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What Actually is an IP Address? - Part 1

You may have come across many advertisements asking you to download some security software and “hide” your IP Address, but have you ever wondered what it ACTUALLY is and why you have to hide it?

Definition of IP

The term IP Address is short for Internet Protocol Address. The Internet Protocol is a set of rules which govern the format of data sent through any network, and it finds the route for the data.

Definition of IP Address

Our home address identifies where we live and it contains the house number, street name, locality, etc. Likewise, IP Addresses locate a device over the internet, it is the identifier that allows data to be transmitted with the previously defined Internet Protocol. The internet needs a way to differentiate between computers and these addresses provides it.

What is the format of an IP Address

An IP Address is a set of 4 numbers seperated with periods, each of them ranging from 0 - 255 (Example: 192.168.1.1). Thefore, the full range for this goes from 0.0.0.0 to 255.255.255.255 IP Addresses are NOT random, but they are allocated mathematically by the Internet Assigned Numbers authority (IANA), which is a division of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

Now, to the fun part…

How do IP Addresses actually work?

The Internet Protocol works similar to any language, spoken by humans or computers. It communicates using a set of guidelines to pass the information (or data). All devices use this same language, so any computer in any place can talk to each other.

The process is something like this:

1. The device you use connects to the internet by first connecting to the network which is connected to the internet. This network is probably your Internet Service Provider (ISP, these are the various brands such as Jio and ACT) at home or your company network at work.
2. Your IP address is assigned to your device by the ISP.
3. All your internet activity actually goes through the ISP, and they route it back to you with your IP Address.

Your IP Address can also change when you turn your modem/router on and off, or when you connect to another network such as at an airport or railway station.

There are several types of IP Addresses, security threats, etc which we will talk about in the next edition.