What is an IP address? Everything you need to know.

Author: | Last updated: July 2, 2018 | Blog | Tips
what is an ip address?

You’ve probably heard or seen the term “IP”, ‘IP Address” or you might have stumbled upon a site to check your own device’s IP address on the internet by now. But you may find yourself asking “what is an ip address?”. Let’s dive into this!

 

What is an IP address?

First off, let’s break down “IP”. The letters “IP” stand for Internet Protocol. Put that together and you have Internet Protocol Address. An IP Address is pretty much your very own unique address when you connect to the internet.
 
Every single device that connects to the internet is given their own IP address so that it can be differentiated from all the others. A typical IP address will be 4 sets of numbers separated each by a period.
 
what does an ip address look like?

 

Types of IP addresses

The IP address above would be considered an IPv4 address because it has 4 sets of numbers. Recently, some Internet Service Providers (or ISPs) are giving out IPv6 addresses where users are given an IP address with 6 sets of numbers.
 
IP addresses can also be considered Static and Dynamic. A static IP address is a permanent address that your device is given. Every time you connect to the internet with that device and on that particular network, your IP address will always stay the same. On the other hand, you have dynamic IP addresses. Unlike static, a dynamic IP address will change every time you connect to the internet.

 

How to change your IP address

Using a VPN service like My Private Network is one of the best ways to change your IP address. With servers in over 44 countries, users can change their IP address to what ever country they want, making it seem like their device is physically in that country. Doing this can help you access different websites and content that may be blocked due to location.

 

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Want to give My Private Network a try? We offer a 100% money-back guarantee if you don’t like the service. So there isn’t any risk in giving it a go! We are also the top-rated VPN service on TrustPilot, so we think you will like us!?
 
Have any questions about VPNs? We have an awesome support team waiting to answer any questions! Feel free to comment below, email, tweet, or hit us up on Facebook!

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