What is an IP Address?
Whether you are trying to get your laptop hooked up to your router or you are in a place where you want to learn more about your computer and how it connects to the outside world in general, you will find that one great way to start is to consider your IP address. When you are looking at computers and what allows them to connect to the Internet, the term IP address is one that comes up fairly often, but you might be at a bit of loss as to how to explain it; even asking someone who knows how they work will not necessarily give you an answer that is satisfactory. When you are thinking about what an IP address is, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind.
The first thing that you need to understand is that the term IP address is short for “Internet Protocol.” It is a label that has been assigned to a user that allows them to connect to a larger network. An IP address is something that every site on the Internet has, however keep in mind that it is something that serves multiple functions. It has been stated that an IP address is a location as well as a route. If you want to get online, if you want to make sure that you have access to the information that is on the Internet, you will find that you need to have an IP address; essentially, it acts as your “passport.” At the most basic level, if your computer cannot find an IP address to use, it is not going to be able to get online As an Internet user, you will get your IP address from your Internet service provider, which is often abbreviated to ISP. When you hook your computer up to the Internet, whether you are using a cable modem or a direct Ethernet connection of some sort, you are putting your computer on your ISP’s network. In most cases, you will find that your computer is immediately given an IP address that you will be able to get online right away. At the beginning, you might need to go through a procedure where you confirm who you are and that you have service with the company in question, but you will find that in many cases, you can simply plug your computer in and get connected right away.
Another thing that you should keep in mind, when you are looking at an IP address is that it is not just your ISP that can give one out. For instance, do you have a wireless router in your workplace or in your home? You are still only getting one IP address through that router; the router’s role is to split up the connection and to allow you to use multiple devices on the same connection. The IP address goes through your router and then the router gives you another IP address, one that it generates. If you see an IP address that begins with 192.168.1.1, or 192.168.1.0, you will know that you are going through a router rather than being directly connected.
Finally, remember that an IP address is not a MAC address. In terms of computing, you will hear “MAC address” as often as you hear the term IP address, but you will find that they do not have much in common! A MAC address is string of 12 numbers and letters, usually separated into pairs by dashes, and you will find that this is essentially the name of the device in question. Every object that hooks to a network has a MAC address, and you will find that when you are on a network, the MAC address serves as your “name.” An ISP will allow the IP address to be received by one device, and in many cases, for many households, that device is the router. The router has a MAC address that is seen by the ISP, and because of this, the ISP will not see the MAC addresses of the devices behind the router. MAC addresses are used for a number of different things, but you will find that they are very important when it comes to securing your network. One way to secure a wireless network, for instance, and to ensure that no unauthorized person gets on it, is to make sure that your router is programmed to only grant access to a certain list of devices, as determined by their MAC addresses.
