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- Universal MAC addresses are globally unique and assigned by the device manufacturer. They ensure that each device in the world has a unique MAC address. On the other hand, network administrators can assign local MAC addresses for specific purposes. These addresses might not be globally unique but are unique within a local network.
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What is a universally administered MAC address?
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A MAC address (short for medium access control address or media access control address) is a unique identifier assigned to a network interface controller (NIC) for use as a network address in communications within a network segment.
A MAC address is called a universally administered address (UAA) when it's set by the manufacturer or a locally administered addresses (LAA) when it's assigned by the system administrator.
- 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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Sep 14, 2024 · There are three types of MAC address; unicast, multicast, and broadcast. Unicast MAC address. Unicast MAC address represents a specific NIC or onboard NIC ports in the network. The inbuilt MAC address of a NIC is the unicast MAC address of that NIC. Multicast MAC address. Multicast MAC address represents a group of devices (or NICs in Layer 2).
A MAC address (media access control address) is a 12-digit hexadecimal number assigned to each device connected to the network. Primarily specified as a unique identifier during device manufacturing, the MAC address is often found on a device's network interface card (NIC).
Mar 18, 2024 · A universally administered address is the one assigned by the NIC’s manufacturer. A locally administered address, in turn, consists of MAC addresses defined by software or operators of a system, overriding the address burnt in the physical hardware.
Jun 18, 2021 · The Media Access Control (MAC) address is a binary number used to identify computer network adapters. These numbers (sometimes called hardware addresses or physical addresses) are embedded in the network hardware during the manufacturing process or stored in firmware and designed not to be modified.
