
The second half (24 more bits) of the MAC address represents the serial number assigned to the adapter by the manufacturer.Īs shown in the above diagram, MAC addresses are 12-digit hexadecimalnumbers (48 bits in length or 6-byte binary number).These IDs are regulated by an Internet standards organization.

The first half (24 bits) of the MAC address contains the ID number of the adapter manufacturer.MAC addresses are often considered permanent, but in some conditions, they can be changed.Ī 48-bit MAC address is represented as a string of six octets, "MM:MM:MM:SS:SS:SS".Sometimes, colons (:) are used instead of dashes (-). MAC addresses are expressed in hexadecimal notation.MAC addresses uniquely identify the adapter on the LAN.

