Almost everybody knows that each computer is assigned a unique IP address when connected to the Internet. But few people guess that along with this, without fail, there is a physical address of the computer (the so-called MAC address). Even fewer users who clearly understand what it is and what it is used for in practical terms. Let's look at these issues, and at the same time consider a few simple methods that allow you to find out this information on stationary terminals or laptops running Windows-based systems.
What is the MAC address of the computer?
It’s worth starting with the most basic misconceptions of most users regarding the exact definition of this parameter. In fact, to say that it refers to a computer system as a whole, is completely incorrect, as the computer model, manufacturers of components, installed system, etc. have nothing to do with it. Such an identifier is assigned exclusively to a network card (adapter), which is the main connecting link when organizing a connection over a local network or to the Internet, routers, and in general, all equipment, at least somehow related to network connections. The MAC identifier is, as it were, “sewn” into the network board at the factory production stage and is unique. In order to understand why such identifiers are needed, it is worth considering separately which elements it consists of.
Computer MAC Address Structure
If you pay attention to the identifier itself, it is easy to notice that it consists of combinations of letters and numbers, separated in pairs by hyphens or colons. Each pair in a common bundle represents a certain number, prescribed in a hexadecimal number system, and is called an octet. The entire physical address of a computer consists of six octets and, in computer language, has a 6-byte structure (6 octets of 8 bits). But why do we need such sequences? As a rule, the whole combination can be conditionally divided into two parts.
The first three octets (3 bytes) identify the manufacturer of the network device, and the second three are responsible for identifying the network equipment interface. As already clear, only three second pairs are unique, and the device manufacturer takes care of this at the factory assembly stage.
Problems using a physical address when connecting to the Internet
What is the point of using such identifiers, it will not be difficult to figure out. It is believed that they are mainly designed for the correct operation of the entire computer system (and not just any one network device) when organizing network connections, including access to the Internet. In conjunction with the IP address, this combination allows you to clearly identify user computers, their location in geographic terms, etc. Despite the apparent simplicity of such an organization, it is often possible to meet some problems. For example, some providers, when connecting their subscribers to the World Wide Web, often use non-IP binding, which seems completely logical, namely the physical address of the computer. This leads to the fact that when replacing the same network adapter that is used in each case, the MAC address itself also changes, and the connection used earlier becomes unavailable. Thus, subscribers have to contact the support service of the provider company to establish a binding to the new MAC address of the computer.
How to determine the MAC address by the simplest method?
And not only when connecting to the Internet or local network, users have to search for such information. Sometimes identifiers may be required for some programs to work. For example, the well-known Wake-on-LAN application, which allows you to remotely wake up a computer or laptop, works just on the basis of information about the MAC address so that the magic packet is transmitted exclusively to the device that you need to wake up, and not to some other. But how to find out the physical address of a computer? There are several easy ways to do this.
One of the easiest is to call the status section of an existing network connection with the transition to the item of information by pressing the corresponding button. In the window that appears, among all the parameters, you can see the address you are looking for.
Find out the physical address through network settings
Another simple technique that allows you to quickly find out the physical address of a computer is to use the properties section of a network connection. The main tab will indicate the network adapter used for this connection.
It’s enough to simply hover over its name, after which the desired identifier will be displayed in a tooltip.
System Information Information
It is equally easy to get the information of interest in a special section of the system information. The easiest way to access it is from the Run console through the msinfo32 command .
Here you need to go to the component section, select a network point, mark the adapter, and to the right in the window view the required parameter.
Command line toolkit
Finally, for all those users who are not afraid to work with the command console, you can offer the use of its tools, which in their capabilities look much more powerful than the standard Windows tools available for use by calling through a graphical interface. Actually, there is nothing particularly complicated in this situation.
In the console itself, just enter the getmac / v / fo list command , as shown in the image above, after which you can view brief technical specifications of the network adapter, including its desired MAC address.
More detailed information on all available connections can be obtained by executing the ipconfig / all command , however , only the first option will be enough for ordinary users, since most of them, as a rule, do not need advanced information.
Additional methods
Also, sometimes you can use the most common “Device Manager”, go through RMB on the adapter to its properties and on the advanced settings tab view the network address in the list. However, in this case, it should be borne in mind that such information is not available to all modifications and assemblies of Windows (for example, in the tenth version with assembly 1803 there is no such information).
In this case, you can use the settings menu, go to the section of the Internet network, click on the link to change connection properties, where, going down the list of parameters, you can find the MAC address. If you do not like any of the proposed methods, you can always use all kinds of additional informative utilities from third-party developers or special Internet resources that are focused on providing such information.