You're trying to get a number off a screen, but the moment you look, there are two of them, sometimes three, and none of them seem to match. That's normal. How to find your IP address depends on which layer of your network you're checking, and in Edmonton I usually see people trip over the same thing, their device, their router, and the public internet are all showing different parts of the story.
The short version is this, your device has a private IP inside your home or office network, and your connection to the internet has a public IP that websites can see. In Canada, that split matters even more now that IPv4 and IPv6 can both show up on modern networks, because the address format you see depends on the path the traffic takes. CIRA's reporting on Canadian IPv6 adoption shows how quickly things changed, from 2.6% at the start of 2016 to 18.2% in 2017, and that kind of change is exactly why old one-size-fits-all advice keeps missing the mark. CIRA's report on Canada's IPv6 shift
One useful mental model is simple, your router is the traffic cop, and each device gets a local number so the router knows where to send things. If you want a broader explanation of address assignment, this is a handy reference on IP address assignment.
Table of Contents
- What an IP Address Actually Does
- Finding Your IP on Windows
- Finding Your IP on macOS
- Finding Your IP on iPhone, iPad, and Android
- Checking Your Router and Network Devices
- Verifying Your Public IP and What It Reveals
- Quick Reference and When to Call for Help
What an IP Address Actually Does
An IP address is just a numeric label that lets devices send and receive data on a network. Your laptop, phone, printer, and smart TV all need one so traffic doesn't get lost. Without it, the router can't tell which device should get which packet, and websites can't send replies back to the right place.
Public and private addresses
Your private IP lives inside your home network. Your router hands it out, usually through DHCP, so your devices can talk to each other and reach the internet through the router.
Your public IP is the one the outside world sees. Your internet provider assigns it to your connection, and that's the address a lookup site shows in your browser. If you check a phone, a laptop, and the router, they may not match, and that doesn't mean anything is broken. It usually just means you're looking at different layers.
Practical rule: if the number came from the device's network settings, you're probably looking at a private IP. If it came from a browser lookup site, you're probably looking at the public IP.
That's where IPv4 and IPv6 start to matter. IPv4 is the older format most individuals recognise, while IPv6 is the newer one designed to coexist with IPv4 and eventually take over more of the load. In Canadian networks, both can appear, so a device might show one or the other depending on the network path and the connection type. CIRA's public reporting and registry data make that transition hard to ignore, especially when you're helping a home user who expected one neat dotted-decimal number and got a longer IPv6 string instead. CIRA's IPv6 and registry context
For the rest of this guide, keep one thing in mind, the private IP is what you find inside the device or router, and the public IP is what the internet sees. The methods below cover both.
Finding Your IP on Windows
Windows gives you a few clean ways to find the address without guessing. I usually tell people to start in Settings if they want a visual path, then fall back to a command if the menu trail gets confusing.
Use Settings for the easiest read
Open Settings, then go to Network and Internet. Choose Wi-Fi or Ethernet, depending on how the computer is connected, then open Properties. You'll see the active IPv4 address there, and on many systems you'll also see IPv6 listed nearby.
That view is best when you want to confirm you picked the right adapter. Wi-Fi users often click the Ethernet entry by mistake, especially on laptops that still show a wired profile from a dock or old setup. If the address looks strange or the page shows multiple adapters, that's usually a sign you're not on the active connection.
Use Run or PowerShell when Settings gets messy
Press Win + R, type ncpa.cpl, and press Enter. Open the active adapter, click Details, and read the IPv4 Address line. That's the classic Windows path, and it still works well when a settings page is hiding the useful bits.
If you want a faster command-line readout, open PowerShell and run ipconfig. It prints every adapter, which is useful, but it can be noisy if you've got virtual adapters from VPN software or Hyper-V. For a cleaner view, Get-NetIPAddress is better because it filters out a lot of disabled clutter. If you see a 169.254.x.x address, Windows didn't get a lease from the router, so the device is talking to itself instead of the network.
For cPanel-style server lookups or admin references, I also keep UpTime Web Hosting help bookmarked because it shows the same basic idea from a server perspective.
Finding Your IP on macOS
Macs keep this fairly tidy, but the exact path changes a bit between newer releases and older ones. On recent macOS versions, the network details are usually only a few clicks away.
System Settings and Terminal both work
Open System Settings, then choose Wi-Fi or Network, depending on how the Mac is connected. Click Details, then open the TCP/IP tab. There you'll see the IPv4 Address, the IPv6 Address, and the router address side by side.
On older Macs, the same information sits under Apple menu > System Preferences > Network, with Advanced instead of Details. The labels change, the logic doesn't. You're still looking for the address the Mac got from the router, not the one the outside world sees.
If you want a direct command, open Terminal and run ipconfig getifaddr en0 for Wi-Fi or ipconfig getifaddr en1 for Ethernet. Some MacBook models swap which interface is which, so don't assume en0 is always Wi-Fi. If the result starts with 169.254, the Mac assigned itself an address because DHCP didn't complete.
A good Mac check is the one that shows the connection is actually live, not just present. If the address appears but the router line is blank or odd, the Mac may be connected locally but not properly routed.
For a fuller dump of every interface, ifconfig will show more detail, though it's also more technical than most home users need. I only reach for it when I'm comparing multiple adapters or chasing a weird adapter conflict. The address you find there is still the private IP, not the public one.
Finding Your IP on iPhone, iPad, and Android
Phones make this look easy until the menu labels move around. The good news is that the IP is usually right where the Wi-Fi details live, and once you know the pattern, both iOS and Android follow it pretty closely.
iPhone and iPad
On an iPhone or iPad, open Settings, tap Wi-Fi, then tap the info icon next to the network you're connected to. Look for the IPv4 Address line. You'll also see the Router line, which first-time users often mistake for their own address.
