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- THE local IP address will dynamically change when you are disconnected from the WIFI network or ethernet. (sometimes it's not changing because that anyone else is not connected to the network to reserve your recent IP). so MAC address is a unique address for your network card. We can uniquely identify your device from it.
stackoverflow.com/questions/66290232/why-do-we-need-mac-addresses-when-you-have-local-ip-addressesWhy do we need MAC addresses when you have local IP addresses
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Feb 10, 2023 · A MAC address (although it can be spoofed) is the only way to uniquely address a device or network interface. An IP address (I assume you're talking about IPv4) is not unique, can be randomly assigned to other interfaces and needs to be aligned to the network the device is connected to.
- ARP
You need to understand that because of the layered...
- Why do we need MAC address?
MAC is required for a couple of reasons, the biggest of...
- ARP
Jun 18, 2016 · 2 Answers. Sorted by: 11. MAC is Media Access Control which provides physical connectivity only. IP Address provides Host or Network interface Identification and Location addressing.
Aug 20, 2017 · You need to understand that because of the layered communication model, you can only address an end point at the same layer at which your protocol operates. For example, a TCP connection can only address a remote server with a certain IP address and port number.
Jan 31, 2019 · A MAC address is typically assigned to a network interface card (NIC). The NIC is a small circuit board inside your computer that makes it possible for your device to communicate over a network, such as the internet.
- What Is a MAC Address?
- How Does a MAC Address Work?
- How Are MAC Addresses Used?
- How Do I Find My MAC Address?
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Multiple hardware and software elements work together every day to connect us to the internet and get data to our devices. Hardware devices like routers and cables transmit the data we need, while software like border gateway protocol (BGP) and internet protocol (IP) addresses direct those data packets to and from those devices. Without both working together, we couldn't get online.
One of those critical elements is the media access control (MAC) address. MAC addresses are associated with specific devices and assigned to them by the manufacturer.
Other names used for MAC addresses include:
•Networking hardware address
•Burned-in address (BIA)
•Physical address
When data packets from the internet hit your router, that router needs to be able to send them to the right device on its network. It does this using MAC addresses, assigning a private IP address to each network-connected device based on that device's MAC address. This is different from the IP address your internet service provider (ISP) assigns you---that's your public IP address.
Your router tracks outbound data requests so that when the data comes back, it can attach the correct private IP to the data packets, then send them along to whichever device's MAC address matches that private IP.
Devices can have more than one MAC address because they get one for every place they can connect to the internet. If your laptop has an ethernet port and Wi-Fi, for example, it would have different MAC addresses for the Wi-Fi connection and the Ethernet connection. Bluetooth also uses its own MAC address.
Related: Wi-Fi vs. Ethernet: How Much Better Is a Wired Connection?
In addition to sending your data to the right place, your wireless router also uses MAC addresses to secure your connection by only accepting traffic from devices with MAC addresses that it recognizes. This is called MAC filtering.
Related: Internet Connection Not Working? 10 Troubleshooting Tips
If you need to find the MAC address for your device, you can usually do it by going into the settings menu. You can follow our guide to finding the MAC addresses on your Windows device, whether by the Settings app or by the command prompt.
It's also easy to find the MAC address on a Mac computer. In System Preferences, click the Network icon, select the interface you want to use, then click Advanced. You'll see the MAC address listed under the Hardware tab.
Many more devices, including smart TVs, game consoles, and smartphones have their own MAC addresses that you can find.
If you want to, it's also possible to change or "spoof" your MAC address.
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Jul 31, 2015 · MAC is required for a couple of reasons, the biggest of which is that IP addresses are not (necessarily) unique. Before a computer has an IP address, it typically requests one on the network by using a service called DHCP. At this point, the computer sends a broadcast message to the entire network saying “Hey, I don't have an IP address.
Sep 3, 2013 · Wireless access points often use MAC addresses for access control. They only allow access for known devices (MAC address is unique and identifies devices) with the correct passphrase. DHCP servers use the MAC address to identify devices and give some devices fixed IP addresses.
