Question 1

What is my IP address?

Accepted Answer

Your IP address is the public identifier your internet connection uses to communicate with websites and online services. The address shown at the top of this page is the one the internet currently sees for your device or network.

Question 2

Is my IP address the same as my location?

Accepted Answer

Not exactly. An IP address maps to an approximate geographic area based on your ISP's records — usually your city or region, not your precise street address. The map on this page shows an estimated location, which can be off by several kilometres.

Question 3

Why does my IP address keep changing?

Accepted Answer

Most home connections use dynamic IP addresses that your ISP reassigns periodically, or whenever you restart your router or reconnect to the network. Businesses often pay for static IPs that stay the same over time.

Question 4

What is the difference between IPv4 and IPv6?

Accepted Answer

IPv4 is the original 32-bit addressing scheme written as four numbers (e.g. 192.168.1.1). IPv6 is a newer 128-bit scheme written in hexadecimal, created to provide vastly more unique addresses as the internet grows.

Question 5

Can someone find me from my IP address?

Accepted Answer

An IP address alone reveals your ISP and rough region, but not your identity or exact address. Only your ISP can link an IP to a subscriber, and typically only when legally required.

Question 6

How can I hide or change my IP address?

Accepted Answer

You can mask your public IP by using a VPN, a proxy server, or the Tor network. Restarting your router may also change a dynamic IP assigned by your ISP.

Question 7

What is an ASN?

Accepted Answer

An Autonomous System Number (ASN) identifies a network operator — usually your ISP — on the global routing table. It groups together the ranges of IP addresses that a single organisation controls.

Question 8

What is a Whois lookup?

Accepted Answer

A Whois lookup queries public registry records for an IP address or domain, returning details such as the owning organisation, network range, ASN, and abuse contact information.

Question 9

What is the difference between a public and a private IP address?

Accepted Answer

A public IP address is assigned by your ISP and is visible to the internet — it's the one shown at the top of this page. A private IP address (like 192.168.1.10) is assigned by your router to each device on your local network and isn't reachable directly from the internet.

Question 10

What is the difference between a static and a dynamic IP address?

Accepted Answer

A static IP address stays the same over time and is often paid for by businesses hosting servers. A dynamic IP address is reassigned periodically by your ISP and is what most home connections use — it can change when you reconnect or restart your router.

Question 11

Does restarting my router change my IP address?

Accepted Answer

Often, yes. If your ISP assigns dynamic addresses, restarting your modem or router can cause it to hand you a new public IP. Static IPs and some ISP configurations will keep the same address regardless.

Question 12

How accurate is IP geolocation?

Accepted Answer

IP geolocation is approximate. It usually identifies the correct country and often the city or region, but not a precise street address — the data reflects where your ISP registers and routes the address, which can be several kilometres from your actual location.

Question 13

Is my IP address considered personal data?

Accepted Answer

Under privacy regulations like the GDPR, a public IP address can be considered personal data because it may, in combination with other information, be used to identify an individual. On its own it reveals your ISP and approximate region, not your identity.

Question 14

What is a VPN and how does it change my IP?

Accepted Answer

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) routes your traffic through an encrypted tunnel to a server run by the VPN provider. Websites then see that server's IP address instead of your own, masking your real location and ISP.

Question 15

What is a proxy server?

Accepted Answer

A proxy server sits between your device and the internet, forwarding your requests so the destination sees the proxy's IP instead of yours. Unlike a VPN, a basic proxy usually handles a single app or connection and often doesn't encrypt your traffic.

Question 16

Can I still be tracked if I use a VPN?

Accepted Answer

A VPN hides your IP address, but you can still be tracked through cookies, browser fingerprinting, account logins, and WebRTC leaks. For stronger privacy, combine a reputable VPN with anti-tracking browser settings and regular cookie clearing.

Question 17

What is a WebRTC leak?

Accepted Answer

WebRTC is a browser feature for real-time audio and video. It can query your network directly and expose your true IP address to websites even when you're on a VPN. Our VPN Leak Test checks whether your browser is affected.

Question 18

What is an IP blacklist (DNSBL)?

Accepted Answer

A DNS-based blacklist is a public list of IP addresses known for sending spam or abuse. Mail servers check these lists to decide whether to accept email. If your sending IP is listed, your messages may be blocked or marked as spam.

Question 19

What is DNS?

Accepted Answer

The Domain Name System (DNS) is the internet's address book. It translates human-friendly hostnames like example.com into the numeric IP addresses that computers use to connect, so you don't have to remember strings of numbers.

Question 20

What is a reverse DNS (PTR) lookup?

Accepted Answer

A reverse DNS lookup turns an IP address back into a hostname by reading its PTR record. It's the opposite of a normal DNS query and is widely used to verify mail servers and add context to network logs.

Question 21

What is a hostname?

Accepted Answer

A hostname is the human-readable name of a device or service on a network, such as mail.example.com. DNS maps hostnames to IP addresses so people can use memorable names instead of numbers.

Question 22

Can two devices have the same public IP address?

Accepted Answer

Every device behind the same router typically shares one public IP address, using a technique called NAT (Network Address Translation). On the wider internet, two separate networks cannot use the same public IP at the same time.

Question 23

Does my ISP see the websites I visit?

Accepted Answer

Without encryption, your ISP can see the domains you connect to and your traffic patterns. HTTPS hides the specific pages and content, and a VPN hides the destinations from your ISP entirely by routing traffic through its servers.

Question 24

Is it legal to look up an IP address?

Accepted Answer

Yes. IP lookup, Whois and reverse DNS only query publicly available registry and geolocation data. They don't access anyone's device or private information, so using these tools is perfectly legal.

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