Did
you know that every device that’s connected to the internet uses something
called an IP address?
IP
stands for internet protocol and it’s a sequence of numbers which acts as a
unique identification code. Think of it like a phone number which lets computers
communicate with each other. Here we explain how IP addresses work how you can
discover yours.
What
is an IP address?
A
standard IP address (which is known as the IPv4 protocol) consists of four sets
of up to three digits, usually represented as XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX. Everything
that’s connected to the internet has an IP address and, since they run on
computers that are also connected to the internet, websites have one, too.
Try
entering ‘193.113.9.164’ into your web browser’s address bar to see where it
takes you.
How do I find a
website’s IP address?
Web
addresses aren’t what you think they are – URLs such as bt.com are only there
for our benefit as they’re easy to remember, but actually these web addresses
correspond to an IP address as well.
So
when you type bt.com, behind the scenes it’s actually going to 193.113.9.164.
This is thanks to something called the Domain Name System, or ‘DNS’, which
translates IP addresses into character-based URLs.
You
can find the IP address of any web site using Windows’ Command Prompt. Search
for “command prompt” on a PC. When the Command Prompt window opens, type ping
the web address, for example: ping bt.com and press the Return key. The IP
address of the web address you used will then be displayed.
What is your
computer’s IP address?
Your
computer’s IP address is assigned by your ISP and you can find out what it is
by visiting www.whatismyip.com. The site will also show which city and country
you’re in, and the name of your ISP. IP addresses are allocated on a
per-country basis and ISPs then allocate them to customers based on
geographical location.
This
information can all be gleaned from an IP address, so never be alarmed if a web
site appears to know your whereabouts.
IP addresses and
home networks
The
IP address shown by www.whatismyip.com is that of the device connected directly
to your internet connection and, in most cases, this is a home router. ISPs
only assign one IP address to each customer, but when several devices are
connected to the same router, each also needs its own IP address to distinguish
it online. Routers get around this problem using something called network
address translation, or NAT.
In
simple terms, a router assigns its own internal IP address to every device
that’s connected to it, usually of the form 192.168.XXX.XXX. The router then
keeps track of these internal addresses when they communicate with the internet
to ensure that the correct web page, for example, is delivered to the device
that originally requested it. You can see your router’s NAT settings (sometime
referred to as DHCP) in its settings.
Find an internal
IP address
If
you’re having problems getting a computer online at home, establishing its
internal IP address (or lack of) will tell you if it’s successfully connected
to your network. Open a Command Prompt by searching on your PC, type ipconfig
/all and press Return.
A
long list of information will appear - look for the line “IPv4 Address” to find
the internal IP address assigned by your router. If there isn’t one, or if it
doesn’t begin with “192.168.”, then the computer isn’t connected to your
network.
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