That Router value is the gateway your phone uses to get out to the internet. The IP under IPv4 is the phone's own private IP on that Wi-Fi network. If you disconnect and reconnect later, the number can change, so screenshot it if you need to read it back to support over the phone.
Android phones and tablets
On Android, open Settings, then go to Network & internet or Connections, then Wi-Fi. Tap the connected network, then choose View, Properties, or whatever label your phone uses. Samsung, Pixel, and other Android skins all move the labels a bit, but the address is usually in the network details.
Some phones show the IP immediately, others tuck it behind an Advanced panel. The pattern is the same, though. You're looking for the Wi-Fi address that belongs to the device on that local network, not a carrier address from your mobile plan.
A cellular IP usually won't appear in Settings in any useful way because the carrier controls that side of the connection. That's why Wi-Fi is the better place to check when you need an address for a game console, printer, or remote support call. For mobile troubleshooting, this is the number worth recording before you leave the house.
Checking Your Router and Network Devices
Sometimes the cleanest answer is sitting in the router itself. That's where you can compare what the modem or gateway thinks your internet address is, and see every device that's using the local network.
Log in and check the WAN side
Start by finding the router's gateway address from a computer. The common defaults are 192.168.0.1 and 192.168.1.1. Type that into a browser, then sign in with the admin credentials printed on the router label or set during installation.
Inside the admin page, look for WAN, Internet, or Status. That's the router's view of the public-facing connection. If you're troubleshooting a “why does my IP look different?” problem, this is the number to compare against a browser lookup site later.
Find the device list too
Most routers also have an Attached Devices, DHCP Client List, or Device List page. That's where you'll see the private IPs for phones, laptops, smart TVs, cameras, and other gear on the LAN. It's useful when you're trying to work out which device got which address, especially on a busy home network.
The layout varies by brand, but the function is the same. You're checking who's on the network and which address each one received from the router. For a more hands-on setup walkthrough, this router configuration guide is a useful companion.
If you can't reach the admin page, check whether you're connected to the correct Wi-Fi or plugged into the right port. Forgotten passwords are common too. The reset button will usually recover access, but it also wipes custom settings, so treat that as the last resort, not the first.
Verifying Your Public IP and What It Reveals
A browser lookup is the fastest way to see what the internet thinks your connection looks like. Open a neutral lookup site such as WhatIsMyIP or ipinfo.io, then read the address at the top of the page and compare it with the router's WAN value.
If the two match, great, the public-facing address is straightforward. If they don't, the most common reason is Carrier-Grade NAT, where the ISP shares one public address across multiple customers. That's common enough on some cable and mobile setups that I always check for it before blaming the router.
For a VPN comparison point, this VPN explainer helps explain why the public-facing number can change even when the device itself hasn't.
IPv4 and IPv6 in the Canadian context
In Canada, lookups still often surface IPv4 first, but dual-stack networks are increasingly normal. That lines up with the wider Canadian shift toward IPv6 support, and it's why a device or lookup service may show one format while another tool shows the other. A registry or lookup source can be perfectly accurate and still display a different protocol than the one you expected.
The other thing people miss is what the IP tells you. It can usually suggest an approximate city or region and the ISP name, but not a precise street address. Canadian IP geolocation data is large and useful, with one dataset listing 73,480,704 Canada IP addresses in its country view, but geolocation is still an approximation, not a locator beacon. Canada IP country data
An IP address is good for troubleshooting and rough location, not for pinpointing a house or a person.
That's also why websites can think you're in the wrong place. Geolocation databases are helpful, but they're not perfect, and Canadian IPs do get mapped incorrectly from time to time. If you're trying to unblock banking, remote access, or a work login, compare the browser-reported public IP, the router WAN address, and the registered network owner before you draw conclusions. MaxMind's GeoIP accuracy comparison
Quick Reference and When to Call for Help
The fastest path depends on what you need. Windows, use Settings or Win + R > ncpa.cpl > Details for the private IP, and a browser lookup site for the public IP. macOS, use System Settings > Wi-Fi/Network > Details or Terminal > ifconfig. iPhone, iPad, and Android, check the connected Wi-Fi details for the private IP. Router, log in at 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 to read the WAN address.
| Device or Network Point | Private IP Method | Public IP Method |
|---|---|---|
| Windows PC | Settings, or Win + R, ncpa.cpl, Details, ipconfig | Browser lookup site, then compare with router WAN |
| Mac | System Settings Wi-Fi details, or Terminal ifconfig | Browser lookup site, then compare with router WAN |
| iPhone or iPad | Wi-Fi network info in Settings | Browser lookup site |
| Android phone or tablet | Connected Wi-Fi details in Settings | Browser lookup site |
| Router | Device list or DHCP client list | WAN or Internet status page |
| Home network check | Compare each device's private IP | Compare router WAN to lookup site |
A few things still trip people up. CGNAT can put a private-looking 100.64.x.x address on the router's WAN side, so the browser lookup is the only public number you'll see. Dynamic addressing can change after a reboot or lease expiry, and guest or mesh networks can hide devices from the main router list. Those are normal network behaviours, not necessarily faults.
If the IP keeps changing, ports won't open, or remote access still won't connect after these checks, it's usually time for a hands-on diagnosis. An on-site technician can sort out modem bridging, double NAT, and ISP-side restrictions faster than another evening of trial and error.
If you're in Edmonton and want a technician to sort out the address issue, the router settings, or the wider connectivity problem on-site, Nerds 2 You Edmonton can help with the kind of practical network and hardware support that gets homes and small businesses moving again. Visit Nerds 2 You Edmonton to book local help when you'd rather have a real person check the connection, not just another screen.
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