What’s an IP Address and How Do I Find Mine?

Whenever you want to browse the web or send an email, your computer needs to exchange information with a web server or with another computer. But how exactly do computers and servers locate one another when there are more than 7 billion devices sharing the internet?

The short answer: computers find one another by searching for each other’s IP address

What’s an IP address?

Think of an IP address like a mailing address:

[ADD A MAILBOX THAT HAS THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS: 1501 Page Mill Rd, Palo Alto, CA]

An IP address (which stands for “Internet Protocol address”) identifies the computer so other devices on the internet can find it and share information with it

Every computer has a unique IP address

HP Support Resources

Access these HP support resources to learn more about network settings and managing IP addresses on your HP devices.

Find the IP address for an HP printer

What’s IPv4?

The most common type of IP address is IP Version 4 (IPv4). An IPv4 address consists of 4 numbers separated by dots:

192.23.57.125

Each of those 4 numbers is represented by 8 binary digits (also known as an octet). Binary is a language that consists of alternating 0s and 1s:

192: 11000000

23: 00010111

57: 00111001

125: 01111101

In binary code, that IP address would look like:

11000000.00010111.00111001.01111101

Binary numbers can only go as high as 255, which is the maximum number in 8-digit binary: 11111111

Meet IPv6

As more and more computers were connected to the internet, there were concerns that there wouldn’t be enough IP addresses for every device! That’s why IPv6 was invented

IPv6 uses:

• Numbers 1-9
• Letters A, B, C, D, E, F

It also doubles the length of an IPv4 address

IPv6 has more possible IP combinations than IPv4. Rest assured there won’t be an IP Address shortage anytime soon

IPv6 is slowly being adopted by tech companies worldwide. As of 2019, nearly 30% of Google users connect to the site with an IPv6 address [1]. But IPv4 is still expected to be in use for years to come.

How does your computer get its IP address?

Your computer’s IP address is assigned by a program called the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). Usually, the DHCP is built into your network router

When your computer connects to a network:

• Your computer sends off a message requesting an IP address from a DHCP
• The DHCP issues an IP address to your computer that doesn’t match other IP addresses on the network

IP addresses have an expiration date. When your IP address expires, your computer will request a new one from the DHCP

Breaking down an IP address

A mailing address gives you several different kinds of identifiers:

1501: Building number

Page Mill Rd: Street name

Palo Alto: City name

CA: State name

An IP address can be broken down in the same way. There are 2 separate parts of an IP address: the Network ID and the Host ID

• Network ID: Identifies the network you’re connected to
• Host ID: Identifies your computer

192.23.57.125

Red: Network ID

Black: Host ID

How do computers use IP addresses to find one another?

Let’s say that you’re trying to visit a website on your web browser. First, you connect your computer to the internet:

• Your computer is given an IP address by your internet service provider (ISP)
• You enter the website name in the address bar in your browser - your computer sends a request for the website’s data
• Your data request first goes to a domain name server (DNS), which is also provided by your ISP
• The DNS translates the website name into an IP address {Store.HP.com 🡪 192.X.X.X.}
• Your request travels from network to network until it locates the IP address of the website you’re looking for
• The website server agrees to send you its data so you can browse the site
• Your IP address is included with your data request - it’s like a return address!

How can I find my computer’s IP address?

You can find your computer’s IP address in a couple of different ways!

The Google method:

• Type “What’s my IP address?” into the Google search engine and press Enter

The Windows 10 method:

• Open up your HP Windows laptop
• Press the Windows key
• Search for an open Settings
• Select Network & Internet
• Select either WiFi or Ethernet, depending on your connection type
• Select the network you’re connected to
• Scroll down the page and you’ll find your IP address and the DNS you’re connected to

On Windows 10, you can also find your computer’s IP address using the Windows Command Line:

• Press the Windows key and the X key at the same time
• Click either Command Prompt (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin), depending on the version you're running
• Type ipconfig and press the Enter key

Next time you browse the web, stream videos, send emails, or post to social media, take a moment and be thankful for your computer’s unique IP address!

[1] Google.com; IPv6 Statistics