How to Find Your Computer IP Address
The IP address of your computer is an important piece of information to know in certain situations. When you are online, it is the way that your computer is recognized within the online infrastructure. Though most people don’t know their IP address on any given day, it becomes important in certain scenarios. Websites have an IP address as well- it is the translation of your domain name, for example, www.yourwebsite.com. Beneath that is a series of numbers, the IP address, that work much like a phone number. But the ability to remember website domain names is infinitely more than the ablity to remember certain number series, so it is a preferred system.
So, whether you are looking for the IP of your new website, your businesses information site, or just your home network, it is pretty easy to find. Here are some easy ways to do it:
1. Look Online:
Go to a website like whatsmyip.com, and they will tell you your IP address. There are many free sites out there that will help you. Never pay money or agree to spyware to discover this information.
2. Ask Your Computer:
If you’re not afraid of a little bit of programming language, you can ask your PC about your address. Get to your command prompt setting (The route there depends on the version of windows that you’re running. The shortcut is to just type command prompt into the find search bar). Once it comes up, just type ipconfig and you’re there. The numbers that display are your address. If you have a Mac, get to the Network section of your computer (found in the System Preferences menu), and check the status of anything related to the internet, like your modem. You will find the IP address listed in this section.
3. Beware of Duplicates:
Many people are verifying their IP because they have a problem with a duplicate IP address on their network. This happens when two static IP addresses that are assigned to devices on one network match. It causes a large amount of confusion for a router to be able to correctly send information to each computer if they are both running. There are a few easy ways to fix this problem. Newer computers are able to fix the problem itself, because it has become such a normal error in Wireless streaming. Older computers may need you to do a little bit of programming to change it using the command prompt setting. A great article for this exists here: http://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/ip-address-already-in-use/
