MAC Addresses

• What is a MAC address

  • A MAC address is a unique hexadecimal number assigned to each network interface card inside a network-enabled device (e.g. a router or laptop) 
  • MAC addresses are assigned to network-enabled devices by the manufacturer - remember they are unique and cannot be changed

  
• Why are MAC addresses converted to hexadecimal

  • MAC addresses are 48-bit or 64-bit binary numbers ( e.g. a long string of 48 or 64 0s and 1s) 
  • To make them easier to use they’re converted into hexadecimals 

  
• Where are MAC addresses mainly used

  • MAC Addresses are mainly used by the Ethernet protocol on LANs 
  • LAN switches read the MAC addresses and use them to direct data to the right device

  
• While the IP address can change , the MAC address cannot be changed