Many users want to learn some information about IP. What does IP stand for? How does IP address work? How to check your IP address? You can find the answers to the above questions in this post. Besides, you can know the different types of IP.
What Does IP Stand for?
What does IP stand for? IP stands for “Internet Protocol”. IP is a piece of network software, which is provided with a computer, allowing you to interact with the Internet. IP is universal and no matter what kind of computer or network hardware you use, the IP process can work normally.
What does TCP/IP stand for? The TCP/IP protocol is a set of protocols (or stacks) that work in sequence. You can think of a collection as a team of robots, that is, soldiers who receive, process, and distribute data. Now, you can continue to read this post from MiniTool to get more information about IP.
How Does IP Adress Work?
How does IP address work? The following are the details.
Your device connects to the Internet indirectly by first connecting to a network connected to the Internet and then granting your device permission to access the Internet. When you are at home, the network may be your Internet Service Provider (ISP). At work, it will be your company network.
Your IP address is assigned to your device by your ISP. Your Internet activity goes through your ISP and then uses your IP address to route it back to you. Since they allow you to access the Internet, their responsibility is to assign IP addresses to the devices.
However, your IP address can be changed. When you travel (for example, traveling) and carry your device with you, your home IP address is not with you. This is because you will use another network (Wi-Fi in a hotel, airport, or coffee shop, etc.) to access the Internet, and you will use another (temporary) IP address assigned to you by your ISP. Hotel, airport, or coffee shop.
Types of IP Address
This part is about the different types of IP addresses. There are different categories of IP addresses, and in each category, there are also different types.
Consumer IP address
Every individual or business with an Internet service plan will have two types of IP addresses: their private IP address and their public IP address.
Dedicated IP address
Each device connected to the Internet network has a dedicated IP address. These include computers, smartphones, and tablets, as well as any Bluetooth-enabled devices such as speakers, printers, or smart TVs.
Public IP address
The public IP address is the main address associated with the entire network. Each connected device has its IP address, but they are also included in the main IP address of the network. Generally, ISPs have a large number of IP addresses assigned to customers. Your public IP address is the address that all devices outside the Internet network will use to identify your network.
There are two forms of public IP addresses – dynamic and static.
1. Dynamic IP address
The dynamic IP address is automatically changed periodically. The ISP purchases a large number of IP addresses and automatically assigns them to their customers. They will reassign them regularly and put the older IP addresses back into the pool for other customers to use. The basic principle of this method is to save costs for the ISP.
2. Static IP address
Contrary to dynamic IP addresses, static addresses remain the same. After the network assigns an IP address, it will remain unchanged. Most individuals and businesses do not need static IP addresses.
Related articles:
- Public VS Private IP Address: What Are the Differences?
- Static VS Dynamic IP: What Are the Differences and How to Check
How to Check Your IP Address
How to check your IP address? The easiest way to check the public IP address of the router is to search for What is my IP address on Google. Google will show you the answer at the top of the page. Here is an example.
To learn more methods to find your IP address, you can refer to this post – How to Find Your IP Address on Windows 10 S/10? (Four Ways).
Final Words
What does IP address stand for? I believe that you have got the answer now. Besides, you have known the types, work principles of IP addresses. What’s more, you can know how to check in different ways.
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Having been an editor at MiniTool since graduating college as an English major, Daisy specializes in writing about data backups, disk cloning, and file syncing as well as general computer knowledge and issues. In her free time, Daisy enjoys running and going with friends to the amusement park.