to communicate better with other devices

What exactly is the IP address?

IP address or Boarding Protocol Address constitutes the very basis of the Internet network. It is a clearly identifiable address of a device (PC, printer, web server, etc.) at the heart of an internal or external network. An IP address can also refer to a grouping of devices especially in the context of a broadcast or a multicast. Likewise, several addresses can be delivered to the same computer. In any case, an IP address can only be delivered once at the same time. IP addresses can be used to block, allow computer access to resources or even better determine the profile of users.

How to know the IP address of your PC?

By default, you should know that the Operating systems are composed of several internal tools in order to know the IP address of a device.

• In Windows, open the command prompt and enter the command ipconfig. You can also go through the Network and Sharing Center to view the details of the Local Area Connection;
• In Mac OC, open the Network panel located in System Preferences and display the active connection.

The IP address will be present as a series of numbers separated by periods. This link allows you to find out more about my IP address.

Use an online tool to find out more about your web address

There are several websites to display your IP address, such as My-Ip or Whatismyaddress. You can also use the website of theat CNIL in order to detect an IP address, but also to find out the internet service provider, as well as the approximate location. These public data can be used by internet services to display personalized information. On the other hand, there are solutions to protect your privacy on the internet.

Can I hide my IP address?

It is quite possible to hide your IP address, at least partially. In addition, the principle is the same: before being made available to the Internet user, the data packets are routed to a server with its own IP address.

You can use these various types of tools:

• the Tor Browser software on Mozilla Firefox allowing to browse anonymously. On the other hand, it will be quite complex to achieve a high connection speed, given that the data packets are circulating.
• The virtual private networks or VPN: These are virtual communication networks allowing the transfer of certain encrypted data. When surfing the web via a VPN, the server will see the IP address used, but not that of the Internet user;
• a proxy server : It accepts data packets for transmission via its own IP address.