MAC address stands for “Media Access Control Address” or “Media Access Code” and refers to a number of a device on the data connection, which gives the device a unique identification in a computer network.
They are located on layer 2 of the OSI model (Open System Interconnect model), a reference model that explains network communication. This allows the data packets to be assigned to a data connection with the correct target device. This enables a correct flow of information between sender and receiver. The MAC address is a globally unique character string and is represented as a 12-digit hexadecimal number consisting of 48 bits or 6 bytes. The first half of the address is an assigned manufacturer ID. The second half of the address is assigned individually by each manufacturer, which uniquely identifies the hardware. IP addresses, on the other hand, serve as a navigator for communication via the Internet.
MAC addresses play a decisive role in the control of data traffic in local networks and the physical addressing of devices. This means that data packets are sent to the devices for which they are intended.