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Campus Network - Finding the MAC Address of an Ethernet Adapter

This document describes how to find the MAC of an Ethernet Adapter. Ethernet Adapters are used to get a wired connection for laptops that lack Ethernet ports and typically utilize a USB connection (Windows or Mac OS X) or Thunderbolt connection (Mac OS X only).

If a laptop is connected to the campus network in a Housing location via an Ethernet adapter, you will need to register the MAC address of the adapter. The laptop will have its own MAC for wireless connections, but will use the MAC of the adapter for all wired connections. Follow the instructions below to find the MAC address for an Ethernet Adapter used with your Windows or Mac OS X laptop.

Windows

  1. With an Ethernet cable plugged into your data jack, connect your Ethernet adapter to the other end of the cable, then plug the Ethernet adapter into one of the laptop's USB ports.

  2. Open your Windows start menu, then type cmd in the search bar and press Enter to open Command Prompt.

  3. In Command Prompt, type ipconfig /all.

  4. Information for the Ethernet Adapter will be found under the heading Ethernet adapter. The Physical Address corresponds to the MAC address. This is the address that will need to be registered for housing network connections.

macOS (OS X and OS 10.5+)

  1. With an Ethernet cable plugged into your data jack, connect your Ethernet adapter to the other end of the cable, then plug the Ethernet adapter into one of the laptop's USB or Thunderbolt ports, depending on which type of adapter you are using.

  2. In your Mac's menu bar, click the Apple icon and select System Preferences (or open System Preferences from the dock).

    System Preferences

  3. Select the Network applet from the System Preferences window.

  4. In the Network window, network interfaces are listed on the left-hand side. Select Built-in Ethernet (or just Ethernet).

  5. Click Advanced in the lower right-hand corner of the window.

Advanced

  1. For OS X 10.8 or 10.9, select the Hardware tab; the MAC address will be listed there.

    For other OS x, select the Ethernet tab; the MAC address is listed as the Ethernet ID. 

Note: The name of the network interface will depend on what type of adapter you are using, but should contain the word "Ethernet"; for example, a Thunderbolt adapter may be listed under the name "Thunderbolt Ethernet." If you have more than two interfaces listed for Ethernet and are unsure which is the correct one, look for the entry that has the Link Status set to Active (excluding the "WiFi" interface.)

Network Utility


Keywords:
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Doc ID:
76293
Owned by:
Help Desk KB Team in DoIT Help Desk
Created:
2017-09-01
Updated:
2023-08-02
Sites:
DoIT Help Desk, UW Housing