What is IP Address and its uses

Maybe, you hear IP Address in different field a lot, but what is it clearly? absolutely you see addresses such as 255.255.255.255 or 169.254.0.1 and other examples. We want to talk about this topic in this article. What is IP Address? How does it work? How to find it? And etc.

What is IP Address:

IP Address is a unique address that identifies a device on the internet. IP Address is the identifier that allows data and information to be sent between devices on a network. they include location information and make devices accessible for communication. The internet needs ways for differentiating between devices such as router, computers and websites.

IP Addresses provide a way to do and form an essential part of how the internet works. Actually, IP Address is a string of numbers separated by periods. IP Addresses are expressed as a set of four numbers. Each number in the set can range from 0 to 255. So, the full IP Address range goes from 0.0.0.0 to 255.255.255.255.

The IP Address is not random. They produce and allocate by IANA & ICANN. IANA is Internet Assigned Numbers Authority and ICANN is Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.

IP Address has two versions. The Internet Protocol Version 4 or IPv4 is older than other one. IPv4 has space for up to 4 billion IP addresses and is assigned to all computers. The other one is Internet Protocol version 6 or IPv6 is newer and has space for trillions of IP Addresses. Which accounts for the new breed of devices in addition to computers.

The other types of IP Addresses include Public, Private, Static and dynamic IP addresses. Each device with an internet connection has an IP address, whether it is a computer, laptop, IoT device or even toys. The IP Addresses allow for the efficient transfer of data between two connected devices, allowing machines on different networks to talk to each other.

Types of IP Address:

As we told you there are some types of IP Address that we are going to explain them in rest;

• Public IP Address:

One Types of IP Address is public address. A public IP address, or external-facing IP address, applies to the main device people use to connect their business or home internet network to their internet service provider (ISP). In most cases, this will be the router.

All devices that connect to a router communicate with other IP addresses using the router’s IP address. Knowing an external-facing IP address is crucial for people to open ports used for online gaming, email and web servers, media streaming, and creating remote connections.

• Private IP Address:

One Types of IP Address is private IP Address. A private IP address, or internal facing IP address, is assigned by an office or home intranet (or local area network) to devices, or by the internet service provider (ISP). The home/office router manages the private IP addresses to the devices that connect to it from within that local network.

Network devices are thus mapped from their private IP addresses to public IP addresses by the router. Private IP addresses are reused across multiple networks, thus preserving valuable IPv4 address space and extending addressability beyond the simple limit of IPv4 addressing (4,294,967,296 or 2^32).

In the IPv6 addressing scheme, every possible device has its own unique identifier assigned by the ISP or primary network organization, which has a unique prefix. Private addressing is possible in IPv6, and when it’s used it’s called Unique Local Addressing (ULA).

• Static IP Address:

Another one Types of IP Address is about all public and private addresses are defined as static or dynamic. An IP address that a person manually configures and fixes to their device’s network is referred to as a static IP address. A static IP address cannot be changed automatically. An internet service provider may assign a static IP address to a user account. The same IP address will be assigned to that user for every session.

• Dynamic IP Address:

One Types of IP Address is dynamic IP address. A dynamic IP address is automatically assigned to a network when a router is set up. The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) assigns the distribution of this dynamic set of IP addresses.

The DHCP can be the router that provides IP addresses to networks across a home or an organization. Each time a user logs into the network, a fresh IP address is assigned from the pool of available (currently unassigned) IP addresses. A user may randomly cycle through several IP addresses across multiple sessions.

How does IP Address work:

If you want to know why a particular device is not connecting in the way you would expect or you want to troubleshoot why your network may not be working. It helps to understand how IP Addresses work. Internet Protocol works the same way as any other language, by communicating using set guidelines to pass information.

All devices find, send, and exchange information with other connected devices using this protocol. By speaking the same language, any computer in any location can talk to one another.

Read more: What is MAC address

IP Address Classes:

Some IP addresses are reserved by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). These are typically reserved for networks that carry a specific purpose on the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), which is used to interconnect devices. Four of these IP address classes include:

1. 0.0.0: This IP address in IPv4 is also known as the default network. It is the non-routable and Meta address, that designates an invalid, non-applicable, or unknown network target.
2. 0.0.1: This IP address is known as the loopback address, which a computer uses to identify itself regardless of whether it has been assigned an IP address.
3. 254.0.1 to 169.254.254.254: A range of addresses that are automatically assigned if a computer is unsuccessful in an attempt to receive an address from the DHCP.
4. 255.255.255: An address dedicated to messages that need to be sent to every computer on a network or broadcasted across a network.

