Every device connected to the internet has an IP address — a unique number that identifies where you are on the network. This tool looks yours up instantly and shows you everything attached to it: your location, ISP, timezone, and browser details.
No sign-up required. Nothing is stored or logged.
Looking up your IP address…
What is an IP address?
An IP (Internet Protocol) address is a unique number assigned to your device when it connects to the internet. Think of it like a postal address — it tells other computers where to send information so it reaches you and not someone else.
Public vs private IP
The address shown above is your public IP — the one websites and services see when you visit them. Your router also assigns a private IP to each device on your home network (like 192.168.x.x), but that stays local and is never visible to the outside world.
Why does my location look wrong?
IP geolocation is based on registration data, not GPS. It usually gets your country and city right, but can sometimes show a nearby city or your ISP's headquarters instead. If you are using a VPN, it will show the location of the VPN server rather than where you actually are.
Is my IP address personal data?
Under UK and EU law (GDPR), IP addresses are considered personal data because they can potentially be used to identify an individual. Websites are required to handle them responsibly. This page does not store or log your IP address.
When I Actually Check This
Most people only search for “what is my IP address” when something is broken, and that is exactly when I use a page like this. It is useful when a streaming service thinks you are in the wrong country, when a work VPN will not connect, when a game console says your NAT type is awkward, or when you are trying to work out whether your broadband provider has changed your connection.
The number itself is rarely the whole answer. What matters is the pattern around it. If the IP address changes after you restart your router, you probably have a normal dynamic home broadband connection. If it stays the same for months, your provider may have assigned a static IP. If the location shown is hundreds of miles away, that does not automatically mean anything is wrong: many UK ISPs route traffic through regional network centres, so your public location can look like London, Manchester, Leeds, or somewhere else entirely.
What Your IP Address Can Reveal
Your public IP can usually reveal your internet provider, broad region, and sometimes the type of network you are using. It does not reveal your name, home address, phone number, or exact GPS location to a normal website. That distinction matters, because IP privacy advice online often swings between “it means nothing” and “everyone can find your house”. Neither is quite right.
In practical terms, a website can often infer that you are on BT, Sky, Virgin Media, Vodafone, Three, or another provider. It may also be able to guess your rough city or county. If you are on a mobile network, the location can be even less precise. If you are using a VPN, the IP address and location should match the VPN exit server rather than your actual broadband connection.
Quick Checks If Something Looks Wrong
If the location looks wrong, first check whether a VPN, iCloud Private Relay, work security tool, browser privacy mode, or mobile hotspot is active. Any of those can change the public IP address a website sees. Next, check the same page from another device on the same Wi-Fi. If both devices show the same result, the address belongs to the network rather than one individual device.
If only one device shows a different IP address, that device is probably routing through a VPN, proxy, mobile connection, or security app. This is common on work laptops, school devices, and phones with privacy features switched on.
Public IP vs Router IP vs Device IP
This page shows your public IP address. That is the address the wider internet sees. Your phone, laptop, TV, and printer also have private IP addresses inside your home, usually starting with 192.168, 10., or 172.16 to 172.31. Those private addresses are only used inside your home network.
Your router sits between the two worlds. To your laptop, the router has a private address such as 192.168.1.1. To the internet, the router uses your public IP address. That is why everyone in the house usually appears to have the same public IP when they visit a website from the same Wi-Fi.
Should You Hide Your IP Address?
Sometimes, yes. A VPN can be useful on public Wi-Fi, when travelling, or when you want to stop your broadband provider seeing the domains you connect to. It can also help if a service is behaving oddly because of a stale location record attached to your ISP’s address range.
But a VPN is not magic security armour. It does not stop phishing, weak passwords, scam websites, dodgy downloads, or tracking inside apps where you are already logged in. For family security, I would put strong passwords, two-factor authentication, router updates, and sensible parental controls ahead of obsessing over the IP address itself.
