| Your IP | 18.190.239.246 |
| City | Columbus |
| Region | Ohio (OH) |
| Country | United States of America |
| Country Code | US |
| ISP | Amazon.com |
| Latitude | 39.9625 |
| Longitude | -83.0061 |
Your IP address is also known as your public IP address. You can use IPv4, IPv6, or both, depending on the connection type. If you are behind a router, the IP address shown above is your router's IP address, and your computer will have received a private IP address from your DHCP server.
Your IP address is a unique number associated with your online activity, just like the return address on a letter. Whether you're checking email, shopping, or chatting online, your IP address is constantly at work behind the scenes. It is assigned by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and allows you to connect to the Internet through a network, whether at home, at work, or on the go.
Your IP address may change, especially if you switch networks while travelling. If you're wondering what your IP is, scroll to the top of the page to see the numbers! Check out our blog to learn how IP addresses work, why they are important, and how to effectively manage your online activity.
The term IP address stands for Internet Protocol address. An Internet Protocol address is a unique numeric name that every electronic device connected to a computer network has.
You can think of an IP address as similar to your home address. This applies only to that specific device and is used to identify and locate such devices. Two types of IP addresses are in use today: IPv4 and IPv6.
IPv4 is the original design of Internet Protocol addresses. Although it is still used today, it is not very common because it uses 32 bits and only allows 4 billion addresses. 4 billion addresses were insufficient for the Internet to grow exponentially, resulting in a phenomenon called 'IPv4 exhaustion'.
IPv4 address exhaustion is a significant decrease in available unassigned IPv4 addresses. That is why the latest version, IPv6, was introduced to accommodate this tremendous growth.
IPv6 is the latest version of the Internet Protocol. Unlike the 32-bit addresses used in IPv4, IPv6 uses 128-bit addresses. IPv6 is designed to handle infinitely more addresses than IPv4, ensuring that the world of the Internet will not run out of IP addresses shortly.
Pv6 also helps prevent IP spoofing. IP address spoofing is a cyberattack in which hackers impersonate a user, device, or client online. Used to mask the source of attack traffic.
IPv4 addresses provide approximately 4.3 billion unique addresses, which was enough for the early days of the Internet. However, the increase in connected devices has led to a shortage of IPv4 addresses. IPv6 was introduced to overcome the limitations of IPv4 and ensure future Internet growth by providing enormous address space and trillions of unique addresses.
A private IP address is an IP assigned to a device on a private network. This type of IP, also called a local IP address or internal IP address, is used in local area networks (LANs), such as home networks. They usually start with 10, 172, and 192 and belong to classes A, B, and C, respectively. The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) only reserved these blocks for private IP addresses.
There are two types of IP addresses: IPv4 and IPv6. Private IP addresses were created to delay the exhaustion of IPv4 addresses because the number of IPv4 addresses was limited. However, despite the theoretical 4,294,967,296 addresses generated on a 32-bit system, IPv4 address space is becoming insufficient due to the number of new Internet-connected devices appearing in businesses and homes.
Therefore, private IP addresses allow private networks to use the same IP address internally without causing conflicts for the public IP address. IPv6 addresses eventually solved IPv4 exhaustion, but personal IP address systems still exist on internal networks.
A public IP address is a unique numeric label assigned to each device connected to the Internet, enabling global identification and communication between devices. Think of it as your digital home address where you can send and receive data over the Internet.
This address is assigned by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). It is visible to the wider Internet, distinguishing your device from the billions of other devices connected worldwide.
Many people don't realize that not all IP addresses are the same. Two different IP addresses are public and private, and while they have many similarities, there are significant differences in how each works.
Your IP address reveals a lot about you. Where you surf, including country, region, zip code, and city, sneaky websites can compare this information with other details they retrieve from cookies and metadata to reveal your identity further.
In reality, it is highly unlikely that someone will hijack and use your IP address as their own. However, some people may have access to your IP address and collect data about it.
For example, your ISP can always see what websites you visit on the web. Meanwhile, the websites you visit may track your location and activity to tailor their services. If you're searching for flights, the website may detect that you're surfing from a wealthy European country and automatically raise prices.
You can protect your IP address by hiding it. This is done using a VPN service that hides your real address by routing your connection through another IP address. Apart from that, VPNs also have many other benefits. Your internet traffic is encrypted and cannot be read by third parties or misused by hackers, increasing your online privacy and security.
You can find the location of your IP address. However, the area may not always be accurate. Location data for IP address geolocation varies depending on the database. The information is generally precise at pinpointing the country and city of the IP but cannot tell you the exact street address.
As the map gets narrower, accuracy decreases. IP location search can search for an address's continent, country, city, zip code, or time zone, but cannot be more specific. If you need to find someone's exact address, searching for that person's location may not get you as far as you'd like.
Changing your IP address can be helpful for several reasons:
Enhanced Privacy and Anonymity
Changing your IP address hides your online activity from third parties, including websites, cybercriminals, and Internet Service Providers (ISPs). This keeps your browsing, streaming, and gaming private.
Hidden Location
A changed IP address hides your location by connecting you to an encrypted private VPN server. This level of privacy ensures that not even your ISP can monitor your online activities, giving you peace of mind and additional security.
Comprehensive Online Protection:
Services like VPNs protect you from IP address changes and other online threats. Enjoy a cleaner browsing experience without intrusive ads and trackers, improved performance, and enhanced security against cyber threats.
Dedicated IP Benefits
Obtaining a dedicated IP simplifies online interactions. It reduces the dreaded CAPTCHA, provides secure access to business servers and online payments, and maintains a consistent virtual location across select countries. This is especially beneficial for users needing reliable work or personal access.
Use secure public wifi.
Changing your IP address through a VPN provides a safe, private connection even on unsecured public wifi networks. This allows you to safely browse, shop, and bank on the go without putting your personal information at risk.
Changing your IP address through a reliable VPN service can greatly improve your online security, privacy, and convenience.
