Who made that device on your WiFi?
Every network device carries a MAC address, and the first six characters are a manufacturer prefix registered with the IEEE. Paste a MAC address from your router's device list and see who made it — the fastest way to tell your smart TV from a stranger's phone.
Where to find MAC addresses
On your router
- Log in to the router admin page
- Open the connected devices / DHCP client list
- Each device shows its IP and MAC address
On a device
- Windows:
ipconfig /all→ Physical Address - macOS: System Settings → Network → Details
- Phones: WiFi settings for the current network
Why some devices show no manufacturer
Since iOS 14 and Android 10, phones present a randomized private MAC address to each WiFi network so shops and hotspots cannot track them between locations. Randomized addresses have a marker bit set (this tool flags it) and are absent from the registry by design. That unknown device on your router might simply be your own phone in disguise — compare against the address shown in the phone's WiFi settings before assuming an intruder.
MAC address vs IP address
A MAC address identifies hardware on the local network and never leaves it; an IP address identifies your connection to the wider internet and changes with networks. We cover the difference in depth in MAC vs IP address, and if you suspect an intruder, follow the checklist in is someone on my WiFi?