Every phone, laptop, printer and router in your home or office has an IP address. It is how your devices find each other, and how the wider internet finds you. Most of the time you never need to think about it, but when your Wi‑Fi drops out, a printer refuses to connect or you are setting up a security camera, knowing how to find and understand an IP address can save a lot of frustration.
In this guide, we explain everything in plain English: what an IP address is, the different types, how to find your IP address on any device, how to change it, and what is (and isn’t) possible when people talk about finding or tracking someone else’s IP address.
What Is an IP Address?
An IP address (Internet Protocol address) is a unique string of numbers that identifies a device on a network. Think of it like a street address for your computer. When you load a website, the website’s server needs to know where to send the data, and your IP address is the “delivery address”.
An IP address does two main jobs:
- Identifies the device on a network, so data reaches the right computer, phone or printer.
- Shows the location of the device on the network, so data can be routed to it.
Here is what an IP address looks like:
- 192.168.1.25 (IPv4)
- 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334 (IPv6)
There are several different types of IP address, and they are often confused. Let’s break them down.
IPv4 and IPv6: The Two Versions of IP Address
There are two versions of the Internet Protocol in use today.
IPv4
IPv4 is the original and still the most widely used version. An IPv4 address is made up of four numbers between 0 and 255, separated by dots, for example 203.0.113.42. It is a 32‑bit address, which allows for roughly 4.3 billion unique addresses.
That sounded like plenty in the 1980s. With billions of phones, laptops, smart TVs, cameras and other connected gadgets, the world has effectively run out of new IPv4 addresses. That is one reason internet providers share addresses between customers and why IPv6 was created.
IPv6
IPv6 is the newer standard. An IPv6 address is 128 bits long and written as eight groups of hexadecimal characters separated by colons, for example 2001:db8:85a3::8a2e:370:7334. It allows for a practically unlimited number of addresses, so every device can have its own.
IPv6 also has some built-in improvements for efficiency and security. Many New Zealand internet providers and modern routers now support IPv6 alongside IPv4 (known as “dual stack”), so you may well have both without realising.
| Feature | IPv4 | IPv6 |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 32‑bit | 128‑bit |
| Format | Four numbers separated by dots | Eight hex groups separated by colons |
| Example | 192.168.1.25 | 2001:db8::1 |
| Number of addresses | About 4.3 billion | Virtually unlimited |
| Still widely used? | Yes, the most common | Growing steadily |
Public IP Address (External IP Address)
Your public IP address, also called your external IP address, is the address the rest of the internet sees. It is assigned to your router by your internet service provider (ISP), and every device in your home or office shares it when they go online.
When you visit a website, that website sees your public IP address, not the individual address of your laptop or phone. A public IP address can reveal your approximate location (usually your city or region) and your ISP, but not your street address or your name.
A few things worth knowing:
- Your public IP address is the same for every device connected to your router.
- It is usually dynamic, meaning your ISP may change it from time to time.
- Some ISPs use shared addressing (known as CGNAT), so several customers can share one public IP address.
Private IP Address (Local IP Address)
Your private IP address, also called your local IP address, identifies a device inside your home or office network. Your router hands these out to each device, and they are only visible on your local network, not on the wider internet.
Private addresses come from reserved ranges:
- 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255
- 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255
- 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255
This is why so many home networks have devices with addresses starting with 192.168. Your laptop might be 192.168.1.20, your phone 192.168.1.21 and your printer 192.168.1.30. Millions of homes use the same private ranges, and it doesn’t matter, because they are never exposed to the internet.
You need your local IP address for jobs such as setting up a network printer, connecting to a NAS (network storage drive), remote desktop access, or configuring a security camera.
Static IP Address vs Dynamic IP Address
An IP address can be dynamic or static.
A dynamic IP address is assigned automatically by your router (for local devices) or your ISP (for your public address) and can change over time. This is the default for almost every home network.
A static IP address is fixed. It doesn’t change unless you change it manually. Static IP addresses are useful when you need a device to be reliably reachable at the same address, for example:
- Network printers and scanners
- Security cameras and CCTV recorders
- File servers and NAS drives
- Remote access to a business computer or server
- Hosting a website, email or VPN server
There are two ways to get a static address. For devices on your local network, you can either set a DHCP reservation in your router (the router always gives the same address to that device) or manually enter the address on the device. For a static public IP address, you usually need to request one from your ISP, which often costs extra and is common for business plans.
Gateway IP Address
The gateway IP address (also called the default gateway) is the local address of the device that connects your network to the internet, which in nearly every home and small business is your router.
When your computer wants to talk to anything outside your local network, it sends the traffic to the gateway first. Common gateway addresses are 192.168.1.1, 192.168.0.1 and 10.0.0.1.
