An IP address is a number used to specify the location of a computer or other device on a network, using TCP/IP packets.
IP address is an abbreviation for Internet Protocol address.
It can be compared to the address of your house. It allows data to reach a corresponding address on the network and on the Internet.
IPv4 vs IPv6
As the Internet and technology evolve, the demand for IP addresses grows. To meet it, two types of addresses are used today: IPv4 and IPv6. While you may have only dealt with IPv4 addresses (in your home, school, or office), you should also be able to recognize IPv6 when you come across them.
Example IPv4 address:
216.58.216.164
Example IPv6 address:
2607:f8b0:4005:805::200e
Both of these addresses point to google.com.
IP address is an abbreviation for Internet Protocol address.
It can be compared to the address of your house. It allows data to reach a corresponding address on the network and on the Internet.
IPv4 vs IPv6
As the Internet and technology evolve, the demand for IP addresses grows. To meet it, two types of addresses are used today: IPv4 and IPv6. While you may have only dealt with IPv4 addresses (in your home, school, or office), you should also be able to recognize IPv6 when you come across them.
Example IPv4 address:
216.58.216.164
Example IPv6 address:
2607:f8b0:4005:805::200e
Both of these addresses point to google.com.
Getting an IP address
By default, the router you use will assign each of your computers a different IP address, often using NAT to route their data out to external networks such as the Internet.
Everyone who connects to the Internet is assigned an IP address by their Internet Service Provider, who has registered a number of IP addresses.
For example, suppose your ISP provides 100 addresses ranging from 109.145.90.100-109.145.90.199. They can assign their clients any address in that range.
Thus, all of these addresses belong to the ISP, as long as they are not assigned to the clients' computers.
In the case of a dial-up connection, you are assigned a new IP address each time you connect to the ISP. With most broadband ISPs, you will always be connected to the Internet, the IP rarely changes. It stays the same until your service provider requests otherwise.
Everyone who connects to the Internet is assigned an IP address by their Internet Service Provider, who has registered a number of IP addresses.
For example, suppose your ISP provides 100 addresses ranging from 109.145.90.100-109.145.90.199. They can assign their clients any address in that range.
Thus, all of these addresses belong to the ISP, as long as they are not assigned to the clients' computers.
In the case of a dial-up connection, you are assigned a new IP address each time you connect to the ISP. With most broadband ISPs, you will always be connected to the Internet, the IP rarely changes. It stays the same until your service provider requests otherwise.
Other Internet protocols
IP is only one type of protocol used to connect to the Internet and other networks. There are dozens of other different protocols that are also used to communicate between devices and programs. For example, SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is a protocol for sending e-mail from computer to computer.