MAC Address Lookup
Find the vendor and manufacturer for a MAC address using the OUI database.
About MAC Lookup
Looks up the hardware vendor and manufacturer registered to a MAC address's OUI (the first three octets, which IEEE assigns per-manufacturer). Useful for identifying unknown devices on a network — a MAC address showing up in a DHCP lease list or ARP table that resolves to a known vendor tells you a lot more than the raw address alone. Keep in mind that many modern devices randomize their MAC address for Wi-Fi by default, so a lookup returning no reliable match on a wireless device is often expected behavior.
The OUI only identifies the manufacturer of the network interface, not the device model or owner — two completely different devices from the same manufacturer will share the same OUI prefix.
Notes
Common formats accepted:
00:1A:2B:3C:4D:5E
00-1A-2B-3C-4D-5E
001A2B3C4D5E
Related Tools
How MAC vendor lookup works
The first 24 bits of a MAC address — the OUI (Organizationally Unique Identifier) — are assigned by the IEEE to a manufacturer. Looking up that prefix identifies who made the network interface. Some vendors hold smaller MA-M (28-bit) or MA-S (36-bit) blocks, where more of the address identifies the vendor.
All common formats work: 00:1A:2B:3C:4D:5E, 00-1A-2B-3C-4D-5E, 001A.2B3C.4D5E (Cisco style) and 001A2B3C4D5E.
Why a MAC address returns no vendor
Check the second hex digit of the address. If it is 2, 6, A or E, the address is locally administered — not assigned by any manufacturer. Most often this is a randomized "private" address: iOS, Android and Windows all use per-network random MACs by default, so phones and laptops frequently show no vendor. Virtual machines, containers and some VPN or bridge interfaces also generate locally administered addresses.
If the first byte is odd (for example 01:00:5E:…), it is a multicast address rather than a single device.
Practical uses
- Identifying unknown devices in a DHCP lease table, ARP cache or switch MAC table.
- Spotting unexpected hardware on a network, such as a consumer router plugged into an office port.
- Narrowing down device types during inventory — printers, IP phones and cameras often come from a small set of vendors.
The OUI identifies the manufacturer only; it can't tell you the device model, owner or location.