MAC Address Vendor Lookup

What is a MAC address lookup?

A MAC (Media Access Control) address lookup identifies the manufacturer of a network device from its hardware address. Every network interface (Wi-Fi adapter, Ethernet port, Bluetooth radio) has a unique 48-bit MAC address. The first 24 bits form the OUI (Organizationally Unique Identifier) assigned by the IEEE to the device manufacturer.

MAC address lookup is a fundamental network administration tool. It helps identify devices on your network, troubleshoot connectivity issues, detect unauthorized devices, and inventory network hardware. When your router shows a connected device with an unfamiliar MAC address, looking up the vendor instantly tells you what type of device it is.

How to use this tool

Enter a full MAC address (e.g., 00:1A:2B:3C:4D:5E) or just the first three octets (00:1A:2B). The tool searches the IEEE OUI database and returns the manufacturer name. It accepts various formats: colon-separated, dash-separated, or plain hexadecimal.

MAC address format

• 48 bits written as 6 hexadecimal pairs: XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX.
• First 3 bytes (OUI) = manufacturer. Last 3 bytes = device serial (assigned by manufacturer).
• Common notations: colon-separated (00:1A:2B), dash-separated (00-1A-2B), dot-separated (001A.2B3C), or plain (001A2B3C4D5E).
• The second-least-significant bit of the first byte indicates whether the address is universally administered (0) or locally administered (1).

How to find MAC addresses

On Windows: run 'ipconfig /all' in Command Prompt or 'Get-NetAdapter' in PowerShell. On macOS: System Preferences > Network > Advanced > Hardware, or 'ifconfig' in Terminal. On Linux: 'ip link show' or 'ifconfig'. On your router's admin page: look for the DHCP client list or connected devices table. Most network monitoring tools also display MAC addresses of all discovered devices.

Example in practice

Take the MAC address 00:1A:2B:3C:4D:5E. The first half, 00:1A:2B, is the OUI assigned by the IEEE to a specific manufacturer, so a lookup reveals who made the network interface. The second half, 3C:4D:5E, is the device-specific portion the vendor assigns, giving over 16 million unique addresses per OUI.

Common mistakes

A common mistake is confusing a MAC address with an IP address; the MAC is a permanent hardware identifier for the network adapter, while the IP is assigned by the network and changes. Another is trusting a MAC as proof of identity — addresses can be spoofed in software, and many devices now randomise them, so the OUI you look up may not reflect the real hardware.

Frequently asked questions

Can a MAC address be changed?

Yes. While the hardware-burned MAC address is permanent, most operating systems allow software-level MAC address spoofing. This is used legitimately for privacy (randomized MAC addresses on phones), network testing, and bypassing MAC-based access controls. iOS, Android, and modern Windows/Linux randomize MAC addresses by default when scanning for Wi-Fi networks to prevent tracking.

Is a MAC address the same as an IP address?

No. MAC addresses operate at Layer 2 (data link) and identify a physical device on a local network. IP addresses operate at Layer 3 (network) and identify a device's logical position in the network hierarchy. A device gets its MAC address from the hardware manufacturer (permanent) and its IP address from the network (usually via DHCP, temporary). Routers use ARP to map between the two.

Can two devices have the same MAC address?

In theory every MAC is globally unique, since the IEEE assigns each manufacturer distinct OUI ranges. In practice duplicates appear through spoofing, cloned cheap hardware, or virtual machines, which is why a MAC alone should never be used as a security credential.