IP GuidePublic IP vs private IP
Your public IP is visible to websites. Your private IP is used inside your home, office or local network.
The short version
A public IP address is the address the internet sees. When you open a website, stream video, check email or use an online game, the remote service usually sees your public IP. That is the address shown by CheckIP Space on the home page.
A private IP address is used inside a local network. Your laptop, phone, printer, smart TV and router may all have private addresses such as 192.168.1.24, 10.0.0.15 or 172.16.5.8. These addresses are not normally reachable from the public internet.
Comparison table
Public IPAssigned by an ISP, hosting provider, VPN or carrier.Visible to websites and external services.
Private IPAssigned by a router, office network or device hotspot.Visible mainly inside the local network.
NATTranslates many private devices through one public IP.Explains why several devices can show the same public IP.
Router IPOften the default gateway, such as 192.168.1.1.Used to reach local router settings.
Carrier-grade NATAn ISP shares public IPv4 addresses across many customers.Can make port forwarding difficult or impossible.
Why websites see a different IP than your device
Your device may say it has a private IP such as 192.168.0.20, but websites see a public IP such as 221.152.89.176. This is normal. Your router uses NAT to send traffic from multiple private devices through the public address assigned by your provider.
This setup is convenient and common, but it affects troubleshooting. If you want to host a game server, camera, website or remote desktop service at home, the outside world must reach a public address and the router must forward traffic to the correct private device. If your ISP uses carrier-grade NAT, even router port forwarding may not be enough because your home router does not control the true public IP.
How to use this during troubleshooting
- Use the public IP lookup to see what websites can see.
- Use your device network settings to see the private IP assigned by your router.
- Use Port Check to test whether a service is reachable from outside.
- Use DNS Lookup if a domain should point to your public server.
- Check IPv4 vs IPv6 if IPv6 works differently from IPv4 on your network.
For privacy, remember that a public IP can identify a network or provider, but not a precise person by itself. For security, remember that private IP addresses are not a replacement for firewall rules, strong passwords and updated software.