Your public IP address, detected instantly
An IP address is the ID card of your internet connection. Every connected device has one, and it says more about you than you might think.
Every device connected to the internet is given a unique number by its provider: the IP address. It tells servers where to send the data you request.
Your IP reveals your country, your region and often your city. Websites use it to adapt their content, their prices and their geographic restrictions.
Every website you visit records your IP address in its connection logs. Your browsing history can therefore be pieced together, unless you use a VPN.
Your IP alone does not reveal who you are, but your internet provider knows which customer uses which address. A court order can force it to hand over that information.
Example: 216.73.216.105
Example: 192.168.1.42
When you browse the web, your public IP is the one sent to remote servers. It is the address websites record and geolocation services use. It is also the one mon-ip.io detects and shows at the top of this page.
Since the early days of the internet, IP addresses have followed the IPv4 protocol. Coded on 32 bits, an IPv4 address is written as four numbers separated by dots (e.g. 192.168.1.1). That allows a little over 4.3 billion addresses. The figure looked huge in the 1980s, but it fell far short once smartphones, smart home devices, security cameras, cars and watches came online.
To solve this shortage, IPv6 was designed in 1995 and has been rolled out gradually since. IPv6 addresses are coded on 128 bits, which gives an astronomical number of combinations (about 3.4 x 1038). Every grain of sand on Earth could have its own IPv6 address.
In 2026, both protocols coexist. Many providers now give their customers both an IPv4 and an IPv6 address. The full move to IPv6 is inevitable, but it will take years more, until the whole global infrastructure is updated.
Each block of IP addresses is assigned to an operator in a specific area. By matching this with specialised databases (such as MaxMind, IP2Location or DB-IP), it is possible to work out a user's country, region and often city from their IP address alone.
Online services use this technique widely:
IP geolocation is accurate to about 99% at country level, 80% at region level and 60 to 70% at city level. It never gives an exact street address.
Depending on your provider and your plan, your public IP address can be static (it never changes) or dynamic (it changes from time to time, often when your router restarts).
This is the most common case for home and mobile connections. Your provider gives you a temporary address from a pool of available addresses. It changes regularly, which helps your privacy a little but makes it hard to host a server without extra setup.
Needed to host a server, reach your home network remotely or use some business services. Business plans usually include one; for home plans, some providers offer it as an option.
Alternative: if your IP is dynamic and you need permanent access, a dynamic DNS service (DDNS) links a domain name to your IP, even when it changes.
Imagine having to remember 142.250.179.78 instead of google.com. That is the job of DNS (Domain Name System): translating domain names into IP addresses that machines understand.
When you type a URL in your browser, your device asks a DNS server (usually your provider's) for the matching IP address. This process, called DNS resolution, takes a few milliseconds and is invisible to the user.
Your choice of DNS server can affect your browsing speed and your privacy. Your provider's DNS servers can log every request you make, and therefore your browsing history. Alternatives such as Cloudflare (1.1.1.1), Google DNS (8.8.8.8) or Quad9 (9.9.9.9) are often faster and have stricter privacy policies.
Your IP address is sent in the clear to every website you visit. It is stored in server logs, used by ad networks for targeting and can be used for dynamic pricing. Some websites even publish the download activity linked to a given IP address, which shows how personal this information is.
A VPN encrypts your connection and replaces your IP with that of a remote server. It is the most complete option: privacy, safety on public Wi-Fi and almost no loss of speed. Some, like NordVPN, also block malware and trackers.
The Tor network routes your traffic through several encrypted relays. Anonymity is very high, but speed drops sharply, which makes streaming and downloads impractical.
A proxy sits between your browser and the internet. Your IP is hidden, but the connection is usually not encrypted, so it protects you less than a VPN.
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The quickest way is to visit mon-ip.io: your public IP address appears instantly at the top of the page, along with its location and your internet provider. You can also find it in your router's admin page (often at 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1).
A private (local) IP address is given by your router to each device on your home network (e.g. 192.168.1.x). It is only visible on your local network. A public IP address is given by your provider to your router: it is the one every website you visit can see, and the one used to locate you.
The most effective way is to use a VPN (virtual private network). A VPN replaces your public IP address with that of a remote server: the websites you visit no longer see your real address. You can also use a proxy or the Tor network, but a VPN offers the best balance between speed, security and ease of use.
Your IP address can reveal your country, your region and usually your city, but never your exact street address. Accuracy depends on your provider and on the database used. Only your provider, under a court order, can link an IP to a person.
IPv4 uses 32-bit addresses (e.g. 192.168.1.1), which allows about 4.3 billion addresses. To solve the shortage, IPv6 was created with 128-bit addresses, which allows an almost unlimited number of combinations. In 2026, both protocols coexist, and providers are gradually rolling out IPv6.
Most home and mobile providers give dynamic IPs: they change regularly. Business plans usually come with a static IP, which you need for hosting or remote access. Reload this page tomorrow to see whether your IP has changed!
Your IP reveals your approximate location and your provider, and lets others follow your activity online. Ad networks use it for targeting, some websites use it for dynamic pricing, and attackers can use it for targeted attacks. A VPN hides all of this information.
Encrypt your connection, hide your location and browse privately.
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