You will need the gateway address to open your router’s settings page in a web browser, change your Wi‑Fi password, set up port forwarding or troubleshoot connection problems. We show you how to find it in the sections below.
How to Find Subnet Mask From IP Address
A subnet mask tells your device which part of an IP address identifies the network and which part identifies the individual device. A typical home network uses the subnet mask 255.255.255.0, which is sometimes written as /24. It means that devices with addresses from 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.254 are all on the same local network.
Here is the honest answer to a common question: you can’t reliably work out the subnet mask from an IP address alone, because the same IP address can be used with different masks. The correct way to find it is to read it from the device or router configuration. You can do this by:
- Windows: Open Command Prompt, type ipconfig and press Enter. The subnet mask is listed directly beneath your IPv4 address.
- Mac: Go to System Settings > Network > your connection > Details. The subnet mask is shown under TCP/IP. Or in Terminal, type ifconfig and look for netmask.
- Phone or router: Check the Wi‑Fi connection details or the router’s admin page.
If you do have an address written in CIDR notation (for example 192.168.1.25/24), you can convert the number after the slash into a subnet mask. A few common ones:
| CIDR | Subnet mask | Usable devices |
|---|---|---|
| /24 | 255.255.255.0 | 254 |
| /16 | 255.255.0.0 | 65,534 |
| /8 | 255.0.0.0 | 16,777,214 |
Older networking textbooks also describe “classes” (Class A, B and C) with default masks, so a 192.168.x.x address would default to 255.255.255.0. That is a useful rule of thumb for a typical home network, but modern networks can use any mask, so always confirm on the device itself.
How to Find My IP Address
The method depends on what you are looking for. There are two main questions:
- What is my public (external) IP address? The easiest way is to search “what is my IP” in Google, or visit a site such as whatismyip.com. It will show the address that websites see. You can also find it in your router’s status page.
- What is my local (private) IP address? This is found in the network settings of your device, as shown below.
How to Find the IP Address of My Computer (Windows and Mac)
Windows 10 and Windows 11
- Click the Start menu, type cmd and open Command Prompt.
- Type ipconfig and press Enter.
- Look for IPv4 Address. This is your local IP address. You will also see the Subnet Mask and Default Gateway listed beneath it.
Alternatively, go to Settings > Network & internet > Wi‑Fi (or Ethernet), select your connection and scroll down to the properties, where the IPv4 address is listed.
Mac (macOS)
- Click the Apple menu and open System Settings.
- Go to Network and select Wi‑Fi (or Ethernet).
- Click Details next to your connected network, then choose TCP/IP. Your IP address, subnet mask and router (gateway) address are listed there.
On older versions of macOS, go to System Preferences > Network > Advanced > TCP/IP. You can also open Terminal and type ipconfig getifaddr en0 for Wi‑Fi.
How to Find the IP Address of My Phone (Android and iOS)
iPhone and iPad (iOS)
- Open Settings > Wi‑Fi.
- Tap the information (i) icon next to your connected network.
- Your IP address, subnet mask and router address are shown on the screen.
Android
- Open Settings > Network & internet (or Connections) > Wi‑Fi.
- Tap the connected network (or the gear icon next to it).
- Scroll down or tap Advanced to see your IP address.
On some Android phones, you can also go to Settings > About phone > Status information > IP address. Menus vary slightly between Samsung, Google Pixel and other brands.
If your phone uses mobile data rather than Wi‑Fi, the address you see in the settings may not be the one the internet sees. Use a “what is my IP” website to check.
How to Find the IP Address of Other Computing Devices (Printer, Router and More)
Router
Your router’s local address is the default gateway, which you can find using the Windows or Mac steps above. It is often also printed on a label on the router itself, along with the default login details. Type it into your browser’s address bar to access your router’s settings. To see every device connected to your network and its IP address, look for a connected devices, client list or DHCP page in the router’s admin area.
Printer
- Use the printer’s control panel menu to go to Network or Wireless settings and view the IP address, or
- Print a network configuration page or status report, which lists the IP address, or
- On Windows, go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, select your printer, then open Printer properties and check the port.
Other devices (smart TVs, game consoles, security cameras, NAS drives)
Most have a Settings > Network > Status or About screen that shows the IP address. Alternatively, look at your router’s list of connected devices, where each device usually appears by name along with its IP address.
Tip: If you find a device on your network you don’t recognise, change your Wi‑Fi password straight away, as it could be someone using your connection without permission.
How to Find Someone’s IP Address
People search for this for all sorts of reasons: checking a suspicious email, dealing with harassment, or simply curiosity. It is worth being clear about what is realistic and what is not.
