Cable Matters Inc. is a US-based connectivity-accessories brand founded in 2009 and headquartered at 153 Northboro Road, Suite 5, Southborough, Massachusetts. The company holds three IEEE MAC address block assignments: one MA-L (24-bit OUI prefix F4:4D:AD) and two MA-M (28-bit prefixes 5C:85:7E:3x and 70:88:6B:8x), all three registered to the same Southborough address. No MA-S (oui36) entries exist. The prefixes appear primarily on USB-to-Ethernet adapters (USB 2.0/3.0/USB-C to 10/100/1000BASE-T), USB-C docking stations with Ethernet ports, and multi-port hubs — consumer/prosumer peripherals that add wired connectivity to laptops, tablets, and game consoles. The critical caveat for any Cable Matters OUI work is MAC passthrough: the company's EZ-Dock Windows utility can clone the host computer's MAC address through the dock to the network, so a Cable Matters OUI on a segment may represent a dock running in passthrough mode rather than the dock's own factory identity. Verify passthrough state before treating an observed MAC as a persistent hardware identity. The device class — passive USB peripherals with no embedded HTTP server, management plane, or wireless radio — presents minimal network attack surface, and there are no known CVEs or public security advisories specific to Cable Matters products. As with all OUI work, IEEE publishes no assignment dates: third-party "date registered" timestamps (e.g. maclookup.app shows first-seen 2016-02-05, last-modified 2022-09-06) are database artifacts, not IEEE primary facts.
- IEEE assignment
- 3 prefixes → Cable Matters Inc., registered Southborough, MA, US — F4:4D:AD (MA-L), 5C:85:7E:3x (MA-M), 70:88:6B:8x (MA-M) [Confirmed] — enrichment/registries/oui.csv L418, mam.csv L4204 + L5982; corroborated by maclookup.app/vendors/cable-matters
- Registry / block size
- 1× MA-L (24-bit) + 2× MA-M (28-bit); ~18.9M addresses aggregate. No MA-S (oui36) entries. [Confirmed] — enrichment/registries (oui.csv, mam.csv, oui36.csv). NOTE: IEEE's public OUI data publishes NO assignment/registration date; any "date registered" on third-party tools is a database artifact, not an IEEE fact.
- HQ / country
- 153 Northboro Road, Suite 5, Southborough, MA 01772, US [Confirmed] — IEEE registry address; corroborated rocketreach.co/cable-matters-inc-profile
- Company status
- active; privately held; founded 2009; CEO/founder/president Jeff Jiang; ~10-15 employees; serves US, Canada, Europe, Japan [Likely] — rocketreach.co/cable-matters-inc-profile (single-source business profile)
- Device types
- USB-to-Ethernet adapters (USB 2.0/3.0/USB-C), USB-C docking stations with Ethernet, multi-port USB hubs, connectivity accessories [Confirmed] — cablematters.com/c-138-adapters.aspx
- Notable products
- USB 3.0 to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter, USB-C to 2.5G Ethernet Adapter, 4-port USB-C/USB 3.1 Gigabit Ethernet Switch, USB-C docking stations; EZ-Dock MAC-passthrough utility [Confirmed] — cablematters.com, newswire.com 4-port-switch release, kb.cablematters.com EntryID=120
- Verified sample prefixes
- F4:4D:AD (MA-L), 5C:85:7E:3x (MA-M), 70:88:6B:8x (MA-M) [Confirmed] — enrichment/registries; maclookup.app/vendors/cable-matters
- Special note
- EZ-Dock software can clone the host PC's MAC to the adapter/dock, so a Cable Matters OUI on a segment may reflect the dock in passthrough mode, not its factory MAC. Supply-chain/purchasing staff are Shenzhen-based, but the company and IEEE registrant are US-based in Massachusetts. No known CVEs specific to Cable Matters products. [Confirmed] — kb.cablematters.com EntryID=120; maclookup.app
- Related vendors
- none identified
- Analyst note
- A Cable Matters OUI indicates a USB/USB-C Ethernet adapter or docking station — likely adding wired Ethernet to a laptop or tablet. Check for EZ-Dock MAC passthrough before treating the observed MAC as a persistent device identity. Consumer/prosumer peripheral class; no embedded management plane; minimal attack surface. [Confirmed] — kb.cablematters.com EntryID=120