IP 101 - The Basics of IP Addresses
- The "IP" part of IP address stands for "Internet Protocol." The "address" part refers to a unique number that gets linked to all online activity you do...somewhat like a return address on a letter you'd send out. (All this happens in milliseconds.)
- That's the end of today's lesson. At least it should be.Because from this point on, it gets complicated fast. And confusing. Information technology (IT) is crazy stuff and it's best left to those who have to deal with computers and networks.
- Still, we're all on the Internet these days, and it seems we're always connected through our personal computers, laptops or mobile devices. And every time you go on the Internet, an IP address is right there, working for you.
- And with so much obscure information (and misinformation) out there about the IP address, it's helpful to know the basics.
You've got connections.
- Your computer is hooked up to the Internet, one way or the other. When you go online for email, to shop or chat, your request has to be sent out to the right destination, and the responses and information you want need to come back directly to you.
- An IP address plays a significant role in that.
- You and your computer actually connect to the Internet indirectly: You first connect to a network that is 1) connected to the Internet itself and 2) grants or gives you access to the Internet.
- That network might be your Internet service provider (ISP) at home, or a company network at work, or a wireless network at a hotel or coffee shop when you're on the road. But with millions of computers on the Internet, how can your single computer jump right in and get you your work or personal emails and more without any problems?
Protocols are Protocols
- To make sure you can do your thing on the Internet, your computer's networking software is hardwired to follow a list of built-in networking standards and rules (yes, protocols) to connect to Internet, and to swap information and data back and forth.
- One of those networking protocols on your computer, the Internet Protocol, is responsible for addressing, delivering and routing your online requests precisely. It attaches an "electronic return address" to all your online requests and activity for you. The address it uses is the IP address for your connection.
So long, IP address.
- It was nice while it lasted.When you're at home, an IP address is assigned to your computer by your Internet service provider (think Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications, or AT&T). Since they are the ones giving you access to the Internet, it's their role to assign an IP address to your computer. Your Internet activity goes through them, and they route it back to you, using your IP address.
- But don't get attached to it. Don't tattoo your IP address to your arm, because it's not really yours. Even at home it can change if you do something as simple as turn your modem or router on and off. Or you can contact your Internet service provider and they can change it for you.
You can't take it with you.
- Plus, if you go on vacation and take along your laptop, your home IP address doesn't go with you. It can't, because on vacation you'll be using another network to connect to the Internet.
- So, when you're at a coffee shop in another city or state (or just down the road) and you're using their WiFi to get your email, you're using a different (and temporary) IP address, one assigned to your laptop on the fly by the ISP for that coffee shop's Internet provider.
- Same thing happens when you travel. As you move from the airport to your hotel to the local coffee house, your IP address will change each and every time.
- But you don't have to think about it at all, or open the hood of your computer and flip switches. It all happens thanks to the intelligent design behind the Internet, wireless networks and all those Internet Protocols your computer uses.
- "One latte and an IP address to go, please."You can see all this for yourself. Next time you're using your laptop at a library, work or the corner store, just click on whatismyipaddress.com and check out the IP address you're using.
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What is an IP Address?No doubt you've heard the term "IP address." Unless you're a techie, though, you may not have more than a shadowy notion of what an IP address actually is or how it works. Let's explore the concept.
An IP address is a fascinating product of modern computer technology designed to allow one computer (or other digital device) to communicate with another via the Internet. IP addresses allow the location of literally billions of digital devices that are connected to the Internet to be pinpointed and differentiated from other devices. In the same sense that someone needs your mailing address to send you a letter, a remote computer needs your IP address to communicate with your computer.
"IP" stands for Internet Protocol, so an IP address is an Internet Protocol address. What does that mean? An Internet Protocol is a set of rules that govern Internet activity and facilitate completion of a variety of actions on the World Wide Web. Therefore an Internet Protocol address is part of the systematically laid out interconnected grid that governs online communication by identifying both initiating devices and various Internet destinations, thereby making two-way communication possible.
An IP address consists of four numbers, each of which contains one to three digits, with a single dot (.) separating each number or set of digits. Each of the four numbers can range from 0 to 255. Here's an example of what an IP address might look like: 78.125.0.209. This innocuous-looking group of four numbers is the key that empowers you and me to send and retrieve data over our Internet connections, ensuring that our messages, as well as our requests for data and the data we've requested, will reach their correct Internet destinations. Without this numeric protocol, sending and receiving data over the World Wide Web would be impossible.
IP addresses can be either static or dynamic. Static IP addresses never change. They serve as a permanent Internet address and provide a simple and reliable way for remote computers to contact you. Static IP addresses reveal such information as the continent, country, region, and city in which a computer is located; the ISP (Internet Service Provider) that services that particular computer; and such technical information as the precise latitude and longitude of the country, as well as the locale, of the computer. Many websites provide IP address look-up services to their visitors, free of charge. If you're curious about your own IP address, you can locate these websites by performing a Google search.
Dynamic IP addresses are temporary and are assigned each time a computer accesses the Internet. They are, in effect, borrowed from a pool of IP addresses that are shared among various computers. Since a limited number of static IP addresses are available, many ISPs reserve a portion of their assigned addresses for sharing among their subscribers in this way. This lowers costs and allows them to service far more subscribers than they otherwise could.
