The IP address is what is first used to find the right network. So, the router sends a broadcast that says “hey everyone, if you have IP address X, please tell me what your MAC address is.” One of your computers will respond “Hello, I have IP address X and my MAC address is XYZ, please forward the data to my MAC address.” Your router is basically trying to resolve (find) the physical address of which computer this IP address belongs to. So, the router sends an ARP broadcast request on the LAN. When you router wants to send data packets to your computer with IP address ‘X’, the router needs to know what your computers MAC address is. If your computer has two Ethernet ports and dual-band wireless, it will have four MAC addresses. If it has dual-band wireless capability, it will have a MAC address for each wireless band. If the computer has two Ethernet ports, it will have a MAC address for each Ethernet port.

Each network controller has its own MAC address. If you’re using a public Wi-Fi connection, the service provider can use your MAC address to limit or track your usage.In the previous image, I have one Etherent controller, and one wireless controller. Internet cafes often use the MAC address to identify a particular device on their network. MAC addresses can also be used to assign static IP addresses and can be filtered further to limit the number of device connections in a network. However, if you know how to find the MAC address on your MacBook, you can use that to help identify your computer’s IP address.Īdditionally, internet service providers can use your MacBook’s MAC address to control your access. Your MacBook can also sometimes fail to display its IP address, leading to the said error. That’s because IP addresses can be hidden through VPNs (Virtual Private Networks). Sometimes, you might encounter a “No Valid IP Address” error. Why Would You Need to Find the MAC Address on MacBook The MAC address is often found on a device’s network interface card (NIC) and is required when locating a device or when doing diagnostics on a network device. The last six digits, on the other hand, represent the Network Interface Controller assigned by the manufacturer to the device. The first six digits, called the Organizational Unique Identifier, represent the manufacturer of the device.

The MAC address, or media access control address, is a 12-digit hexadecimal number assigned to each network device.

Let me walk you through the simple steps to find the MAC address on your MacBook. For instance, configuring a network router to filter devices or troubleshooting that network requires the MAC address. Knowing how to find the MAC address on your MacBook could sometimes be useful.

How to find my mac's ip address