Every device that goes online gets an IP address, and every site you open sees it. Most explanations stop at "it's like a home address for your computer". That's half the picture. The useful half is what your IP actually tells others about you, who can see it and when you should care.
- An IP address (Internet Protocol address) is a number that identifies a connection on a network, so data knows where to go. Example:
203.0.113.42. - Your public IP is what websites see. It belongs to your router or mobile carrier, not to your phone. Your private IP (like
192.168.1.5) only exists inside your home network. - A public IP reveals your internet provider and an approximate area, usually a city. It does not reveal your name or street address.
- Every site, app and game server you connect to sees your public IP, and so does your internet provider.
- To hide it, use a VPN: sites then see the VPN server's IP and location instead.
What is an IP address, in plain words?
An IP address is a label that devices use to find each other online. When you open a website, your device sends a request with your IP as the return address. The site sends the page back to that address.
The numbers are handed out in blocks. The IANA gives ranges to regional registries, they give them to internet providers, and your provider gives one to your router or phone. That chain is why an IP points to a provider and a region, and not to a person.
You can see your own public IP, city and provider right now on the Atomic VPN homepage. The "Your exposure" panel shows what every website you visit can see.
Public vs private IP address
This is the part that confuses most people, and it answers "does everyone in my house have the same IP?" (yes, usually).
| Public IP | Private IP | |
|---|---|---|
| Who assigns it | Your internet provider | Your router |
| Who sees it | Every site, app and server you connect to | Only devices on your home network |
| Unique? | Unique on the internet at a given moment | Repeats in millions of homes |
| Example | 203.0.113.42 | 192.168.1.5 |
| Shared by | All devices on your Wi-Fi | One device |
Your router has one public IP from your provider and gives each device at home a private IP from reserved ranges: 10.x.x.x, 172.16-31.x.x and 192.168.x.x, defined in RFC 1918. When your laptop loads a page, the router swaps the private address for the public one on the way out (that's called NAT) and back on the way in.
So the answer to "is IP address based on Wi-Fi?" is yes, mostly. Change networks and your public IP changes: home Wi-Fi, mobile data and a café each give you a different one.
Why your IP might be shared with strangers
Many mobile carriers and some home providers don't have enough IPv4 addresses for every customer. They put hundreds of customers behind one public IP, a setup called carrier-grade NAT (the 100.64.x.x range in RFC 6598 is reserved for it). That's why the city shown for your phone is often wrong, and why you can get an "unusual traffic" CAPTCHA on Google for something someone else did.
IPv4 vs IPv6
| IPv4 | IPv6 | |
|---|---|---|
| Looks like | 203.0.113.42 | 2001:db8:85a3::8a2e:370:7334 |
| Total addresses | About 4.3 billion | 340 undecillion (practically unlimited) |
| Status | Ran out (ARIN's pool emptied in 2015), still the most used | Growing, about half of Google's traffic |
| Privacy quirk | Shared through NAT | Devices can get their own public address |
IPv6 was created because IPv4 ran out. The North American registry ARIN handed out its last free IPv4 block in September 2015, and most other regions ran out between 2011 and 2019. IPv6 is catching up: on one day in March 2026 it passed 50% of traffic reaching Google for the first time, and it has stayed just under that line since (Google IPv6 statistics). With IPv6, each device can have its own public address, which sounds worse for privacy. To fix that, phones and computers use temporary IPv6 addresses that change regularly (RFC 8981), so sites can't follow one device by its address for long.
Static vs dynamic IP
- Dynamic IP: changes from time to time. Almost all home and mobile connections work this way. Your router gets a lease from the provider and may get a new address after a restart or when the lease runs out.
- Static IP: stays the same. Businesses use them for servers, cameras and remote access. Providers usually charge extra.
That's the answer to "why does my IP address keep changing?": it's dynamic by design, and switching between Wi-Fi and mobile data changes it too.
