MAC AddressWhile your IP address is your device’s network connection identity, the MAC address is it’s hardware identity. It is assigned to your device during manufacturing and is built into the firmware. Both IP and MAC addresses are essential for connecting your device to the internet. Your router needs to know your device’s MAC address to identify it and establish a connection. Only then can your router assign an IP address to your device to connect it to the internet. While IP addresses can change along with your device’s location, your MAC address does not change. Gateway/Default Gateway“Default Gateway” or “Gateway” are just alternative terms used to refer to your router’s private IP address. Domain NameA website domain name is what we actually type into a web browser (example.com). It’s the alphabetical version of an IP address (which is only made up of numbers). This makes it easier for us to remember and understand compared to a series of numbers. URLA Universal Resource Locator (URL) is the full name used to identify each page on a website and will include the domain name. For example: http://www.example.com/about. Subnet MaskSubnet masks are used to divide the IP address into the network and host (individual device) addresses. It has several purposes, which include helping devices to find the right host and helping to ease network congestion. HostnameOn a local home network, the term “hostname” is referring to the unique name given to a device for identification purposes. A hostname can also refer to the part of a website URL which identifies the correct network for a website. For example, “www” is the hostname of “www.example.com”. DNSThe Domain Name System (DNS) is what helps to translate a website name into an IP address so that computers can understand what you’re looking for. If you type in “www.example.com”, the DNS will convert it to something like “111.111.111.111” so that your device can load the right page for you.