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MAC Address Vendor Lookup

Identify the manufacturer behind any MAC address using IEEE OUI registrations. Also detects randomized (locally-administered) MACs commonly used by privacy features on modern phones and OSes.

    What it does

    The first 24 bits (3 bytes / 6 hex chars) of a MAC address are the Organizationally Unique Identifier (OUI) — registered with IEEE by the network-interface manufacturer. Looking up an OUI tells you the device’s vendor: Apple, Cisco, Dell, Intel, etc. Modern privacy features in iOS, Android 10+, and Windows 10+ generate locally-administered random MACs to defeat WiFi tracking — those don’t map to a vendor but we detect and flag them.

    How to use it

    1. Paste a MAC address in any common format (colons, hyphens, dots, or none).
    2. Result: vendor name (if found), OUI, and flags for locally-administered (random) and multicast bits.
    3. For ARP-table / DHCP-log triage, paste each unknown MAC to identify the device class.

    Common use cases

    Network inventory When auditing a flat L2 network, MAC-vendor lookup classifies each device: Apple = laptop or phone, Cisco / Aruba = AP / switch, Intel / Realtek = unknown laptop.
    Rogue-device detection Compare DHCP leases against an inventory. Unfamiliar OUI = unauthorized device.
    Forensics Pcap or DHCP-log MAC addresses identify device classes when other identifying info is missing.
    WiFi survey Most modern devices randomize MACs across SSIDs — flagged here as "randomized / local".

    Frequently asked questions

    What is an OUI? +
    Organizationally Unique Identifier — the first 24 bits of a MAC address. IEEE assigns OUIs to manufacturers in 3-byte blocks (16M addresses per OUI).
    Why does my phone show "randomized / local"? +
    iOS 14+, Android 10+, and Windows 10+ default to per-SSID random MAC for privacy. The "locally administered" bit is set; no vendor mapping exists.
    Can I look up by full MAC or just OUI? +
    Both. We only need the first 6 hex chars (the OUI). The rest are the NIC-specific identifier and aren’t in any public registry.
    Is the vendor info reliable for forensics? +
    Yes for registered OUIs — IEEE maintains the official registry. But the OUI can be spoofed at the OS level, so treat it as soft evidence.

    Related tools

    Related coverage on Ciphers Security

    Free for everyone, no signup required. Tool runs at /tools/mac-vendor/ — bookmark or share.

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