In this case, these two segments reveal not only your provider but also your city and state. Your online activity can be tracked too, even if you’re browsing in private or incognito mode.Īs we covered earlier, the first two segments in your IP address identify the network. Media companies like Netflix can also use that information to restrict access to their content. Private IP addresses generally can’t be tracked due to the way your router masks and handles data.įor example, advertisers can use your public IP address to display customized ads based on your location. Yes, your internet provider and other third parties can track your public IP address. These regional organizations then give them out to ISPs that operate in those regions so that they can assign them to devices-like your router-on their network. There are large international organizations that divide up available numbers by region. Each of these hardware components has a MAC address the router uses to assign private IP addresses.Īs for the public IP address, your internet provider can’t just make up a new number for you. If you have a device that can access your local network using a wired and wireless connection, it has two private IP addresses: one assigned to the Ethernet hardware and one assigned to the Wi-Fi radio. 1, then the first connected device is likely 192.168.0. So, if your router has a private IP address of 192.168.0. It uses this address to assign a unique address to all your wired and wireless devices. The router, in turn, has a private IP address not seen by your internet provider or the internet. In most cases, it’s your wireless router. Instead, your internet provider assigns an IP address to the device physically connected to the modem. Your internet connection starts at the modem, but it doesn’t have an IP address that the world can see. You get an IP address from your internet provider or your router, depending on the device.

How to find your ip address mac