What does your IP address reveal about you?
| Someone with your IP can learn | They can't learn |
|---|---|
| Your internet provider (Comcast, T-Mobile, a hotel network) | Your name |
| Approximate location: country, region, often city | Your street address or exact location |
| Whether it's a home, mobile, business or VPN connection | Your passwords, messages or files |
| Your time zone, roughly | What you do on HTTPS sites (from the IP alone) |
| That several visits came from the same connection | Which person in the house was using it |
Only your provider can match an IP to a customer account. In the US they hand that over to police with a valid legal request, not to curious people. Comcast's guidance for law enforcement, for example, says subscriber information isn't released without one, except in emergencies with a risk of death or serious injury.
The bigger privacy issue is that your IP links your activity together. Ad networks and data brokers combine it with cookies and device details to build profiles, which feed your digital footprint. And someone who sends you a tracking link can see your IP, city and device in one log, which is exactly how tools like Grabify work: What Is Grabify?
Who can see your IP address?
- Every website and app you connect to.
- Your internet provider, along with every site you connect to and when.
- Game servers and other players in some peer-to-peer games and voice chats.
- Email senders, if your email app loads images (tracking pixels).
- The Wi-Fi owner at home, work, school, hotels and cafés. They also see which sites you visit by domain: Can the Wi-Fi Owner See What You Search?
- Anyone who gets you to open a link they control.
Incognito mode doesn't change any of this. It only stops your browser from saving history on your device.
How to find your IP address
Public IP (what sites see): open the Atomic VPN homepage or search "what is my IP" in Google.
Private IP (inside your network):
- iPhone: Settings > Wi-Fi > tap the (i) next to your network > IP Address.
- Android: Settings > Network & internet > Internet > tap your network (the gear icon) > look for IP address.
- Windows: Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi > your network properties > IPv4 address. Or type ipconfig in Command Prompt.
- Mac: System Settings > Wi-Fi > Details next to your network > TCP/IP.
How to change or hide your IP address
Changing and hiding are different things.
Change it (get a new address from your provider):
- Restart your router and leave it off for a few minutes.
- Switch from Wi-Fi to mobile data, or the other way around.
- Ask your provider for a new IP.
Step-by-step guide: How to Change Your IP Address on iPhone. If you only want fewer trackers to see it, read how to limit IP address tracking on iPhone.
A new IP from the same provider still shows the same provider and area.
Hide it (sites see a different IP entirely):
- VPN: your traffic goes through a VPN server, and every site sees the server's IP and location instead of yours. Your provider sees that you're connected to a VPN, not which sites you visit. It's the only option here that covers every app on the device, not just one browser.
Right now your IP tells every site roughly where you are and who your provider is. Pick a country from 88+, hit Connect, and sites see the VPN server instead.
A quick way to see the difference: open the exposure panel on our homepage and note the city and provider it shows. Connect Atomic VPN to a server in another country, reload the page, and look again. The provider changes to a data center and the city to wherever you picked. That second picture is what every site, game server and tracking link gets from then on. Setup steps for each device: How to Set Up a VPN.
- Tor Browser: hides your IP for websites in that browser only. Slow, and many sites block it.
- Proxy: hides your IP in one app or browser, usually without encryption.
FAQ
What is an IP address in simple terms?
A number that identifies your connection online, so websites know where to send the data you request. Your router or mobile carrier gets the public one, and each device at home gets a private one.
Can someone find where I live from my IP address?
No. An IP shows your provider and an approximate area, usually a city or region. Only your provider can link it to your account and address, and they share it with police under a legal order.
Does everyone in my house have the same IP address?
Yes, the same public IP, because all devices go online through one router. Each device has its own private IP inside the network.
Is my IP address based on Wi-Fi?
Mostly. Your public IP belongs to the network you're on. Switch to mobile data or another Wi-Fi and you get a different one.
Why does my IP address keep changing?
Home and mobile IPs are dynamic: the provider can give you a new one after a router restart, when the lease ends or when you switch networks. Static IPs, which don't change, usually cost extra.
Does incognito mode hide my IP address?
No. Incognito only stops your browser from saving history and cookies on your device. Sites still see your IP. A VPN hides it.
