What Exactly Is A MAC Address?

Each device can be uniquely identified by its MAC address. As a result, we distinctly outline what you need to know about MAC addresses.

Every network device has a specific hardware address known as a MAC address, short for Media Access Control address. This implies that each gadget may be recognized with ease. What a MAC address’s is can be read.

What does MAC stand for?

The MAC address represents a distinctive global number of your computer hardware. This usually has a set storage location because it is saved on the network adapter. This is why the physical address is referred to in everyday speech. A new MAC address’s would be assigned if you changed your network card. One may use the chassis number of a car as an illustration. This is enduring. Comparatively, temporary logical addresses like IP addresses are employed.

These can be altered instead of the MAC address because they are logical rather than physical. The IP address is equivalent to the number plate number in the car analogy. This can be altered and is not fixed.

But take care: Every computer connected to a network has a MAC address, not just Apple products. Windows, Android, macOS, or Linux are all acceptable. “Mac” refers to Apple’s Macintosh, the company’s first microcomputer featuring a graphical user interface. Hence, the abbreviation is the only similarity between a MAC address and a Macintosh.

Ethernet, Bluetooth, and WLAN all employ MAC addresses instead of IP addresses. Technically speaking, a MAC address is 48 bits long and is frequently expressed as a twelve-digit hexadecimal integer. Bytes at a time, the MAC address’s is written. Either hyphens or colons are used to separate each byte. It appears as follows:

50-9A-4C-29-E3-11 or 50:9A:4C:29:E3:11

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

which assigns manufacturer IDs, is represented by the first six digits. Manufacturers independently set the MAC address’s second half. This physical address can easily recognize your computer or the end device in the network.

Also read:- How Do I Link To A Remote Desktop?