Public and private addresses
A public IP is used when your connection communicates across the internet. A private IP is used inside a home, office or other local network and is not normally routed across the public internet.
Several devices can share one public IPv4 address through network address translation. IPv6 commonly gives devices globally unique addresses while local addresses still remain available.
Dynamic and static addresses
A dynamic address can change after reconnecting or when the provider updates a lease. A static address is intended to remain stable, but only the network operator can confirm how an address is assigned.
- Record the current address when diagnosing intermittent connectivity.
- Check both IPv4 and IPv6 because they may use different network paths.
- Do not treat an approximate location as a precise device position.
What an IP lookup shows
A lookup can identify the IP version, network provider, reverse hostname when available and an approximate region from a local geolocation database. It does not reveal a street address or the identity of an individual.