When surfing the net, your IP address is what helps you to be identified by web servers. You may begin to wonder “what is my ip address”? Well, IP is an acronym for internet protocol. An IP address is a string of numbers or a combination of numbers and letters that is used to tag the location of a device while also providing information about its host, service provider, and other basic privacy information.
While using the internet without a proxy or firewall, your IP address is left vulnerable to hackers and websites that want to access your location and information. Before delving into finding IP addresses and checking connection speed, here is a little information about the types of IP addresses.
Types of Internet Protocol : IPV4 and IPV6
Originally, Internet protocol addresses were made to follow a 32bit protocol called IPV4. The IPV4 addresses were made to cater to about 4 billion users and were made of numbers separated by periods.
An Example of an IPV4 address is 19.894.194.92. After the IPV4 addresses were all appointed to users, IPV6 was then adapted to make up for the users on the internet who still needed to be assigned IP addresses. Using a 128-bit protocol, it is a combination of alphabets and characters which are separated by colons (:) e.g 1998:1swv4:65ue:2222:6289:6h7g:8765:3672.
IPV6 addresses are usually longer than their IPV4 counterparts. The major difference between the IPV4 and IPV6 protocols is their string formats, the use of different separators, and their numeric and alphanumeric characters.
IPV4 is broadcast enabled, while IPV6 does not allow broadcasts. Their address mapping protocols are different. The memory required by the IPV6 protocol is more than the IPV4.
The two types of IP addresses are vastly different and the need for IPV6 arose from the exhaustion of available IPV4 identifiers to assign.
How to Find an IP Address and Check Your Internet Speed ?
Finding your IP address is pretty easy. You can access your IP address information using the Settings application on your mobile device or by going to the Control Panel of your PC. An easy way to check also is by using websites that provide IP address information. An advantage of these sites is that they provide you with information about your Internet speed test and vulnerability status.
When trying to find your device IP using a website, the information can be gathered by simply opening the website. You can use a website to check your device’s IP when using a VPN or proxy server to confirm that they are working. The IP address displayed by the website is your public IP address. This address also determines what location is being displayed to sites and servers that you connect to.
Conclusion
Furthermore, by using a website to confirm your IP, you can find out the type of IP address you have and also find a suitable VPN location to use when streaming with video sites like Netflix. This helps you bypass local restrictions on certain movies. And you can also test your VPN strength and connection speed. This can help determine if your Internet provider is deliberately reducing your bandwidth when you use a VPN. By checking your IP with a website, you save yourself a lot of stress and can find easier and safer ways to access the Net.
