What Is My IP? Public vs Private Addresses Explained

Learn what “What is my IP” really shows, how public IPs differ from LAN addresses, and how to verify your IP on PINIP.net.

What “What is my IP” means

What is my IP shows the public address websites and APIs see when your device reaches the Internet. That is often different from your home router’s private LAN address (like 192.168.x.x). PINIP detects your public IP automatically on What Is My IP and the homepage.

Public vs private addresses

Private ranges are reserved for local networks and are not globally routable. Your ISP assigns a public IPv4 and/or IPv6 address (sometimes shared via CGNAT). When you ask “what is my IP,” you want the public side — the one that appears in server logs and geolocation databases.

Privacy tips

  • A VPN changes the public IP that sites observe.
  • Mobile networks may map many users behind the same public IP.
  • Sharing your public IP in screenshots can reveal coarse location and ISP — redact when needed.

Start here: Check What Is My IP on PINIP.

FAQ

Why does my IP differ on phone vs Wi-Fi?

Each network path can present a different public address and geolocation record.

Does PINIP store my IP?

Operational logging may occur for reliability and abuse prevention. See the Privacy Policy.

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