IP address, or Internet Protocol address, is a numerical address that is used to identify a device or network interface and help routers route data correctly across a network. Whenever a smartphone, laptop, computer, or any other device is connected to a network, it communicates with the network through an IP address.
IP addresses are fundamental to both local networks and the internet, as your home router assigns your devices a private IP address for local communication, while your internet service provider assigns your connection a public IP address for the internet.
How Many Types of IP Address Are There?
There are two major types or versions of IP addresses that are currently being used around the world: IPv4 and IPv6.
IPv4 Address
IPv4 uses a 32-bit address and is normally written as four decimal numbers separated by dots or periods. For example: 192.168.1.25
Each section is an octet and can contain any value from 0 to 255.
Since IPv4 has a finite address space, the growth and increasing number of internet-connected devices contributed to the development and deployment of IPv6.
IPv6 Addresses
IPv6 uses 128-bit addresses, providing a dramatically larger address space. An IPv6 address usually looks like: 2001:db8:85a3::8a2e:370:7334
IPv6 uses hexadecimal format, and several rules allow addresses to be shortened for readability. IPv6 can provide globally unique addresses to a much larger number of devices and includes features designed for modern IP networking.
Both IPv4 and IPv6 can operate on the same network through dual-stack configurations, where devices support IPv4 and IPv6 simultaneously.
What Is a Private IP Address?
A private IP address is an IP address that is used inside a local network rather than being directly routable across the public internet. Common examples of private IPv4 addresses include: 10.0.0.1 or 192.168.0.1
A private IP address is assigned to devices by the home network, and each device on the home network has a different IP address from others. With the help of private IP addresses, devices can communicate within the home network. Because private IPv4 addresses are not publicly routable, a router normally uses Network Address Translation (NAT) to allow multiple devices to share and use the same public IPv4 address when accessing the internet.
What Is a Public IP Address?
A public IP address is an IP address that is used for communication across the public internet. The public IP address is typically assigned to your connection by your internet service provider, and your router shares that public IP address among all the connected devices on your network. Example of a private IP address: 38.60.140.371
Devices on a network can have different private IP addresses, but their public IP address is the same. It is the job of your router to manage communication between that public-facing connection and the private devices connected to your home network.
How Does an IP Address Work?
When a device connects to a network, it needs an appropriate IP address and configuration before it can communicate over the network. On a typical network, the WiFi router’s DHCP server automatically assigns every connecting device an IP address along with other essential network information, such as the subnet mask, default gateway, and DNS servers.
Devices communicate over the network using data packets, and these packets contain source and destination IP information. Routers examine the destination IP address and use their routing tables to determine where the packets should go next. The router handles communication between your local network and the internet.
What Happens If Two Devices Have the Same IP Address?
When two devices are using the same IP address on a local network, it can create an IP address conflict, which can lead to intermittent connectivity, devices disconnecting, difficulty accessing network resources, and repeated connection failures
This conflict commonly arises when someone manually configures an IP address on the local network that falls inside the router’s DHCP pool or when the router’s DHCP settings are incorrectly configured. Using properly configured DHCP reservations can help prevent these conflicts.