Appendix A: What and Where Is a MAC Address?
The MAC, or Media Access Control, address is a unique, factory-assigned address for every Ethernet and Wi-Fi adapter. With Wi-Fi adapters, it’s often labeled as the “Wi-Fi address,” but it’s functionally equivalent and identical in format as a MAC address.
You may need to find a MAC address in a few different cases:
If you or someone else configures an access point so that only specifically identified devices can connect. The MAC address is typically used for identification. (But it’s not secure; see warning below.)
If your network uses reserved DHCP addresses, allowing a gateway or another networked device ...
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