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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