A MAC deal with (Media Entry Management deal with) is a singular identifier assigned to a community interface controller (NIC) to be used as a community deal with in communications inside a community section. MAC addresses are utilized in most IEEE 802 networking applied sciences, together with Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. Every MAC deal with is 48 bits lengthy and is often written in hexadecimal format, akin to 00:11:22:33:44:55.
MAC addresses are vital for a number of causes. First, they permit community units to establish one another on a community. Second, they’re used to manage entry to a community. For instance, a router may be configured to solely permit units with particular MAC addresses to hook up with the community. Third, MAC addresses can be utilized to trace the motion of units on a community. For instance, a community administrator can use a MAC deal with to trace the placement of a stolen laptop computer.