Static IP addresses are generally preferable for such uses as VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), online gaming, or any other purpose where users need to make it easy for other computers to locate and connect to them. Easy access can also be facilitated when using a dynamic IP address through the use of a dynamic DNS service, which enables other computers to find you even though you may be using a temporary, one-time IP address. This often entails an extra charge, however, so check with your ISP.
Static IP addresses are considered somewhat less secure than dynamic IP addresses, since they are easier to track for data mining purposes. However, following safe Internet practices can help mitigate this potential problem and keep your computer secure no matter what type of IP address you use.
Dynamic IP vs Static IPStatic IP addressing is for one customer on one IP address and Dynamic IP addressing assigns a different IP address each time the ISP customer logs on to their computer, but this is dependent upon the Internet Service Provider (ISP) because some ISP's only change the IP address as they deem it necessary.
If you have Dynamic IP Addressing through your Website Host it means that you are sharing an IP Address with several other customers.
If you are a beginner on the internet, an avid internet user, are entertaining the thought of starting your own website business, are a gamer, use VOIP or VPN there are several things you should know about IP Addressing.
Static IP AddressingIf you feel the need to always know what your IP address is then you need a Static IP address, because it is constant. Static IP addresses are more reliable for Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP), more reliable to host a gaming website or to play X-Box, Play Station, use Virtual Private Network for secure access to files from your company network computer, etc. Static IP addresses are also great if you use your computer as a server, as it should give your file server faster file uploads and downloads. Another plus with Static IP's, when hosting a website you are not sharing your IP with another company who sends out a lot of E-mail SPAM and not only has their website been shut down but in turn gets your IP address blacklisted.
In contrast a static IP address can become a security risk, because the address is always the same. Static IP's are easier to track for data mining companies. Static IP addressing is less cost effective than Dynamic IP Addressing.
Dynamic IP AddressingThe biggest advantages of Dynamic IP Addressing are less security risk as the computer is assigned a new IP address each time the customer logs on, they are cost effective and there is automatic network configuration (the less human intervention with network configuration the better). Dynamic addressing is usually used by ISP's so that one IP address can be assigned to several users, however some ISP's use Sticky Dynamic IP Addressing and do not change the IP address very often. Dynamic IP Addressing can be used by families with several computers or by a small business owner who has a home office. The software that comes with a router allows for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) setup and assigns each computer attached to the router an IP address automatically.
In contrast, Dynamic IP addressing should not be used for VOIP, VPN, playing online games or game hosting because Dynamic IP addressing is less reliable then Static IP addressing and could cause the service to disconnect while you are on a VOIP, VPN or gaming.
When you do an IP search or lookup, what do you get:
- If you can find out the IP address of an Internet user, you can get an idea what part of the country or world they're in by using our IP Lookup tool.
- Your search will give you general details only about what is on the end of that IP address. Here's what you'll find out:
- The ISP and organization's name
- The IP's host name
- The country it's in
- The region/state
- The city (a best guess)
- The latitude and longitude of the location (a best guess)
- The area code for that region
- Any known services running on that IP
- You won't get anything like a person's name or street address. That's where privacy issues come in, which are there to protect Internet users like you.
How accurate is IP GeoLocation?Where's Waldo? Well, now you can find out—that is, if he's connecting with you online.
Through a simple Internet tool, you can generally get a good idea of where someone is communicating with you through the Internet, if you feel you need to do that. You can get pretty close to finding their location, but not as close as you think.
You can get a good idea of the where someone is emailing you from using a geolocation tool, like the one right on our site (see IP Lookup). And that, for the most part, should be good enough. It will not give you anyone's name and address, but it's not supposed to. That would be a violation of their privacy... and a little too creepy.
Zeroing In. Sort of.When you came to the whatismyIPaddress.com website, you saw that your IP address was conveniently displayed on the home page. And you also saw—maybe surprisingly—that other information was displayed, such as your:
- Country
- Region
- City
- ZIP code
- Longitude and latitude
Maybe that unnerves you a bit. But you can also look at this as a way to be educated on the power of the Internet and the tools that you (and others) can use to keep safe. (Read our section on Change IP Address.)
After all, your name, street address, nickname or favorite color were not revealed. Chances are, your location was, at best, some five or six miles away from your home.
And as this article is being written (at a local coffee shop), the geo-locator says I'm near Wichita, Kansas, when I'm in fact smelling the breezes off the Pacific Ocean between San Diego and Los Angeles. (If you go to ourHide IP address page you'll find out how that can happen.)
Still, even when not pinpoint accurate, geolocation usually puts a computer user in a nearby town or area, which may be good enough for the person who wants to know where the curious email they received was really sent from. Check out Trace Email.
According to companies that report on these things:
- Accuracy rates on naming the city from an IP address vary between 50%-80%.
- Determining the nation of an Internet user is 95%-99% percent accurate, for reasons that have to do with how IP addresses are allocated and registered.
- Determining the physical location of the user, down to a city or ZIP code, is trickier and less accurate.
Trace an email:http://whatismyipaddress.com/trace-email