Short answer: Your public IP is the address websites usually see for this connection. It can reveal approximate location, network owner, ASN, and whether you appear to use a VPN, ISP, mobile carrier, corporate network, or shared route. It does not reveal your exact home address by itself.
Use this hub as the starting point for non-technical users: what IP means, what a site can see, what a VPN changes, and which lookup tools explain the network behind the visible address.
Quick answer
- Start with What Is My IP to see three things at once: the address itself, the network that owns it, and the ASN that network belongs to.
- A public IP identifies a network rather than a person, and shared routes such as CGNAT put many subscribers behind a single address.
- Private addresses like 192.168.x.x belong to your own LAN and are never what a website sees.
- IP geolocation is a database lookup rather than a measurement, so treat the city as approximate and the network owner as the dependable field.
IP Basics at a glance
| Signal | What it means | Best next step |
|---|---|---|
| Public IP | The internet-facing address this browser appears to use. | Open What Is My IP. |
| Private/local IP | A LAN address such as 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x. | Use the local IP guide for device checks. |
| IPv4 vs IPv6 | Different address versions can appear on the same network. | Compare What Is My IP and IPv6 Leak Test. |
| Shared IP/CGNAT | Many users can share one public IP through VPN, mobile carrier, ISP, or office NAT. | Read shared IP and CGNAT guides. |
| Geolocation | IP location is approximate and database-driven. | Use IP Geolocation Lookup with limits in mind. |
| Receipt | A safe snapshot helps compare IP state before and after VPN or network changes. | Use Safe Copy after checking. |
Limits and methodology
MyIPScan topic hubs organize practical checks around observable browser and network signals. Results are snapshots for this browser, device, network, and time. They do not prove full anonymity, do not replace provider documentation, and do not test every app on the device.
For transparent limits, see the MyIPScan methodology, editorial policy, and author profile.