2018/07/15
Each device connected to the Internet should have a MAC address and an IP address.
MAC Address (Media Access Control Address)
The MAC address is a unique identifier in the world. Just like your computer id card.
Each MAC address will be assigned to a network interface card.
The MAC address is a unique identifier in the world. Just like your computer id card.
- Format
- Decimal (Human friendly): 00:00:00:00:00:00 ~ FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF
- Binary: 0000 0000:00 ... 00:0000 0000 ~ 1111 1111.11 ... 11.1111 1111
Each MAC address will be assigned to a network interface card.
Thanks to the popularity of the Internet, almost all motherboards now have integrated network interface cards.
IP Address (Internet Protocol Address)
The IP address is dynamic. Usually, each time you reconnect to the Internet, you will get a different IP address.
Note: Each interface has an IP address. For example, a three interfaces router will has three IP addresses.
The IP address is dynamic. Usually, each time you reconnect to the Internet, you will get a different IP address.
- IPv4 format
- Decimal (Human friendly): 0.0.0.0 ~ 255.255.255.255
- Binary: 00000000.00000000.00000000.00000000 ~ 11111111.11111111.11111111.11111111
Note: Each interface has an IP address. For example, a three interfaces router will has three IP addresses.
What is the difference between a MAC address and an IP address? Why do we need two kinds of addresses?
- MAC address is not only for the Internet Protocol but also for other network-layer protocols.
- Even if your computer does not have a network connection, your computer has a MAC address as long as your computer already has a network card.
- After requesting to connect to the Internet, you will get a dynamic IP address.
Copyright © 2018 William Hsu All rights reserved.