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NETWORK KNOWLEDGE

Why your device IP differs from a website result

Your device settings show 192.168.1.20, but an IP website shows something else. Which one is correct? Both can be correct because they describe different points along the connection. Start by identifying what each measurement observes, rather than changing your device address to match a website.

By myIP · Standards-based explanations and original worked examples ·

1. Two addresses with different jobs

Device settings report the address assigned to a Wi-Fi or wired interface. A website observes the source of the connection that reaches it. Router address translation can change that source along the way. Copying the website value into a device IP setting is not a fix: it can break the local connection and may conflict with another assignment.

For example, a laptop at 192.168.1.20 and a phone at 192.168.1.21 can share one Wi-Fi internet exit while keeping different local addresses. A matching public IP does not establish that two requests belong to one person. Shared offices and provider networks make that distinction especially important.

2. Private ranges and misleading lookalikes

The main private IPv4 blocks are 10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12 and 192.168.0.0/16. Not every address beginning with 172 is private: this block covers second octets 16 through 31. Provider shared space, 100.64.0.0/10, is a separate category, not another RFC 1918 block.

Loopback 127.0.0.1 refers back to the device, while 169.254.x.x belongs to link-local space. Neither is an expected public-IP result. The sample 203.0.113.10 used in documentation is not a real service endpoint. Use the address analyzer examples to distinguish these cases before attempting a connection.

3. Compare the same connection step by step

  1. Identify the Wi-Fi or wired interface actually carrying internet traffic. Do not confuse an inactive interface or VPN adapter with the active connection.
  2. Note the device address, then reopen the myIP homepage on that same device and network to observe the public IP.
  3. Classify the device address in the analyzer. Do not change a managed work-device setting without authorization.
  4. Optionally compare a mobile-data connection. Keep the results separated by network and avoid posting full personal IP values publicly.

4. IPv6 and what location cannot prove

An IPv6 interface can have multiple addresses. Comparing a link-local address with a global address is not comparing the same scope. One myIP lookup reports one connection, not every IPv4 and IPv6 address on a device and not a complete VPN leak assessment.

A displayed country describes an exit path and a GeoIP database estimate, not an exact home address or identity. When investigating a mismatch, compare network, VPN state, lookup time and address family together. That produces a more useful report than an isolated screenshot of an IP.

Technical sources and references

Content and correction principles

myIP provides practical information for understanding IP observations and network settings. Guides refer to the technical sources below, while examples use private or documentation addresses. We do not reproduce external articles or invent interviews, expert credentials or visitor experiences. Standard definitions are distinguished from this service behavior, with limitations stated. See the contact page for correction channels.

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