A MAC address (also called a “hardware address” or “physical address”, among other names) is a unique identifier for your device. It identifies your device on our network, and is required in order for us to allow your device access to our wireless network.

There are many types of devices out there, and each one is just a little bit different. While we can’t provide the information for each and every device out there, these are the most common — odds are good that one of them will be very close, if not identical, to the process you need to follow. If you absolutely cannot find the information necessary, you will need to do this on book day. It’s much faster if you register your device(s) yourself beforehand.

Laptops (Windows)

In Windows, press the Start key on your  keyboard, then type cmd and press Enter. This will open up the command prompt. From there, type the following and press Enter:  ipconfig /all

The MAC address is listed under “Physical Address”. The typical laptop has multiple entries for this. You want to find the one that is listed under the “Wireless LAN Adapter Wireless Network Connection” section. You may need to scroll up quite a bit in order to see it. Here is an example, with the actual MAC address (physical address) obscured:

Laptops (Apple)

On Apple laptops, such as the MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air, you can find the MAC address by clicking the Apple menu, selecting “View” and “Network”. From there, click the wireless connection — it will either be called “Wi-Fi” or “AirPort” and then click “Advanced…” Here are examples of what the screens look like:

iOS (iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad)

On iOS devices, such as the iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad, you can find the MAC address (Wi-Fi address) by tapping “Settings”, “General”, and “About”. The Wi-Fi Address will be displayed on that screen. Here is an example of what the screen looks like:

Android (tablets and phones)

Android devices have the widest variation, as each manufacturer does things just a little bit differently. Typically, you can find the MAC address by going to “System Settings”, choosing “About Phone” or “About Tablet”, and then choosing “Status”. On Android devices made by Samsung, it’s under “System Settings”, “Device Information”, and “Status”. Depending on your device, it might be called “MAC Address”, “Physical Address”, or “Hardware Address”. If you see any one of those, use that to register your device.

Chromebooks

To find the MAC address of your Chromebook, click the Wi-Fi iconin the lower right corner of the screen. Click the section that says “Connected to” and the name of your network. At the top of the dialogue box that opens, click on the name of your network. In the window that opens, click the “Connection” tab and look for “Hardware address” — that’s the MAC address you will need to register your device.