Do you want to know what an IP address is? You must have seen these infamous numbers but don’t know what exactly they are or their importance. In this post, we will dig into everything you need to know about IP addresses, including the types and benefits.
What is an IP Address?
Your router’s IP address is your network’s default gateway. Your computer uses it to find and talk to the router when it needs to access the internet or connect with other devices. There are two types of IP addresses, and the first one is an Internal (Private) IP Address. This is used within your home or office network and also the one you’ll use to log into your router’s settings page.
Some of the Internal IP addresses are the following:
- 10.0.0.0 – 10.255.255.255
- 172.16.0.0 – 172.31.255.255
- 192.168.0.0 – 192.168.255.255
Another type of IP address is an External (Public) IP Address. This is the IP that is provided by your internet provider. While a private IP address is for a home network, this one is visible to websites and other online services and allows you to communicate with other devices worldwide.
IP Address: The Benefits
You should not overlook your IP address, as it can bring many benefits to you in terms of troubleshooting network issues, setting up devices, and enabling remote access. How? Let’s break down each benefit below:
1. Troubleshooting and Network Management
The router’s IP address can help you with the following issues and network management:
- Identifying network problems: Your IP address can help pinpoint the issue within your network, regardless of where it is coming from.
- Setting up new devices: The IP address is used to connect devices to your network like printers and scanners.
- Configure your network: IP addresses are used to access the router’s admin panel for you to be able to configure the settings whether it is changing your password and SSID or setting up advanced settings.
2. Security and Privacy
The IP addresses can also be used for security and privacy. Like for Geolocation; it can help tracking and revealing the location of a person for various purposes, whether it is for marketing or security concerns. It can also be used for protecting yourself from Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks as it can detect and prevent malicious activity.
How to Find My IP Address
As we have mentioned earlier, there are two types of IP addresses. The local and external IP address. They are different from one another, and so the steps in finding each one.
If you are looking for your private IP address using Windows, you can follow the steps below:
Step 1: Open Command Prompt
Step 2: Run the ipconfig command. In the Command Prompt window, type ipconfig and press Enter.
Step 3: The output will display information about your network adapters. Look for the “Default Gateway” entry under the active network adapter (Ethernet or Wireless LAN).
The steps above are opnly applicable to Windows. You can check out our guide on how to find IP address in MAC and Linux.
You can also refer to the table below for the list of IP addresses for a specific router:
| Router | IP Address |
|---|---|
| TP-Link , Netgear, Linksys | 192.168.1.1 |
| D-Link, Netgear, Zyxel, Belkin, TP-Link | 192.168.0.1 |
| Xfinity, Comcast, Cisco | 10.0.0.0.1 – 10.0.0.1 |
| PTCL, TP-Link, D-Link | 192.168.10.1 |
| Siemens, Sagemcom | 192.168.254.254 |
How to Hide My IP Address
This question is only applicable to external IP addresses. Since it is only the one that is prone or exposed to outside entities, users should always apply caution when browsing online.
Now, if you are the type who visit suspicious websites like torrent sites, we highly suggest that you hide your IP address. I can’t tell you enough how serious and dangerous those sites are.
Please read these methods on how to hide your IPaddress. And please, make sure to apply them when necessary.
1. Use VPN
One of the easiest and most sought out ways to hide an IP address is through the use of a VPN. It is much safer and more convenient.
A VPN’s main role is to change your IP address and location at the same time. That means you could appear to be in the USA when you are actually in India.
Your IP address will be masked, hidden, and nowhere to be seen. That is what a VPN can do for you. Here are a few of the great and reliable VPN apps that you can start with:
- TunnelBear
- ExpressVPN
- NordVPN
- Windscribe
- IPVanish
2. Connect to Mobile Data
If you are using a DSL or Fiber-based internet connection, then the mobile data is an alternate way to change your IPaddress. This could be a Wi-Fi dongle (Jiofi.local.html), your smartphone’s mobile data, or your friend’s mobile Wi-Fi hotspot.
While these options might not be for large data capacity activities, they are good for quick visits on websites. This is true for websites that you want to hide your real IPaddress.
3. Connect to Public Wi-Fi
Another way to use a different IP address is to connect to a public Wi-Fi, such as from Starbucks and other public establishments. Although they are not ideal, it is still an option.
Just do not access your financial accounts like bank and credit cards when using public Wi-Fi. You never know who’s snooping and waiting for you to enter your login information on one of your accounts.
4. Ask Your ISP
While this may raise some questions from your Internet Service Provider, it is still worth the shot. When you do call your ISP, expect some questions about your intention why you want to change your IP address.
Always remember, asking nicely goes a long way. When you are off to a bad start, you might not get your new IP address anytime soon.
5. Refresh Your Router/Modem
If your ISP gives you a dynamic IP address, there is a good chance that you could change your IPaddress just by unplugging the router/modem. This is like resetting your router but on the ISP level. Disconnecting your router usually triggers the ISP server to refresh your IPaddress.
There is a caveat for this, though. To make this work, you need to stay unplugged for a couple of hours. No exact amount of time but to be sure, an overnight thing will do.
When you go to sleep, unplug your router/modem. By tomorrow when you go back online, you should have a new external IP address. Et Voila!
IP Addresses: FAQ
It is a 32-bit number that uniquely identifies a host on a TCP/IP network. The host could be any from a computer, printer, or router.
An IP address is assigned using the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), which is the most frequently used technology for this purpose.
The IP address is typically digits and formatted as four 8-bit fields separated by periods. Each 8-bit field represents a byte of the IP address. For example 192.168.1.1
Yes. The IP address is like a street address or telephone number; it is uniquely assigned to each computer.
Yes, it could change over time because dynamic IP addresses are distributed and could, therefore, change depending on circumstances like the end of the contract or changes in terms of service. Hence, even if you don’t change your location, your IP address may still change.