Here is a step-by-step guide to find the IP address of a device using its MAC address. How to Find an IP Address Using a MAC Address? When a device responds to this request, the ARP maps its MAC address with the IP address in its table.ĪRP works in layers 2 and 3 of the OSI model, as MAC addresses are present in layer two and IP addresses are in layer three, and the ARP table is the critical link that connects the two addresses, as it converts the 48-bit address of MAC to the 32-bit IP address. Typically, this protocol sends a request to all machines within the LAN to check which device uses an IP address. In short, Address Resolution Protocol, or ARP, is a communication protocol that connects an IP address of a device to its MAC address. But before we get into how you can use a MAC address to find an IP address, let’s look at a way to convert the different formats. ![]() If you have a Unix or Linux system, type “ip address show,” For macOS, use the command – “TCP/IP Control Panel”.Īll these commands will give extensive information about the device, and you’ll have to look through them for the MAC address.Īs you may have guessed, the MAC address can be used to identify the IP address. You’ll get a ton of information, so scroll through them to find the MAC address of the device. To find the MAC address of a device, simply type “ipconfig/all” in the command prompt of your Windows device. Note that the colon is replaced by a period in Cisco systems. The first six digits tell you that this is a Cisco device, while the last six digits are the NIC number. They are called the Organizational Unique Identifier, while the last three octets or six digits represent the Network interface Controller assigned by the manufacturer.Ī sample MAC address is CC:46:D6:00:b3:81. The first three octets or six digits represent the manufacturer. These 48 bits are represented as a 12-digit hexadecimal number or a six-byte binary number separated by colons. MAC address comprises 48 bits, and this value is embedded into the Network Interface Card. It is mainly used in devices that follow the IEEE specifications, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet, though it can be extended to other technologies. But before that, what is a MAC address, and what’s its connection with the device’s IP address? What is a MAC Address?Ī Media Access Control (MAC) address is the physical address of a device, and it is built into it at the time of manufacture, so this address cannot be changed throughout the life of the device. One option is to use the MAC address of a device to identify its corresponding IP address. In such situations, how do you find the IP address? These IP addresses can be masked through Virtual Public Networks (VPNs), and in some rare cases, they can be lost. However, regardless of how you configure these IP addresses, they come in handy to recognize devices, troubleshoot network errors, identify potential attacks or intruders, know the location or origin of content like emails or videos, and more. You can use a combination of these IP address types to configure devices within a network. The former, called IPv4, is currently in use and is slowly being replaced by IPv6 (128-bit) On the other hand, dynamic IP addresses frequently change as they are assigned by a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server.įurther, IPs can be 32-bit or 128-bit. Static IP addresses never change, which means the device will have the same IP address as it was created manually. Static and dynamic IP addresses, on the other hand, signify permanence. In contrast, a public IP address is used outside a network to enable other network devices to identify and communicate with the said device. Private IP addresses are often used within a network. There are four types of IP addresses, namely, public, private, static, and dynamic. The word “ IP” stands for Internet Protocol, and this address identifies a device including its location, thereby helping devices communicate with each other. In this communication, the server and your device must know to whom it must send a message, and this is where IP addresses come in handy. If the server responds, the information you requested is sent back to your device. The request is then routed to the device or server with this IP address. Every device on a network has a unique address called its IP address, and this helps identify the device and enables other devices to communicate with it.įor example, when you type a URL in your browser, such as, what essentially happens is that your device sends the URL to a Domain Naming Server that translates this URL to an IP address.
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