MAC stands for Media Access Control, an identifier of six blocks of two hexadecimal characters, a 48-bit identifier that each computer with a network card has. An address that we have consulted on occasion or that we have seen in the phone or computer settings but perhaps you do not know why.
Knowing the MAC address does not allow us to open ports, configure bandwidth or router properties or restrict Internet access, for example. But it should be clear to us what it is, what it is for or what numbers it uses.
What is MAC address
MAC stands for Media Access Control or Middle Access Control in Spanish. And what is? The MAC address is, in short, the identification of a device that can be connected to the network. A unique identifier that each manufacturer gives to a computer that can connect to a network, to its network card. Your computer has a MAC address but so do other devices you have at home: the router you have at home, the printer, the mobile phone, the tablet…
It is an address made up of 48 bits represented by hexadecimal digits and each hexadecimal is equivalent to four binaries, so the MAC address is made up, in total, of twelve digits grouped into six pairs that are separated by a colon between them. That is, it can be a MAC address something like 00:1b:c5:20:8b but all the numbers have an explanation and are not random codes that are assigned for no reason.
Each set of numbers has an explanation, they are not random numbers assigned at random but each group of them indicates something. They indicate the manufacturer of the equipment and the exact model of the device itself. The first three sets identify the manufacturer and the rest is the product identifier itself.
How is it different from IP
There are two codes or “license plates” that the devices have. The IP address, which you have surely heard of, and the MAC address. Both are made up of different digits and identify us but have different functions and objectives. The MAC address, as we have explained, is the one that identifies the device’s network card and is fixed, it is always the same and identifies it on any network. For its part, the (public) IP address can vary depending on the time of connection and its intention is to identify the device within a network that can be the global network or the home network (depending on whether it is a public IP address or a private IP address). )
Both, as you can see, identify us. But with different missions. One is assigned by the serial device itself, but the IP address is assigned by the router once we connect to it and it can change if we restart it, reset it, etc.
How to see the MAC address on devices
We can know the MAC address of our computer, be it Windows or Mac, or from our mobile phone we can know this address if we need it.
on Windows
The steps on Windows are as follows:
- Press the Windows + R keys
- The “Run” window will open on your computer
- Type “cmd” to open the console and tap on Enter
- The “Command Prompt” will open
- Go to the corresponding box and type ipconfig /all
- Press enter to continue
At that moment, all the details of the computer will appear: subnet mask, IPv5 address… and you can go to “physical address” which will be the MAC address.
On an Apple computer
On Mac computers we can also check the address on our computer. We can see the corresponding address from the device’s system preferences.
- We open “System Preferences”
- Tap on “Network”
- Go to the panel on the left and choose the network you are connected to
- Choose the “Advanced” option at the bottom of the window
- Once here, we choose the “Hardware” tab
- Here we will see the MAC address
on mobile phones
In the Android phone we can also know the Mac address of it. The steps may vary depending on the customization layer or the version of the operating system, but generally we will have to go to configuration or “ settings ” and from here we go to the “network” or “WiFi” section to go to “advanced settings”. If we scroll, as in the example screenshot, we can see “Wi-Fi information” where you can check the MAC address and IPV4 address.
Also in iOS we can consult it at any time. We just have to go to the smartphone settings and from here we will go to “General” and tap on “Information”. When we are inside this tab we will see an option that is “WiFi address” or, what is the same, the MAC address.
