range 18:FD:74:00:00:00 - 18:FD:74:FF:FF:FF Company Routerboard ,Mikrotik.
Range 24:05:88:00:00:00 - 24:05:88:FF:FF:FF Company Google, Inc.
You can search for device Vendor to any Mac Address from here
MAC Address Lookup
Take note,
However, there have been rare cases of manufacturers not adhering to proper allocation.
Some manufacturers have been reported to use random Mac addresses or reuse the same Mac address for multiple products.
Is it possible to access my device from the Internet via the MAC address?, Because it is unique.
Is it sufficient to have an IP address? What is the difference between Mac address and IP address?
No, it is not possible to connect to your device via the Mac address from the Internet
There is no route for the MAC address only for the IP address,
Simply put, your MAC address does not leave the local network and cannot access the Internet at all
How does this happen?
In the OSI model, the Ethernet frame, is used at the Data Link Layer (Layer 2)and includes source and destination MAC addresses.
and The IP packet itself, at the Network Layer(Layer 3), contains source and destination IP addresses in its header.
Let's explain the steps
When a device sends an IP packet over a local network, it encapsulates the IP packet within an Ethernet frame.
The MAC addresses in the Ethernet frame are used for local network communication, allowing devices on the same network to address each other using MAC addresses,
and delivering the packet to the correct device within the local network based on MAC addresses.
The MAC addresses in the Ethernet frame are specific to each network segment and are replaced as the packet travels through the routers.
So what happens when the packet passes through routers
As the packet passes through routers, the routers will examine the destination IP address in the packet header and make forwarding decisions based on routing tables.
The routers operate at the Network Layer (Layer 3) and do not forward the Ethernet frame directly. Instead, they strip off the original Ethernet frame and create a new one with the MAC address of the next hop router's interface.
Thus, we find that both the Mac address and the IP address are important, and each of them has a different role and a different layer to work on
While MAC addresses identify devices on a local network, IP addresses identify devices globally or through their internet address.
A simple example of useful uses of Mac Address within a local network
You can use Mac Addresses to filter devices that are connected to the local wireless network. It is possible to do
Blacklist (To disallow listed devices to access the internet)
Or work
Whitelist (To allow only the listed devices to access the internet)
How can I find the MAC address of the device?
For Windows computers,
to view the MAC address listed as the Physical Address
Open the Command Prompt: Press the Windows key, type "cmd" in the search bar, and press Enter.
In the Command Prompt window, type:
ipconfig /all
and press Enter.
Look for the "Physical Address" under the network adapter you are interested in
If you're using macOS:
Go to the Apple menu and select "System Preferences."
Click on "Network."
Choose the network connection you are using, and click on the "Advanced" button.
Navigate to the "Hardware" tab, and the MAC address is listed as "Ethernet ID."
On Android devices, you can go to Settings, select Network & Internet or Wi-Fi, and choose the connected network to view the MAC address
On iOS devices, you can go to Settings, select General, then About to view the Wi-Fi Address
If you're using Linux:
Open a terminal window.
Type: ifconfig and press Enter.
Locate the network interface you're interested in; the MAC address is listed as "HWaddr."
Note:
manufacturers may use different names to describe the MAC address, such as Hardware ID, Physical Address, Wireless ID, or Wi-Fi Address
Can I Change My Mac Address?
Now, here's a question you might have in mind – can you change your Mac Address? Well, technically, yes, you can. Some tech-savvy folks might want to do this for various reasons, like enhancing privacy or bypassing network restrictions. However, it's important to note that tinkering with your Mac Address isn't something the average user should attempt without proper knowledge.
What happens if the MAC address is repeated in the same network?
When two devices on the same network have the same MAC address, it can cause problems such as:
Address conflicts: Network devices may become confused about which device is associated with a particular MAC address, leading to communication errors and disruptions.
Packet misdelivery: If devices have the same MAC address, switches may forward packets to the wrong device, causing data to be sent to the incorrect destination.
Network instability: Duplicate MAC addresses can lead to unpredictable behavior on the network, including intermittent connectivity issues and potential network outages.
We hope that we have been able to clarify the idea and answer everything that is on your mind regarding the topic of Mac addresses. You can also contact us via email if you have more questions.