Any device connected to a WiFi network uses a unique network identity to identify itself. That unique identity number is called Media Access Control or MAC address. This allows the network administrator to track the profiles or activity of all devices connected to the network.
Most of the time we don't have to worry about this MAC address and sometimes it becomes important for us to know it. For example, if you want to control access to any device on your router, but you will need the MAC address of the specific device.
Anyway, let's take a look at how to find the Mac address for Mac and Windows PC.
What Is MAC Address?
A Mac address is a unique 17-character number (for example: 00: 1A: C2: 9B: 00: 68) that acts as a hardware detector embedded in your computer's Network Interface Controller (NIC) card.
This unique number is determined by the device manufacturer and is permanently set on your device. This basically allows devices to connect to any local network.
There are two main types of Mac Addresses, such as Universally Administered Address (UAA) and Locally Administered Address (LAA).
UAA is the main MAC address that is determined by the device manufacturer. You can assign LAA to your network device and it will over-ride the address specified by the manufacturer.
Sometimes your device's Mac Address and IP address can confuse you because both are used to identify your device on the Internet, but there is a big difference between them.
The Mac Address is permanently assigned by the device manufacturer to identify your machine from others. IP addresses, on the other hand, handle logically rootable connections from your devices and networks, and this varies depending on location.
Where your device's MAC address is used within your local network, IP addresses are used to identify network devices around the world.
Why we need to find out the MAC address
Let's take a look at the reasons why you may need a MAC Address.
- To track your device
- To prevent unexpected network access
- To find receivers and senders on the network
- Sometimes a Mac Address may be required to service the device
- How to find the MAC address of your Windows and Mac computer
In the case of Windows 10 PC, you can find the MAC address through Settings, Control Panel, System Information, Command Prompt, and PowerShell. If you do not have Windows 10, the method without Settings will come in handy.
Find the Mac Address using Settings,
First go to Start> Settings> Network & Internet
Select Ethernet or WiFi depending on your network connection
Now click on Hardware Properties
Below is your Mac Address
How to check Mac Address through Control
First go to Control Panel> Network & Internet
Click on Network and Sharing Center
Select Change adapter settings from the left side
Double click on Ethernet or WiFi depending on what your connection is.
Assuming you are using WiFi so double click WiFi and click on Details
Now you will see your Mac Address under Physical address
How to find your Mac Address through Command Prompt
First type CMD in the search box and open Command Prompt in Run as administrator
Type ipconfig / all and press Enter. This way you can see the MAC addresses of all the network cards installed on the PC.
You can see your Mac Address in the Physical address field.
If you only want to see the MAC address of the active network card, type getmac / v and press Enter.
How to find Mac address through Windows PowerShell
First go to Start> Windows PowerShell
Enter the Get-Net Adapter command and press Enter
Now you can see the Mac Address of each Network Adapter
How to find Mac address using System Information
Search System Information in the search bar and enter System Information
Expand the Components section first and then expand the Networks section.
Click on Adapter and you will see your Mac Address on the right side
How to find Mac Address in Mac-Book
First go to Menu> System Preferences> Network.
Now select Advanced
Now you can see your Mac Address from Info. If you want you can also see by clicking on WiFi.
Last word
Hopefully, by following the methods described above, you can find out the MAC address of your device.
Please tell, what's the story of them big puppy's .... Stay well until the next post.
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