Internal IP Address Defined: Purpose & Uses
Internal IP addresses designate which device in a local network is your computer, compared to other devices which might be using the intranet connection. An internal IP address is also called a local IP address. Usually, this IP address begins with 192.168. Then, after the 8, there will be a period and a final series of three unique numbers. This IP address can be seen by other devices connected to your intranet, but it cannot be seen by external devices through the internet. Your IP address is used to uniquely identify your device or network. There are specific encoding standards set by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) so that no two IP addresses are exactly the same, although they have similar formatting. Your private or internal IP address is assigned to you by a Network Address Translation (NAT) device. Using private IP addresses reserves public or external IP addresses for, essentially, public network use. Many people currently have several devices in their homes connected to the internet, such as laptops, smart TVs, mobile phones, tablets, gaming consoles, and many others. Rather than giving each of these devices a unique external IP address to access the internet, your ISP provides one external IP address to your router, which then uses internal IP addresses to connect to each of your devices.
Differences between internal & external IP addresses
Generally, your internal IP address is your device’s designation for your internal network, whether this is an ethernet connection or the connection between your device and your router. Your external IP address is assigned to your router by your internet service provider (ISP). When thinking about IP addresses, most people are concerned with their external IP address, but your internal IP address is also important. In contrast to your internal IP address, an external IP address is designated to your device by your ISP. This external IP address allows devices across the internet to find your device in order to share information, like social media updates. Your ISP assigns different IP addresses to the devices that log into your particular WiFi network, so they can track your internet use, including your search history and login information, and store it on their own servers. While the worst thing most ISPs do with this data is sell it to advertising companies, who use it for targeted advertising on websites and social media, this storage also makes you susceptible to data breaches if a hacker breaks into the ISP’s server.< However, the router you use to connect to the internet is considered part of your internal network. This router also assigns internal IP addresses to your devices when they access the router. Typically, this is the same IP address for each device rather than a unique IP address. Anyone can see your external IP address when you access the internet, but information you receive from the internet is sent through the router to your device based on your assigned internal IP address, which no one can access without breaking into your internal network. The IANA has defined these IP addresses as private or local:
- 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255, a range that provides up to 16 million unique