the short answer is no. depending on what the isp logs , the isp *might be able to tell you the mac address, true. BUT it would be an ARP request and even a small network will generate a bajillion of those so unless the network admin had some reason to do a packet capture while they were connected.. and come to think of it, even if your friends don't use a router, that does not make it a direct network connection. ARP is a switch protocol and does not route. The capture would have had to be made from their end.
Assuming they did somehow locate it what good would it do? You can't put out an APB on it and noticing it when it connects to another ISP would require just as much effort on the part of that ISP. All ISPs would have to run a packet capture constantly for the information to be useful to law enforcement and the world would quickly run out of hard drive space ;) On Fri, Apr 30, 2010 at 5:49 PM, Matthew P. Smith <m...@smithwebdesign.net> wrote: > > Friends apartment just broken into. Two apple laptops stolen. > > I googled and found some software that need to be installed before hand and > stuff like that. But it seems like there would be more options to get it > back. > > Assuming the real owner did not connect through a router, shouldn't the isp > have a record of their mac address on file? And if so, assuming the thief > connects to the internet, again, not through a router, won't the mac address > again be available? > > Is it possible to put out a MAC address apb to ISPs? > > These people are students, she's an artist that takes photos and lost a very > high end camera as well. They need this stuff for school. > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Want to reach the ColdFusion community with something they want? Let them know on the House of Fusion mailing lists Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:317073 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/unsubscribe.cfm
