How to find your device's MAC Address?

All personal devices (e.g. personal desktop or laptop computers, tablets, smartphones, TVs, streaming devices, etc.) that need a connection to the Internet requires registration of your hardware or MAC address. A MAC (Media Access Control) address is the hardware address of the Network Interface Card (NIC) in your personal device. If you plan to register your devices via the https://updateme.ias.edu website (click on the Register Devices button under Network Devices), you will need to locate the MAC address of your device. Use the directions below to locate your device's MAC address.

Windows (two methods)

Method 1:

  1. Click on the Windows Start button.
  2. In the Search Programs and Files box type ncpa.cpl and then press Enter.
  3. Double-click on either Local Area Connection icon (if you are trying to register your Ethernet/wired connection) or Wireless Network Connection.
  4. In the window that appears, click on Details… In the window that appears, you will see the Physical Address field, which is another name for MAC address. It will look similar to 00:ab:23:4e:55:bb.

Method 2:

  1. Click on the Windows Start button.
  2. In the Search Programs and Files box type cmd.

  3. Enter: ipconfig /all. The Physical Address is your MAC address. It will look similar to 00:ab:23:4e:55:bb. You will see a physical address for each network connection available on your Windows device.

 

Mac OS X

  1. Click on the Apple menu.
  2. Click on System Preferences.
  3. Click on Network
  4. To locate the MAC address for your wireless connection:
    1. Select AirPort or Wi-Fi from the list on the left.
    2. Click the Advanced button.
    3. On the AirPort or Wi-Fi tab, the AirPort ID or Wi-Fi Address is your MAC address. It will look similar to 00:ab:23:4e:55:bb.

 

Linux

  1. Open a new Terminal window.
  2. Enter: ifconfig -a 
    # ifconfig -a
eth0      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:ab:23:4e:55:bb  
          inet addr:10.20.30.40  Bcast:10.20.255.255  Mask:255.255.0.0
          inet6 addr: ef40::234:3dff:fe22:7e63/64 Scope:Link
          UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:3459021418 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:3259212142 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 
          RX bytes:2735431481 (2.7 GiB)  TX bytes:4567123224 (4.5 GiB)
          Interrupt:185
  3. The Ethernet devices are called eth0, eth1, and so on The MAC address is in the first line of the output, labeled HWaddr, it is 00:ab:23:4e:55:bb.

 

Mobile devices (e.g. iOS, Android, Kindle devices)

iOS devices (e.g. iPhone and iPad)

  1. From the Home menu, tap on Settings.
  2. Tap on General.
  3. Tap on About.
  4. Scroll down to Wi-Fi Address. It will look similar to 00:ab:23:4e:55:bb.

Android

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Tap on Wireless Controls.
  3. Tap on Wi-Fi settings.
  4. Tap the 3 dots on the top right corner.
  5. Tap Advanced.
  6. Swipe all the way down to the bottom, and you will see both the MAC address. It will look similar to 00:ab:23:4e:55:bb.

Kindle

  1. From the Home screen press Menu.
  2. Select Settings.
  3. The Wi-Fi MAC Address is located toward the bottom of the screen in the Device Info section. It will look similar to 00:ab:23:4e:55:bb.

If you are unable to locate the MAC Address for the device you want to register on the Institute's computer network, please contact the School of Math Help Desk at help@math.ias.edu.