Lookup Device Information (2024)

To help assist with ANR's asset inventory, this guideline will provide instructions on looking up necessary device information such as Model number and Serial number. A device is considered to be a desktop or laptop computer, a tablet, or a mobile phone owned by the University of California.

Device Operating System, Manufacturer & Model

Windows 7 or 10

Hit Start, type “system information” into the search box, and then select the result.

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The System Information window opens, giving you access to all kinds of great information about your PC’s hardware and software environment.

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Windows 7, 8, or 10

For some reason, typing “system information” into a Start search doesn’t work in Windows 8. Instead, you’ll have to use the Run box, which you can also use in Windows 7 or 10 if you prefer.

Hit Windows+R to open the Run box. Type “msinfo32” into the “Open” field, and then hit Enter.

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You should immediately see the System Information panel.

You can also find the msinfo.exe executable in the \Windows\System32 directory, should you want to make a shortcut for even easier access.

Reference: https://www.howtogeek.com/196893/how-to-open-the-system-information-panel-on-windows-8/

Mac OS

Choose Apple Menu > About This Mac to get an overview of your Mac, including your Mac model, processor, memory, serial number, andversion of macOS.To see the greater detail provided by System Information, click the System Report button.

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To open System Information directly, hold down the Option key and choose Apple Menu > System Information. You can also useSpotlightto find System Information, or open it from the Utilities folder of your Applications folder.

System Information opens to a system report for your Mac:

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iOS

Go to Settings > General > About.

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Android

To find your device’s serial number in the software, go to Settings > System.

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Then jump intoAbout Phone > Status.

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Serial Number

Windows

  1. Open Command Prompt by pressing the Windows key on your keyboard and tapping the letter X. Then select Command Prompt (Admin).

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  2. Type the command: WMIC BIOS GET SERIALNUMBER, then press enter.
  3. If your serial number is coded into your bios it will appear here on the screen.

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  4. If the above method does not work, you may find this information on a label attached to the computer.
Lookup Device Information (2024)

FAQs

How do I identify an unknown device on my network? ›

How to manually identify unknown devices on a network
  1. Open the Command prompt or Terminal in your Windows, Linux, or macOS system.
  2. Search all the network settings, such as default gateway and IP address, through the command prompt.
  3. Type the command "arp -a" to view the list of all IP addresses connected to your network.

Can a MAC address tell you what the device is? ›

Using free MAC address lookup tools, someone can track down your device's vendor and potentially identify what type of device it is and the time period it was produced in. These details are encoded in the first six digits of the MAC address — its Organizational Unique Identifier.

How do I identify devices on my wifi? ›

View devices connected to your network and review data usage
  1. Open the Google Home app .
  2. Tap Favorites Wifi .
  3. At the top, tap Devices.
  4. Tap a specific device and a tab to find additional details. Speed: Real time usage is how much data your device is currently using.

How can I get details from an IP address? ›

A WHOIS lookup tool allows you to query the contact information associated with an IP address. For a safe, reliable way to look up an IP address, you can use the IP lookup tool on whatismyipaddress.com. Simply paste the IP address into the lookup box and you'll get a results page with info about that IP address.

How do I find an unrecognized device? ›

To identify an unknown device, go to your device manager (you can find it by right clicking the Start button). Look for the yellow triangle with an exclamation mark. Right-click on the unknown device, choose "Properties," go to the "Details" tab, and select "Hardware identity documents (IDs)" from the dropdown.

How to discover devices on a network? ›

You should be brought to your router's menu. You'll need to log in with your router's custom username and password or the default information if you never set one. Once you're in, check for a list that says DHCP Client or Connected Devices. From there, you'll be met with a list of devices currently using your network.

How can I identify a device by its IP address? ›

Using the IP addresses, you can ping it to find the Mac Addresses of the connected devices by sending an ARP Message. Type “Arp-a,” and a list of all the connected devices with their MAC addresses will be available.

What does an IP address tell you? ›

An IP address is simply a numeric tag that identifies your device and provides information about your general geolocation.

What information can be determined from a device MAC address? ›

Both MAC addresses and IP addresses serve the same purpose, which is to identify a device on a network. While the MAC address identifies the physical address of a device on the same local network, the IP address identifies the device globally or through its internet address.

How do I find a hidden Wi-Fi device? ›

Windows 10:
  1. In the lower-right corner of your screen, click the WiFi icon.
  2. Click Network Settings > Wi-Fi > Hidden Network > Connect.
  3. Enter the SSID (network name).
  4. Click Next.
  5. Enter the network security key (password).
  6. Click Next. Your computer connects to the network.
Mar 3, 2023

How to identify a device by IP address on MAC? ›

If you have Android or iOS devices running on the same network, you can install a FREE app called Fing and list all devices connected and their MAC addresses and IPs.

What is used to uniquely identify devices connected to the internet? ›

Every machine on the Internet has a unique identifying number, called an IP Address. The IP stands for Internet Protocol, which is the language that computers use to communicate over the Internet.

How to decode an IP address? ›

  1. In order to manually decode an IP address, you must first break it down into its four octets and understand the binary representation. ...
  2. Convert each decimal octet to binary (192: 11000000, 168: 10101000, 1: 00000001, 1: 00000001).
  3. Combine the binary representations (11000000.10101000.00000001.00000001).
Sep 11, 2016

What is the best IP lookup tool? ›

Top 8 IP Lookup Tools
  1. Advanced IP Scanner. Advanced IP Scanner is a powerful tool that allows users to scan their local network and find all the connected devices. ...
  2. Angry IP Scanner. ...
  3. BT Diamond IP. ...
  4. Criminal IP. ...
  5. GestioIP. ...
  6. NsLookup. ...
  7. SolarWinds IP Address Tracker. ...
  8. WhatIsMyIPAddress.
Dec 28, 2023

What can you trace with an IP address? ›

IP Lookup provides you with basic information about the IP address' location (e.g., city and state) along with a map and a location pin.

How do I uniquely identify a device on my network? ›

IP Address (Internet Protocol address): Also, known as the Logical Address, is the network address of the system across the network. To identify each device in the world-wide-web, Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) assigns IPV4 (Version 4) address as a unique identifier for each device on the Internet.

How do I find out where a hidden network is coming from? ›

Here is a breakdown of the most common ways to find the hidden networks:
  1. Using Standard OS - Most standard operating systems have utilities that can display all wireless networks, including those with hidden SSIDs. ...
  2. WiFi Scanning Tools - These tools can scan for all wireless networks in the area, including hidden ones.
Nov 23, 2023

How do I find out what devices are on my network IP address? ›

On Linux, type the command “ifconfig” and press Return. On Windows, type the command “ipconfig” and press Return. Get more information by typing the command “arp -a.” You should now see a basic list of the IP addresses for devices connected to your network.

What is the app that identifies all devices on the network? ›

Fing is the #1 Network Scanner: discovers all the devices connected to your WiFi and identifies them, with our patented technology used by router manufacturers and antivirus companies worldwide.

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