The meaning of IP address, «Internet Protocol Address», is a string of numbers, Responsible for identifying each computer or device connected to the network. By IP address, you can identify the device connected to the Wi-Fi network, so when you want to connect any device to a restricted Wi-Fi network, they will ask you for the device’s IP address, and they will give it registered into the system, so they will be able to pass the internet to devices with that IP address.
How do IP addresses work?
There are several types of IP addresses, in the case of a public IP address or «IPv4», it is the address of a device on the Internet, usually used for Each device is assigned a new address Every time the device is connected to the Internet network. A router’s job is to assign an IP address to every device connected to the network being broadcast, and the router actually assigns an IP address to itself.
On the other hand, each IP address of a device is unique, it is responsible for identifying each device on the network, and the address of one device cannot be the same as the address of another device.this address is consists of four digitsseparated by dots, some numbers may have a combination of three digits (192.168.10.1).
In addition to identifying devices connected to a network, IP addresses are also responsible for communicating with each other within the network. On the other hand, there are several types of IP addresses:
- Public IP: Also known as IPv4, it is responsible for identifying the internet connection of a device in an internet provider, this address is assigned by a router or a device that extends internet connectivity to devices connected directly to the internet. This type of IP address cannot be duplicated.
- Private IP: This address is responsible for identifying the device on the local network or LAN. In some cases these can be duplicated, but they must be entirely in separate networks, otherwise there will be conflicts between the networks and the network will not function properly.
- Dynamic IP: Unlike other addresses, this address changes from time to time, so the duration of this address is limited and not deterministic. With this IP address, the problem of exhausting the address range is avoided, making the network more secure, avoiding attacks, and making it difficult to trace.
- Fixed or Static IP: This address is manually operated and allows the device to connect to the network, always using the same IP address. With this type of IP address, you can have a larger communication range, but this type of address is less private and therefore easily hacked.
What should you do to know your router’s IP address?
You can view the IP address of the router from any device connected to the network The router is broadcasting. It should be noted that the process of obtaining an IP address will depend on the device you use to know the address.
A given IP address of a router is called «Default Gateway»the name refers to the access door you have to network from your home to the rest of the world.
from a Windows computer
On a computer with a Windows OS, you must first open the Windows menu, in the search bar you must test «execute», there will be a command prompt, you must test the word «ipconfig», and immediately a window, use all your computer’s IP addresses, you’ll see several IP addresses, but one of your routers will be the one called «default gateway».
with your mac
The first thing you should do to know your router’s IP address on your Mac is Press the apple iconthis will be found at the top of your screen, there you will see a menu with several options, you have to click on the «System Preferences» option, there, look for the «Network» option.
In that place, on the left side of the screen, you will see the network your computer is connected to, in the bottom right corner of the screen there will be an option called «Advanced Options», enter it here and click on the name TCP/IP, in the There you can see the IP address of your router.
Via your Android phone
You can also check the address from an Android phone, you just need to perform a few steps.The first is to go into the settings app, then to the Wi-Fi tab, where the network created by your router will appear, make sure The device is connected to a Wi-Fi networknext to the network name, an arrow will appear and when you press there you will see a list of options which will be «Gateway», the IP address of your router.
Use your iOS device
To extract addresses from iPhone phones, the process is similar to Android phones. The first thing you should do is open your phone settings, then go to the wifi tab, Click the network your device is connected to There you will see the IP address under the router options.
on Linux
In this case you have to go to the notification area first, press the network icon there, find and select the option there «Network connection or configuration information»where you can see your router’s IP address and that’s it.