Just like you have a unique email id and address, your computer has a unique identifier known as IP address. IP stands for Internet Protocol. Therefore, this article is written to answer all your queries related to “what is IP address.”
All devices that are connected to the internet have a unique set of IP addresses that are made up of numbers and characters.
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What is the IP address?
Most networks today use an IP/TCP protocol to communicate on the Network. So, this unique protocol is called the IP address. Moreover, since all devices have different IP addresses, there are billions of IP addresses to use. The IP address format can be of various types. Let’s get to know about different types of IP addresses:
Dynamic IP address
The dynamic IP address is available only for a limited time, and it expires after some time. Therefore, if the lease of the IP address will expire, you will need to request a new lease. Besides, your computer will need a new IP address if your computer gets unplugged from the network between leases. This process is transparent to the user.
Static IP address
A static IP address is one that helps you configure the settings of your computer by just editing the network settings of your computer. So, most users don’t go for static IP addresses, as it can create different network issues that may be tough to understand.
Private IP address
A private IP address is one that can be connected to your home or business network. If you have different devices connected by your Internet Service Provider, then all your devices will be connected to a Private address.
Public IP address
The public IP address will help you connect you to the world as it is unique to every user.
Today there are almost two versions of Internet Protocol addresses. The one is known as IPv4 and IPv6. Now, the IPv4 option is the older version that has a space of over 4 billion users and addresses. The newer Internet Protocol version known as IPv6 has close to a trillion user addresses, that can fulfill the needs of all internet users and devices.
What is an Internet Protocol address used for?
The Internet Protocol address helps you to get identification and address for your device. Therefore, your address will help you to get the transporting information from the sender to the recipient. If your device wants to send data. The router on the Internet Protocol header will reconcile the source IP with the target Internet Protocol. Moreover, if both the network components match, the data packet is sent directly.
Who provides you the Internet Protocol address?
The highest body that provides the IP address is known by the name Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). Besides, the IANA is a department of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Numbers and Names (ICANN). These bodies are responsible for assigning blocks of Internet Protocol addresses to different regions and making sure that IP addresses are available.
What does an IP Address reveal about its users?
Although an Internet Protocol address doesn’t contain any information, it can be used to conclude the users. Thus, sometimes users can face the issue of privacy and protection. The Internet Protocol address helps your Internet providers to track the customer’s stream of data. This means that the privacy and protection of an Internet Protocol address is a controversial question to answer. As per the General Data Protection Regulation, IP addresses are a part of personally identifiable data as the users need better protection.
Thus, there are strict rules for your data protection, as far as Internet Protocol address protection is concerned. For example, most e-commerce websites can store a user’s Internet Protocol address if it is too necessary for functionality as well as a different range of products. Mostly the security agencies can save your Internet Protocol addresses for criminal investigation purposes. Visit Lookupinmate to see of someone has a criminal records.
Can you conceal your Internet Protocol address?
It can’t hide an IP address. But, it can be obfuscated in different ways. We can use the following tools to conceal the Internet Protocol address:
The Tor Browser Bundle is based on Mozilla Firefox, and it helps the users to browse the internet anonymously.
The VPN or Virtual Private Network helps you to provide encrypted transmission of data. Browsing the web by using a VPN enables the web server only to see the IP address used by VPN and not the user’s address.
A proxy server can also accept the data packets and forward them through its Internet Protocol address.
How To find your Internet Protocol address?
Sometimes you need to enter your Internet Protocol address to configure your email id or to use a cloud-based service. But most people don’t know what is IP address and how to find it.
The tools present on your Operating System are sufficient to display the local Internet Protocol address your device is using.
Use these points to know your Internet Protocol address:
On a Windows device, enter the command “ipconfig.”
You can do this easily by pressing the Windows +R key simultaneously.
Next, you have to enter “cmd” into the console that will appear.
This way, you will be able to view your Internet Protocol address.
For Mac, you need to go to the system settings and then visit the Network to get the best result.
How to blacklist or white list the Internet Protocol address?
For better security reasons, you can even blacklist and whitelist your Internet Protocoladdress. With Blacklisting, you can prevent hackers and spammers from entering your device. While whitelisting is the opposite as it gives you access to all, except the Internet Protocol address you have given permission.
We hope this article about the Internet Protocol address helped you know all about the IP address format and things you need to know. Therefore, it is essential to have adequate knowledge about these technicalities so that you can stay safe from all kinds of hackers and spammers. So, use this knowledge to keep your digital devices safe so that you can have a safe browsing experience.
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