MAC Address & OUI Vendor Lookup
Identify any network device manufacturer, brand, NIC model, and Wi-Fi hardware from its MAC address or 6-digit OUI prefix. Free and instant.
What is a MAC Address and how does OUI Lookup work?
A MAC address (Media Access Control address) is a unique 48-bit identifier assigned to a network interface controller (NIC) used as a physical network address in IEEE 802 networks like Ethernet and Wi-Fi.
The first 24 bits (3 octets) of a standard MAC address represent the OUI (Organizationally Unique Identifier), which is officially purchased and assigned to hardware vendors (such as Apple, Cisco, Intel, Samsung, TP-Link) by the IEEE Registration Authority. The remaining 24 bits are assigned by the manufacturer as a serial number.
1. Router & Wi-Fi Auditing
Identify suspicious or unknown devices connected to your Wi-Fi router by looking up their MAC vendor.
2. Private Wi-Fi MAC Detection
Detect whether an iPhone, Android, or laptop is using randomized MAC addresses for privacy by checking the U/L bit.
3. Sysadmin & DHCP Management
Map DHCP client reservations and ARP table entries to physical server brands and IoT controllers effortlessly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an OUI in a MAC address?
An Organizationally Unique Identifier (OUI) is the first 24 bits (3 bytes or 6 hexadecimal characters) of a MAC address. It is globally assigned by the IEEE to hardware manufacturers to identify their network devices.
Why does my router show 'Unknown' or random vendor for an iPhone or Android phone?
Modern mobile operating systems (iOS 14+, Android 10+, Windows 11) feature 'Private Wi-Fi Address' (MAC address randomization) enabled by default. This creates a virtual locally-administered MAC address for each Wi-Fi network to prevent location tracking, which does not belong to Apple or Samsung's official OUI list.
Can someone find my physical location or IP address from my MAC address?
No. MAC addresses operate at Layer 2 (Data Link layer) of the OSI model and are never sent across the public internet. Only devices on the exact same local network (like your Wi-Fi router) can see your MAC address.
What is the difference between Unicast and Multicast MAC addresses?
A Unicast MAC address sends frames directly to a single network interface card. A Multicast MAC address (where the least significant bit of the first byte is set to 1) delivers packets to an entire group of subscribed hosts simultaneously.