IP address

Each device on the network has its own IP address. You can think of it as something like your home address. When you order a package, the postman or delivery service needs to know the address where to deliver it. IP addresses on a network work in a similar way.

What is an IP address ?

By definition, an IP address (Internet Protocol address) is a unique identifier assigned to each device connected to a network. So, as mentioned, it is a number that a device has on the network and is used to communicate with other devices.

IPv4 & IPv6

There are two main versions of IP addresses, namely IPv4 and IPv6.

IPv4 has 4 bytes (32 bits) e.g. 192.168.1.1 and is still the most commonly used, but its address space has been exhausted.

IPv6, on the other hand, has a much larger address space and has 16 bytes (128 bits). e.g. fe80:0000:0000:0000:3fa6:540e:4cd3:6c5f. And they are written in hexadecimal.

IP address distribution

IP addresses can then be divided into two main categories: public and private.

Public IP addresses are assigned directly to the Internet and are unique for each device e.g. Google: 8.8.8.8.

Private IP addresses are used on private networks (e.g. home or business) and are not directly accessible from the Internet e.g. 192.168.50.1

MAC and IP address

MAC address(Media Access Control) is a unique serial number assigned by the manufacturer that cannot be changed. It is the physical designation of a network element (printer, computer, phone).

An IP address is a number used to identify devices on the Internet and on the network. The Ip address is obtained from the router using the DHCP protocol or you set it manually (statically).

How do I find out the IP or MAC address ?

On your computer, type cmd into the search to get to the terminal/console.

type ipconfig

and you will find the IPv4 Address line for your adapter

For the Mac address, type ipconfig -all

and look for the Physical Address/Mac Address line