What Does MAC Stand for in Networking?

A MAC address is unique in that no two MAC addresses are ever the same. This differs from IP addresses that can be dynamic and can change. MAC addresses are stored in the hardware of a system, usually on the computer's firmware mechanism or the system's read-only memory. The standard notation for a MAC address is defined by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The notation includes six groups of two hexadecimal digits. These groups are separated with hyphen or a colon.