MAC Address

A MAC (Media Access Control) address is a unique hardware identifier assigned to every network interface, such as a Wi-Fi card or Ethernet port. It is 48 bits long and written as six pairs of hexadecimal digits, such as 3C:52:82:1A:9F:07. The first half identifies the manufacturer.

MAC addresses work at the data link layer (layer 2) and are used to deliver data between devices on the same local network, while IP addresses route data across networks. ARP finds the MAC address that belongs to an IP address. Modern phones and laptops often use a random MAC address for each Wi-Fi network to protect privacy.