Guide
What is a public IP address?
Every device on the internet needs an address. The public one is what websites, games, and APIs see — not the 192.168 address on your home Wi‑Fi.
Why you should care
A public IP is how the internet delivers replies back to you. It is also a durable identifier: logs, bans, and geolocation usually key off that address, not your name.
If you use a VPN, the public IP should belong to the VPN server. If it still matches your ISP, the tunnel is not covering this connection.
Public vs private addresses
Your router hands out private addresses (192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x, or similar) that only work on the local network. Websites never see those for ordinary HTTPS visits.
The public IP is assigned by your ISP or VPN. One household often shares a single public IPv4 address through NAT.
Without a VPN
Sites see your ISP address
- Your device
- Home ISP IP
- Website
With a VPN
Sites should see the VPN exit instead
- Your device
- VPN exit IP
- Website
IPv4 and IPv6
IPv4 looks like four numbers (203.0.113.42). IPv6 is longer and hex. Many networks are dual-stack and can present both.
A page loaded over IPv6 reports an IPv6 public address. The other family may still exist on the same connection — a second check is needed to confirm it.
Location is not GPS
The city or country shown next to an IP comes from how that address block is registered, not from your phone’s location services.
VPN and hosting IPs often show a datacenter city. That is expected, not a bug in the lookup.
How to check
Open a public IP lookup, note the address and ISP, connect a VPN, and refresh. Both the number and the operator name should change.
An IP change alone does not prove DNS or WebRTC are covered — those are separate checks.
Remember
- A public IP is not your street address.
- Private LAN addresses are a different story — WebRTC can still expose them.
- Carrier-grade NAT means many customers may share one IPv4 address.
- Re-check after you connect, disconnect, or switch networks.
