So, a device must know the destination MAC address to communicate locally through Ethernet or Wi-Fi. Their frames encapsulate packets that contain IP address information. This will help identify its corresponding IP address.ĭevices in the data link layer depend on MAC addresses for their communication. If you are in a situation in which you can't find the IP address, then you can resort to the MAC address of a device. Also, your computer might be unable to display its IP due to various reasons, and, as a result, you could get a “No Valid IP Address” error. It is worth noting that IP addresses can be masked through Virtual Public Networks (VPNs).

Why it might be useful to locate a device using a MAC address And thanks to that, users are able to access websites without memorizing this complex series of characters.Įach IP packet will contain both the IP address of the device or domain sending the packet, and the IP address of the intended recipient. DNS resolvers translate human-readable domain names into IP addresses. Without an IP there is no way to establish that connection.Įach IP address is a series of characters, such as “192.168.1.1”. The purpose of an IP address is to handle the connection between devices that send and receive information across a network. Every device on a network has a unique address called IP address, which helps identify the device and enables other devices to communicate with it.

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