How to find out the IP address of your computer: a set of recommendations

Ask about how to find out the IP address of your computer, you can in different situations. More often than not, users who decide to host a server on their computer face this. For example, you can run a gaming or FTP-server, and in order to be able to connect friends, you need to know its address. So, we'll look at how to find out the IP address of the computer. Everything will be set out in sufficient detail. So, let's get started.

What it is?

To go directly to the solution of an interesting question, it is necessary to thoroughly understand the main concepts used. This will avoid wrong actions. Note that the IP-address is the address of the device in the computer network. It can be local, that is, internal, or external. The first type is usually understood as the IP assigned to the computer within the local network. The external address is usually called the address in the World Wide Web. Users of the same local network can have different or identical external addresses.

What is it for?

With the IP address, other computers on the network can communicate seamlessly with your PC. Although this is not as simple as it sometimes seems at first glance. The IP address can be static, that is, constant, and can change with each connection to the Internet, that is, be dynamic. In this issue, everything depends on the provider providing the Internet connection. Typically, for each computer, the address is set within the range of available options available to the provider when a new connection is made. If you do not disconnect yourself from the Internet or use a proxy server, the IP address of the computer will not change by itself.

To determine whether your address is static or dynamic, you can disconnect and connect to the Internet, and then check your IP on a special website. Or you can just call technical support to ask about it. In the event that you need a permanent address, you should contact the provider. Very many companies provide this service, however it is usually paid.

Protocols

Currently, the IP protocol exists in two versions: IPv4 and IPv6. It turns out that the appearance of the address itself depends on the version installed. The IPv4 protocol uses addresses consisting of 32 bits. A similar address is represented as a quadruple of decimal numbers in the range from 0 to 255. In the IP address, each of these numbers is divided by dots. For example, 100.24.11.235 is the type of the IPv4 version address.

The IPv6 protocol assumes the use of 128-bit addresses. The record in this case looks like eight groups of four digits in hexadecimal notation. It looks like this: 2011: 0ed3: 0000: 0000: 0000: 0000: ea2d: 12ad. If the address contains groups consisting entirely of zeros, then it can be shortened by replacing such groups with a colon. For example, 2011: 0ed3 :: ea2d: 12ad will be completely identical to the one previously specified.

The IPv6 protocol was developed as a replacement for the obsolete fourth version. The problem of the predecessor at the moment is that its set of addresses is very limited, and now it is almost over. The process of transition from one standard to another is very sluggish, so for now it is worth considering how to find out the IP address of your computer, only in the light of the protocol of the fourth version. It is important to understand that the methods mentioned here are not unique.

How to find out the external IP address of a computer

It is quite easy to do this. At the moment there are a sufficient number of specialized sites that provide information about the IP address of the computer from which you visit them. We will present several such options, with which you will find out how to find out the IP address of your computer.

How to find out the internal IP address of a computer

Sometimes such a question arises, but this should not be a problem either. It is required to open the control panel, find the item dedicated to the network and the Internet, and then enter the network management center. In the opened window, you will be prompted to change the adapter settings. You should agree to do this. Next, you will see a window in which you will see the connection of your computer to the local network. So, if you are interested in where to find the IP address of the computer, open the connection with a double click of the mouse. You will see interesting information. Everything will be presented in a window called "Information - Local Area Connection". And it needs to click on "Details". The next window will display information about the current network connection. The item "IPv4 address" will indicate the current internal address.

These simple steps are enough to answer the question of how to find the IP address of the computer. It is worth saying that the internal address sometimes coincides with the external address, and sometimes it does not. It all depends on how your ISP works. So, we explained in detail how to find the IP address of your computer.