How long in bits is a mac address

It overrides the address assigned by device manufacturers. This will be your MAC address. Another finding MAC Address example in windows is to check the details of your network adapter in Windows operating system.

Skip to content. What is a MAC Address? How to find MAC address in Windows? Step 5 In the next screen Click on Advanced tab. Report a Bug. Previous Prev. When a residential gateway is changed, the internet provider sees a different MAC address being reported and blocks that network from going online. A cloning process solves this problem by enabling the router gateway to keep reporting the old MAC address to the provider even though its hardware address is different.

Administrators can configure their router assuming it supports this feature, as many do to use the cloning option and enter the MAC address of the old gateway in the configuration screen. When cloning isn't available, the customer must contact the service provider to register their new gateway device.

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Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Bradley Mitchell. Updated on June 18, Chris Selph. Lifewire Technology Review Board Member. You may be wondering what these numbers mean. The answer is simpler than you may think. The first six digits, which makes up 24 bits in a bit network, is a prefix that is used to identify the manufacturer of the device. This is because some of the biggest manufacturers utilize multiple prefixes across their lines of products.

The next set of numbers, which makes up the remaining 24 bits, is essentially a serial number. This identifies the particular device. All products from the same manufacturer that have the same prefix or first set of digits will have a distinct second set of numbers.

Each will be unique. However, if the prefix is different, the product identifier may be the same, even when the products are from the same manufacturer. You may also find that the identifier is the same between two products from different manufacturers.

However, as already explained, each manufacturer has its own prefix, so this number will vary. In short, every device will in some way have a completely unique MAC address, whether they were made by the same manufacturer or not. In general, you will not find any cause for changing your MAC address. However, some internet users may encounter issues with their ISPs when they change equipment, such as upgrading their router or obtaining a new residential gateway. When this equipment changes, so does the MAC address, leaving a customer unable to access the internet.