Infocards

Finding Your Ethernet Card Address
Written by Eric Leung on Spring 2008
PDF Available


This infocard will provide you with instructions on how to find your Ethernet card address, otherwise known as the MAC address. The MAC address is a 12-digit string comprised of letters and numbers used by your computer to identify itself on the Internet. You’ll need this address in order to sign up for and activate your in-room connection. This infocard is simply a more detailed version of the instructions found on the “Connecting Your In-Room Connection” infocard.

Mac OS X Tiger (10.4)

  1. Go to the “Apple” menu and select “System Preferences.”
  2. Select the “Network” icon, and then select “Built-In Ethernet” from the “Configure” dropdown list.
  3. Select the “TCP/IP” tab and look for the field labeled Ethernet Address.

Mac OS X Leopard (10.5)

  1. Go to the “Apple” menu and select “System Preferences.”
  2. Select “Network” and then click the “Ethernet” tab.
  3. Click the “Advanced” button.
  4. Choose the “Ethernet” tab, and look for the “Ethernet ID” which is your MAC address.

Windows XP

  1. Go to the “Start” menu and select “Run.” Type “cmd” and click “OK.”
  2. A black command prompt window will appear where you should type “ipconfig /all”.
  3. Scroll until you find the heading “Ethernet Adapter Local Area Connection.” The line that says “Physical Address” is your MAC address.

    Be sure that you are looking under the correct heading. Do NOT confuse the “Local Area Connection” with something that says “Wireless Connection.” Doing so will only cause problems for yourself when trying to register for your internet. If you don’t have wireless, don’t worry!

Windows Vista

  1. Go to the “Start” menu and enter “cmd” in the search field. Press enter to bring up the command prompt.
  2. Type “ipconfig /all” at the prompt and press enter.
  3. Scroll up until you find the heading “Ethernet Adapter Local Area Connection.” Look for the line labeled “Physical Address.” This is the address you will use to register for your connection.

    Be sure that you are looking at the correct heading, and NOT something that has the word “Tunneling.” The MAC address should NOT start with 02.
If you have any questions regarding your in-room connection or are having problems finding your MAC address, feel free to make an appointment to see an RCC, email us at helpdesk@rescomp.berkeley.edu, or call the ResComp Helpdesk at (510) 642-4357.


Residential Computing
Residential and Student Service Programs, IT Division
2610 Channing Way 3rd Floor, Berkeley, CA 94720
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Helpdesk: (510) 642-HELP
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