What Is My IP Address?

Start with the network you actually want to check. If you are comparing home Wi-Fi, a wired connection and a VPN, change only one connection condition at a time. Close an old result before switching networks, then run a fresh check; an address captured earlier is a record of that earlier request, not a continuous indicator.

Select Check connection and wait for an address or an explicit failure. The tool sends a request to ipify’s IPv4 endpoint. It validates the returned address before displaying it and records the observation time. A blocked endpoint or timeout produces an unavailable result, not an invented address or a conclusion that the whole internet is offline.

Copy the result only when you need it for your own support or configuration task. The copied context includes the provider and time. Avoid posting a connection address in a public screenshot when it is not relevant. The address identifies an internet-facing network endpoint; by itself it does not establish a person, household or exact location.

To compare a VPN, run the same check before and after connecting, keeping the browser and endpoint constant. A changed public address is evidence that these requests used different exits. An unchanged address is not a complete VPN privacy assessment; split routing and application-specific proxies can affect other traffic differently.

A home router can translate traffic from several private devices onto one public IPv4 connection. A provider can add another shared translation layer. Consequently, two computers may report different private addresses but the same public address, while one computer can use different public exits for different routes. The what is my IP address question therefore needs a viewpoint: this tool answers what the selected external service observed. It cannot inspect the router’s administration interface, enumerate devices on Wi-Fi or read every network adapter from a normal browser page.

A public IPv4 query does not test IPv6. Use the dedicated protocol check if the address family matters. Failure to reach a single IPv4 API may be caused by filtering, an extension, temporary provider trouble or connection settings; it is not sufficient evidence for a wider diagnosis.

Dynamic addresses can change. Save the timestamp and connection context rather than treating one result as a permanent identifier. For a support conversation, explain whether you were on a VPN or mobile hotspot without sharing unrelated personal account details.

The displayed request duration is an HTTP measurement to the address service. It includes browser and service behavior and must not be described as the latency of your game server, Wi-Fi radio or every internet destination.

Suppose a laptop and phone on the same home Wi-Fi report the same public IPv4 address, while their local settings show different addresses. That is consistent with a shared internet exit and does not mean the two devices have been assigned the same local address. If the phone switches to cellular, a new external observation can change while the laptop’s observation remains the same. Record the connection transition rather than treating the old result as an error. This comparison answers a routing question; it does not identify all translation layers between either device and the service.

Keep the question, input, observation time and source together. A bare address, percentage or status code is difficult to interpret later because it omits the connection and measurement context. When comparing two observations, note what changed between them: the target, network, VPN state, selected adapter, record type or remote origin. Change one relevant condition at a time when possible. That makes the comparison easier to explain without inventing a cause from one number.

Save only information you actually need. Network records can reveal infrastructure names and connection details, even when they do not contain a password. Remove unrelated identifiers before sharing a screenshot with another person. Never put private credentials in a domain field or publish an internal hostname as part of a public test. A copied result is a snapshot, not a promise that the same conditions still apply when someone reads it later.

Kepo is a Mac desktop-widget product for repeated checks and small workflows. A labeled troubleshooting note or a supported monitoring widget can keep the relevant context accessible while you work. The download link opens the product workflow; this article does not automatically install a configured diagnostic widget, transfer your network inputs or start a scheduled check. Confirm the actual widget’s capabilities before relying on it for ongoing observations.