Further reserved IP addresses are for what is known as subnet classes. Subnetworks are small computer networks that connect to a bigger network via a router. The subnet can be assigned its own IP address system, so that all devices connecting to it can communicate with each other without having to send data via the wider network.

The router on a TCP/IP network can be configured to ensure it recognizes subnets, then route the traffic onto the appropriate network. IP addresses are reserved for the following subnets:

1. Class A: IP addresses between 10.0.0.0 and 10.255.255.255
2. Class B: IP addresses between 172.16.0.0 and 172.31.255.255
3. Class C: IP addresses between 192.186.0.0 and 192.168.255.255
4. Class D or multicast: IP addresses between 224.0.0.0 and 239.255.255.255
5. Class E, which are reserved for experimental usage: IP addresses between 240.0.0.0 and 254.255.255.254

IP addresses listed under Class A, Class B, and Class C are most commonly used in the creation of subnets. IP Address Classes within the multicast or Class D have specific usage rules outlined in the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) guidelines, while the release of Class E addresses for public use was the cause of plenty of debate before the IPv6 standard was introduced.

What is difference between IPv4 and IPv6:

Both of them connected devices on the network. However, there are slight differences in the way they operate. IPv6 is the newer IP version and was introduced to address the limitation IPv4 posed on the availability of IP addresses.

These different versions are difference in:

• IPv4 is 32-bit whereas IPv6 is 128-bit.
• In IPv4, binary bits are separated by a dot (.), IPv6 separates binary bits by a colon (:).
• IPv4 follows the numeric addressing method and IPv6 is alphanumeric.
• IPv4 offers 12 header fields and IPv6 offers eight header fields.
• IPv4 has checksum fields but IPv6 doesn’t.
• IPv4 supports broadcast, which is a type of special address that transmits data packets to every node on the network. IPv6 doesn’t support broadcast, but instead uses a multicast address, which is a logical identifier for a collection of hosts on a network.
• IPv4 supports Variable Length Subnet Mask, but IPv6 doesn’t.
• When mapping to media access control addresses, IPv4 uses the Address Resolution Protocol. IPv6 uses the Neighbor Discovery Protocol, which uses stateless auto-configuration and address resolution.

How to find IP Address:

There are different ways for looking up the IP Address of device. The simple way to find what is my IP Address in the internet browser such as google chrome or safari.

The returning address will be the public IP address of the requesting device.

• Windows 10 and Windows 11

Select Start>Settings>Network & internet>Wi-Fi and the Wi-Fi network you’re connected to.

Under Properties, look for your IP address listed next to IPv4 address.

• Mac

-Go to System Preferences.

-Select network. This should show the IP address information.

• iPhone

-Go to Settings.

-Select Wi-Fi and click on the information icon, which is the blue “I” in a circle to the right of the connected network.

-The IP address should be visible under the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) tab.

Read more: What is SFP port

How to hide your IP Address:

• VPN: A VPN hides your IP by masking it with the VPN server’s IP, giving you privacy. Your internet traffic passes through the VPN server, masking your real IP address with the server’s IP. This makes it difficult for others to track your online activities or identify your location.
• Proxy Server: Routes your data through a different server, hiding your real IP. When you use a proxy, your requests go through the proxy server, which hides your real IP address by replacing it with its own.
• Tor Browser: Encrypts and bounces your data around multiple servers for anonymity. This multi-layered routing makes it extremely difficult to trace your IP address or monitor your online activities.
• Enable Your Firewall: A firewall is a security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic. It can block unauthorized access to your device, making it harder for attackers to target your IP address.

Conclusion:

IP addresses are essential for connecting devices over the internet. While they help identify and communicate with other devices, it’s important to protect your IP to keep your information safe and private.

IP addresses also come with challenges such as privacy risks and vulnerability to cyberattacks. Understanding both the benefits and drawbacks of IP addresses helps us appreciate their importance in the digital world while enabling the need for effective protection measures. you can read other our blogs in Atech blog.

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