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MAC Address Lookup

The MAC Address Lookup tool identifies device manufacturers from MAC addresses using the OUI (Organizationally Unique Identifier) database. It's useful for identifying unknown devices on your network.

MAC Lookup Window

Opening MAC Address Lookup

Access MAC Address Lookup in three ways:

  1. Toolbar Button - Click the MAC Lookup button in the toolbar
  2. Menu Bar - Select Tools → MAC Address Lookup
  3. Keyboard Shortcut - Press ⌘M

How MAC Address Lookup Works

What is a MAC Address?

MAC (Media Access Control) Address is a unique identifier assigned to network interfaces.

Format: 48-bit address, typically displayed as 6 pairs of hexadecimal digits

Examples: - 00:11:22:33:44:55 - AA-BB-CC-DD-EE-FF - 0011.2233.4455 (Cisco format)

Structure: - First 3 bytes (OUI): Manufacturer identifier - Last 3 bytes: Device-specific identifier

Example: 00:11:22:33:44:55 - 00:11:22 = OUI (identifies manufacturer) - 33:44:55 = Unique device ID

What is an OUI?

OUI (Organizationally Unique Identifier) is the first 24 bits of a MAC address, assigned by IEEE to manufacturers.

Purpose: Identifies which company manufactured the network interface

Examples: - 00:11:22 → Cisco Systems - 00:50:56 → VMware - 3C:06:30 → Apple, Inc.

Database: PingStalker includes a comprehensive, and regularly updated OUI database with thousands of vendors

Using MAC Address Lookup

Entering a MAC Address

Type or paste a MAC address in the input field:

Accepted Formats:

Colon-separated: - 00:11:22:33:44:55 (full MAC) - 00:11:22 (OUI only)

Hyphen-separated: - 00-11-22-33-44-55 (full MAC) - 00-11-22 (OUI only)

Dot-separated (Cisco): - 0011.2233.4455 (full MAC)

No Separators: - 001122334455 (full MAC) - 001122 (OUI only)

Case Insensitive: - Works with uppercase or lowercase hex digits

Automatic Formatting: - PingStalker normalizes the format internally - Leading zeros are preserved

Lookup Results

After entering a MAC address, results appear instantly

Vendor Name

The manufacturer identified from the OUI.

Examples: - Apple, Inc. - Cisco Systems, Inc. - Intel Corporate - Raspberry Pi Trading Ltd - TP-Link Corporation Limited

When available, the vendor's logo is displayed.

Vendor Description (Tooltip)

Hover over the vendor name or logo to see additional information (if available):

  • Full company name
  • Company description
  • Additional identifying information

Randomized MAC Detection

Modern devices use MAC address randomization for privacy.

Randomized MAC

What It Is: Temporary, random MAC addresses used instead of hardware MAC

Why It's Used: - Privacy protection - Prevents tracking across networks - Changes periodically (hourly, daily, or per network)

How PingStalker Detects It: - Locally administered bit is set (2nd bit of first octet) - OUI doesn't match known manufacturers - Pattern indicates randomization

When You'll See It: - iPhones/iPads with Private Wi-Fi Address enabled - Android devices with MAC randomization - Windows devices in privacy mode

Label: "Randomized MAC Address (Privacy)" or similar

Note: Cannot determine actual manufacturer from randomized MAC

The MAC Address Lookup tool is essential for device identification and network security. Use it alongside Network Scan for comprehensive device discovery and inventory management.