So if your computer has both an Ethernet port and Wi-Fi, there will be two MAC addresses in the system configuration Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)Īddress Resolution Protocol, or ARP, is a communication protocol used for discovering the link layer address, such as a MAC address, associated with a given internet layer address, typically an IPv4 address, which is a 32-bit number that uniquely identifies a network interface on a machine. For each network interface in the device, there is a unique MAC address associated. They are called the Organizational Unique Identifier, while the last six digits represent the Network interface Controller assigned by the manufacturer.ĭevices can have multiple MAC addresses. The first six digits represent the manufacturer. This is the way a Mac address is displayed: These 48 bits are represented as a 12-digit hexadecimal number or a six-byte binary number separated by colons. It implements the physical layer circuitry necessary for communicating with a data link layer standard, such as Ethernet or Wi-Fi.

A NIC provides a device with a dedicated, full-time connection to a network. What is a MAC address?Ī Media Access Control (MAC) address is the physical address of a device, which consists of 48 bits, embedded into the Network Interface Card (NIC). So, a device must know the destination MAC address to communicate locally through Ethernet or Wi-Fi. Their frames encapsulate packets that contain IP address information. This will help identify its corresponding IP address.ĭevices in the data link layer depend on MAC addresses for their communication. If you are in a situation in which you can't find the IP address, then you can resort to the MAC address of a device. Also, your computer might be unable to display its IP due to various reasons, and, as a result, you could get a “No Valid IP Address” error.

It is worth noting that IP addresses can be masked through Virtual Public Networks (VPNs). Why it might be useful to locate a device using a MAC address

And thanks to that, users are able to access websites without memorizing this complex series of characters.Įach IP packet will contain both the IP address of the device or domain sending the packet, and the IP address of the intended recipient. DNS resolvers translate human-readable domain names into IP addresses. Without an IP there is no way to establish that connection.Įach IP address is a series of characters, such as “192.168.1.1”. The purpose of an IP address is to handle the connection between devices that send and receive information across a network. Every device on a network has a unique address called IP address, which helps identify the device and enables other devices to communicate with it.

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