Instant Reverse IP Lookup

IP stands for Internet Protocol, and an IP address is a unique identifier for devices on a local or wide area network. An IP address contains location and identification information so that users can send information back and forth across the internet or a local network.

IP addresses are issued and governed by Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), which is a division of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). ICANN was established in 1988 and is a non-profit organization designed to keep the internet secure and manageable.

IP Address Lookup with Infotracer.com

Internet Protocol is a set of guidelines for communicating online. IP was designed to find, send, and receive information. It is the language devices use to communicate online. The way it works is this:

• A computer or mobile device connects to a more extensive network such as the user’s ISP (internet service provider) or company network, granting access to the internet
• The ISP assigns the device a unique IP address. The internet service provider routes all the incoming and outgoing traffic using that IP address. However, keep in mind when the device or router is rebooted, that IP address may change, and the ISP will assign a new one. Also, when people travel, they will be using a different IP address assigned to them by the hotel, airport, or other network that they connect to when accessing the internet

There are two types of IP addresses, public and private. Public IP addresses are those assigned to by the ISP and may change periodically. A public IP is what identifies the user (or user’s home as a whole) on the internet. A private IP address cannot be seen outside the local network, but it identifies each device connected to the router. For example, a computer may have one IP address and a mobile phone another even though both are connected to the same home network. Every device connected to the same network, including IoT devices, is assigned an internal/private IP.

There are two types of public IP addresses. One is called dynamic, which most users have, and the other is static.

Companies often purchase static IP addresses, which never change. They stay the same as long as the company uses them. Dynamic IP addresses change whenever the ISP disconnects from the device or refreshes any equipment. After a power outage when the network equipment comes back online, the IP address will change.

As the population and internet traffic have grown, IP addresses have also evolved. iPv4 is an older type of IP address that uses a 32-bit address, allowing for only 4.3 billion different combinations. With a world population of nearly 8 billion and each of those users owning multiple internet-capable devices, iPv4 is no longer sufficient to identify all devices accurately. IPv6 was designed to solve this problem by introducing 128-bit hexadecimal addresses, generating more unique numbers. In addition, iPv6 addresses were developed from the ground up to support greater security.