Wirebook › Glossary › MAC address
What is a mAC address?
In one sentence: The name built into a network adapter, like 3C:22:FB:9A:41:0E; it is only used inside your own network.
A little more
A MAC address is the name built into a network adapter, the part of a device that does Wi-Fi or plugs into a cable. It is twelve hexadecimal digits, written like 3C:22:FB:9A:41:0E, and the first half tells you which company made the adapter.
It only matters inside your own network: the router uses it to tell devices apart, but it is never passed on to websites. Phones now usually show each Wi-Fi network a different made-up MAC address, so a shop or station cannot recognise the same phone everywhere it goes.
See it in action
Do it for real
Free grown-up tools and guides on Tooltern, our sister site. They work in your browser and nothing is uploaded.