A MAC address is a unique device number that performs a recognition function. It is designed to correctly identify the user and transmit data intended only for him. The MAC address is sewn into the device by the manufacturer and it can be changed. On some devices, this is done manually, on others, only using special programmers.
What is a MAC address
MAC address consists of 2 parts. The first one can determine the manufacturer of the device in question. The second part is responsible for the device itself and is unique. It is a twelve-character code that consists of letters and numbers. There are also increased identifiers. They are rarely used, but are being gradually introduced by developers.
It is impossible to find two identical numbers, not counting those that users created on their own. The IEEE Ad Hoc Steering Committee is responsible for this. Each organization that is engaged in the production of equipment is assigned its own number. And this company gives each model its own personal number.
How to find out the computer ID
There are several ways to determine the MAC address of a computer. Which one to choose from is determined by the laptop model, operating system and user preferences. If you are using Windows, there are two ways to get this information:
- in the system information window;
- in the properties of the Internet connection.
If you work with the first method, then "My Computer" opens for a start, the "Properties" item is selected. In the system information, go to the list of components and open the "Network" item. Here you need to select the adapter sub-item, find the information about the Wi-Fi adapter.
The second method involves viewing the connection properties. To do this, go to "Control Panel" - "Network", click "Properties". The Connections field contains the name of the adapter. If you hold the cursor over this field, a window appears with the required information.
On macOS, actions look different. The main menu, the item "System Settings", is selected. All possible system configurations appear here, mark "Network". Active and inactive connections are displayed on the left. To find out the MAC address of the computer, Ethernet is marked, and if the router is Wi-Fi. To get the data for each connection, the "Advanced" button is clicked below. After that, a window opens, in the "Hardware" tab, MAK-address is indicated.
How to change computer ID
There are several ways to change the identifying number in the Windows OS:
- in the device manager;
- in the registry.
How to change the MAC address in the first way? First you need to open the "Device Manager", check "Adapters". A list of all connections appears here. To see the information, you need to right-click, select "Properties", go to the "Advanced" tab. A small two-part screen appears. On the left we mark "Network Address", in the field "Value" we indicate 12 characters, including numbers and letters. They are entered without a colon, hyphen, or other punctuation.
If you can’t change the MAC-address, you must go to the Registry. This requires careful adherence to the instructions. The regedit command starts the editor, in which you should find the key_local_machine section, select system. Next, the folders Currentcontrolset, Control, Class are marked, at the end - {4d36e972-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}. The 0000 folder contains a name such as Driverdesc. It is necessary to click on it, select the string parameter, specify 12 digits. To make the changes updated, you must restart the computer.
How to find the MAC address of the router
Determining the MAC address of a router is easier than a laptop. It is indicated on the label next to the serial number. If for some reason there is no information, open the administrative panel.
To do this, the browser starts and the IP of the router is entered, the default is 192.168.1.1. A field for registration appears, where the login and password are indicated. If no changes have been made to the settings, admin admin is required. Now in the window that opens, you should find the field with the MAC address in the LAN section.
How to change the MAC address of the router
Change is also carried out in the administrative panel of the router. Unlike a laptop, there is no need to install additional programs or use the command line. My account contains all the necessary settings.
The MAC clone sub-item is on the Internet menu list - buttons for duplication or change are placed here. The WAN MAC address field is populated with the desired value, for which numbers and letters can be used. It is important to remember that the user should not put punctuation marks.
It is not possible to change the macbook identification number via the graphical interface. Will have to work with the command line. After starting the terminal, the ifconfig command is indicated, the type of connection is entered, for example, en0, MAC address. The command is executed under superuser privileges, for which the sudo command is written first. Settings are saved until the next reboot of the laptop. If you need to return to the previous value, you need to use the same command and specify the real data.