Legitimate ways you may see another party’s IP address:
- Your own website or server logs. If someone visits your website, your hosting logs record the visitor’s public IP address.
- Email headers. Most emails include header information that can show the originating server, which is helpful for investigating phishing and spam. Note that Gmail, Outlook and other webmail services often hide the sender’s personal IP address and show only the mail server.
- Your own network. Your router lists the devices connected to your Wi‑Fi, including guests.
What doesn’t work: Free “IP grabber” links, and tools that promise to reveal someone’s IP address from a social media account or messaging app, are generally scams or malware traps. Please don’t click on them or use them.
Please also keep this in mind: an IP address is personal information and it is not a safe or legal way to find someone’s home. If you are being harassed, threatened or scammed, keep the evidence (screenshots, emails, dates) and report it to the New Zealand Police or Netsafe (netsafe.org.nz). They can work with ISPs through the proper legal channels.
How to Track an IP Address
You can look up an IP address using an IP geolocation tool, but it is important to know what these tools can and can’t tell you.
What an IP lookup can show:
- The country, region and approximate city
- The internet service provider (ISP) or organisation that owns the address
- Whether the address belongs to a VPN, proxy or data centre
What it can’t show:
- A street address or the person’s name
- The exact physical location of the device
- Anything reliable if the person is using a VPN or mobile network
To look up an address, paste it into a geolocation or “WHOIS” tool. This is helpful for checking a suspicious login to one of your accounts or identifying where unexpected traffic is coming from. If you see a login from an unfamiliar country, change your password immediately and turn on two-factor authentication.
Only your ISP knows which customer was using a particular IP address at a particular time, and it will only release that information to authorities with proper legal process. This is why tracking someone down by IP address alone is not something an ordinary person can do, and trying to is likely to get you inaccurate results.
How to Change IP Address
There are a few ways to change your IP address, depending on which one you mean.
Change Your Public IP Address
- Restart your router. Turn off the router for at least a few minutes (some providers need longer, even overnight) and then switch it back on. With many ISPs, you will be assigned a new public address.
- Contact your ISP. They can often refresh or reassign your address.
- Use a VPN. A virtual private network replaces the public IP address that websites see with the VPN server’s address. This is also useful for privacy on public Wi‑Fi.
- Switch networks. Using your phone’s mobile hotspot gives you a different public address from your home broadband.
Change Your Local (Private) IP Address
On Windows:
- Open Command Prompt as administrator.
- Type ipconfig /release and press Enter.
- Type ipconfig /renew and press Enter.
This requests a new address from the router. To set a fixed address manually, go to Settings > Network & internet > Wi‑Fi (or Ethernet) > your network > IP assignment > Edit, and switch from Automatic (DHCP) to Manual.
On Mac: Go to System Settings > Network > your connection > Details > TCP/IP, and choose Renew DHCP Lease, or set Configure IPv4 to Manually to enter a static address.
On iPhone or Android: Open the Wi‑Fi network details and choose Configure IP (iOS) or IP settings (Android) and switch from automatic or DHCP to manual or static. You can also “forget” the network and reconnect, which usually gives the phone a new address.
A word of caution: If you set a static address by hand, choose one outside your router’s automatic (DHCP) range and make sure no other device is using it, otherwise you will get an IP conflict and lose your connection. The cleanest approach is to set a DHCP reservation in the router.
Common IP Address Problems
Many everyday network problems come down to IP settings, including:
- “IP address conflict” errors when two devices have the same address
- A printer that suddenly stops printing because its address has changed
- No internet access because a device has a self-assigned address starting with 169.254, which means it could not get an address from the router
- Security cameras or NAS drives that can’t be reached after a router change
- Wi‑Fi dropouts caused by router or DHCP misconfiguration
- Remote access set-up for staff working from home
If you have tried the steps above and still can’t connect, try restarting your router and devices, then contact your internet provider.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it safe to share my IP address? Generally yes. Your public IP address on its own can’t reveal your home address or identity, but it is best not to post it publicly, as it can be used to target your network with attacks.
Does my IP address change? Your private address can change each time a device reconnects unless it is reserved. Your public address may change when your router restarts or at your ISP’s discretion, unless you have a static public address.
Can two devices have the same IP address? Not on the same network. Devices on different private networks (such as two different homes) can use the same private address without any problem.
What is the difference between a gateway IP and a public IP? The gateway IP is the local address of your router, used inside your network. The public IP is the address your ISP gives your router, used to communicate with the internet.
Final Thoughts
Understanding IP addresses makes troubleshooting your home or office network much easier. Now that you know the difference between public and private, static and dynamic, and IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, you can find the address you need on any device and fix common connection problems with confidence.