Your IP address is shown below along with the information your own browser hands to every website you visit. Keep in mind that we are reading your current connection, and if you’re using a proxy server or VPN1 then we’ll report information on that address rather than your computer’s own connection.
Your IP address: 216.73.217.129
Your operating system: an unidentified operating system
Your browser: an unidentified browser
Your language setting: unknown
As you visit websites, your computer announces that you are running an unidentified operating system using the an unidentified browser browser, from the IP address shown above. Your internet service provider assigned you that IP address, and geolocation databases can map it to a city and region – which is how websites guess where you are without ever asking.
Depending on your setup, your ISP can see what device you are using to access the internet by looking at your MAC address, which they keep private, and they assign you an IP address to browse the internet. Your provider knows exactly which IP address is assigned to your router at any moment – so if you think you have some type of anonymity because a geolocation lookup shows the wrong city, you don’t!
And if you think that information is private and impossible to get, think again – it’s not hard for someone to file a lawsuit against “John Doe” pro se with the necessary paperwork and obtain your information from your provider. Maybe you think you can go to a cafe, jump on their wireless and be anonymous – your computer’s MAC address is still visible to that local network.
Your NATted IP
Want to know what your IP address is behind your router? Your device usually has a private, internal address (like 192.168.x.x) that your router translates to the public address shown above. Visit our digital footprint section to see more of what websites can read about your setup.
When your web browser or email application requests a web page or email from another computer on the Internet, it automatically gives away the computer address where it should send the information. This is called your computer’s “IP address.” For most users accessing the Internet, this IP address will change from time to time. A changing IP address is referred to as a Dynamic IP Address.
What’s My IP Address Made Of?
IP addresses are created and managed by IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority). There are regional registries which are given ‘super blocks’. These regional units then allocate smaller blocks to ISPs.
IPv4 uses 32-bit (4 byte) addresses that limit the number of addresses to 4,294,967,296 (232) possible combinations, and many of those are reserved for special purposes such as private networks and multicast. That shortage is why IPv6 exists – its 128-bit addresses provide enough room for the foreseeable future, and your connection may be using either one.
Your IP address is assigned by your internet service provider (ISP), and because provider allocations are registered, it can be used to track most internet-connected computers back to a provider and region. IP addresses are hard to remember, so they are often paired with a Host Name.
1A proxy server is a service that takes your computer’s request for internet information and fulfills that request using a different IP. These services are used to hide your information so that websites can’t track your activity or patterns; however, browser features like WebRTC can sometimes bypass the proxy and reveal your true IP address!
Questions users have asked
Real questions from this page’s comment archive, with the answers — still just as true today:
“I’m not understanding how my IP address can be in Vancouver, WA when I’m in Vermont. Perhaps that is the headquarters of Comcast?” — April
Jim’s answer: “You hit the nail right on the head – you may be coming from Vermont, but the IP address that everyone sees (your public IP) actually comes out of the switch in Vancouver. Comcast and other internet service providers do this often, so don’t be alarmed. Although we can’t see the exact location you are coming from, Comcast does, and maps that IP to the router in your home. And the IP address that we are seeing can and does change often (unless you have requested a static IP address).”
“I am trying to figure out how to make my ip address not change daily. I believe what i need is called a ‘static’ ip and am willing to pay for this service.” — Angie
Jim’s answer: “You are correct, a static IP address is one that will stay the same, as opposed to a dynamic IP which changes often. Many ISPs charge extra for a static IP address… From a command prompt, type: ipconfig /all — look for IP address, subnet mask, default gateway and both DNS servers. If your IP address starts with something like 10, 172 or 192, then you are using a router and need to access the admin section of that device, find the status page, write everything down, then change the setup from dynamic to static and enter the information. Save everything, power off the router and modem, then power on the modem first, then the router. Just make sure it’s not against your ISP’s terms of service before making changes.”
“I was thinking that if I change my IP address, or make it private, will it stop infiltrators or viruses on my PC?” — Bridget
Jim’s answer: “If you change your IP address, and someone has hacked your computer and accesses it by IP, then it may help confuse them, but changing an IP won’t really do anything in the way of security. A router set to perform firewall functions provides a decent level of protection — that, not the address itself, is what keeps intruders out.”
“What’s my IP? An address that starts with 24? But my ip is 192.168.1.100?” — DogBoy
Jim’s answer: “The IP address I am showing you IS correct — the IP you are looking at is what you would find if you typed ipconfig /all, which is your internal address. The one starting with 24 is your public address, the one the rest of the internet sees.”
“Is there any way of finding out which websites have stored or found out my IP information? And will a firewall make me non-identifiable, or just stop me from being attacked?” — Holly
Jim’s answer: “No real way of finding out — chances are they store your IP address and more in a database that’s not accessible through the web. The firewall will protect your computer’s ports from unauthorized access, but it doesn’t make you unidentifiable — every site you visit sees your public IP, which is exactly what this page shows you.”