What is the Difference Between MAC and IP Addresses? Many people often wonder what the difference between an IP address and a MAC address is. The two may seem very similar, but they aren’t. An IP address is assigned by the router and is used every time you request something from a website. Because of your IP, the website knows where to send their information. The IP address could be seen as the address of a router’s network. All devices that access the internet via that router have the same IP address.

Your MAC address differs per device. Because of your MAC ID, the router knows which device to send the information to. This way you can be on the same internet connection, but not receive each other’s searches. That’s a good thing too: without a MAC, using the same internet connection as family, housemates, or even strangers in Starbucks could cause pretty embarrassing situations.