Find Ethernet MAC address of access point

gnomad

Honorable
Nov 6, 2013
2
0
10,510
I am trying to find the Ethernet MAC address of a wireless access point (NOT the BSSID). I need the actual physical MAC address of the AP which connects to the network. I know I could get it by plugging into the console port, or by interrogating the switch port, or just by looking at the label on the AP, but I am trying to get it using a mobile device.

I could get a ladder to look at the label but that is not allowed in my environment, and I don't have permission to access the switch.

I've tried various apps, all which show me the MAC address of my device, and the BSSID of the AP, but none show me the Ethernet MAC address printed on the label on the AP itself.

Is it possible to get this using an app on a mobile device?

Thanks
 
Solution
I suspect it will be very hard. The mac address and the IP of the device if you even have it configured is only used for management of the device. Traffic from the end users transparently passes though the device. I have had this exact same issue trying to figure this out on a switch managed switch and AP is really just a switch that has wireless ability. Ended up having to get it from the console port. The switch we were using does not send any traffic at all out when there is no IP configured so there were not even mac entries in ports of the upstream switches.

If you were running it in enterprise mode if would have a IP that it talked to a radius server with and then you could look for the IP to mac mapping in the router but...
I suspect it will be very hard. The mac address and the IP of the device if you even have it configured is only used for management of the device. Traffic from the end users transparently passes though the device. I have had this exact same issue trying to figure this out on a switch managed switch and AP is really just a switch that has wireless ability. Ended up having to get it from the console port. The switch we were using does not send any traffic at all out when there is no IP configured so there were not even mac entries in ports of the upstream switches.

If you were running it in enterprise mode if would have a IP that it talked to a radius server with and then you could look for the IP to mac mapping in the router but if you do not have access to the switch port then you likely do not have access to the the radius or routers either.

 
Solution

gnomad

Honorable
Nov 6, 2013
2
0
10,510
Thanks for the response, No, I don't have access to the switch, server or router. I can speak to the team that do, but I really wanted to just be able to walk round installed AP's and just read the MAC address off my mobile.

Do you know if there's any way of correlating the BSSID with the Ethernet MAC address? They are in the same format but very different.