An IPv4 address is a numerical label given to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. An IPv4 address is usually written in the dot-decimal notation, with four octets (a group of eight binary digits) separated by dots.
Each octet represents a value between 0 and 255. For example, the IPv4 address “192.0.2.235” comprises four octets: 192, 0, 2, and 235. IPv4 addresses are used to identify network devices and route traffic to and from those devices.
When a device sends data to another device on a network, it includes the destination device’s IPv4 address in the data packet’s header. It allows the data to be delivered to the correct device. The Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) is the fourth version of the Internet Protocol (IP), a networking protocol for the Internet.

It was initially defined in 1981 and is still in widespread use today. Although it has been succeeded by IPv6, which was designed to address the limitations of IPv4, IPv4 is still used by a large number of devices and networks around the world.
How do I find my IPv4?
To find your device’s IPv4 address, you can follow these steps:
- On Windows:
- Open the Start menu and type “cmd” in the search bar.
- In the command prompt, type “ipconfig” and press Enter.
- Look for the “IPv4 Address” field. It is your device’s IPv4 address.
- On Mac:
- Click on “System Preferences” in the Apple menu at the top left of the screen.
- Tap the “Network” button.
- Choose the network interface (like Ethernet or Wi-Fi) for which you want to find the IPv4 address from the list on the left.
- On the right, the IPv4 address will be shown.
- On Linux:
- Open a window for the terminal.
- Press Enter after typing “ifconfig.”
- Find the “inet” field next to the network interface whose IPv4 address you want to find (e.g., eth0, wlan0). This is the IPv4 address for your device.
Note: The steps may vary slightly depending on the version of the operating system that you are using.
How do I find my IPv4 on my phone?
To find your phone’s IPv4 address, you can follow these steps:
- On Android:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap on “Network & internet.”
- Tap on “Wi-Fi.”
- Tap on the gear icon next to the Wi-Fi network that you are currently connected to.
- Tap on “Advanced.”
- Look for the “IP address” field. This is your phone’s IPv4 address.
- On iPhone:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap on “Wi-Fi.”
- Tap on the “i” icon next to the Wi-Fi network that you are currently connected to.
- Look for the “IP address” field. This is your phone’s IPv4 address.
What does IPv4 mean on Wi-Fi?
IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4) is the fourth version of the Internet Protocol, a networking protocol for the Internet. It is used to identify network devices and route traffic to and from those devices.
An IPv4 address is a numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. It is usually written in dot-decimal notation, with four octets (a group of eight binary digits) separated by dots.
When you see “IPv4” on a Wi-Fi network, it means that the network is using IPv4 addresses to identify and communicate with connected devices. All devices connected to the same Wi-Fi network will have unique IPv4 addresses that allow them to communicate with each other and with other devices on the Internet.
What does IPv4 look like?
An IPv4 address is a numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. It is usually written in dot-decimal notation, with four octets (a group of eight binary digits) separated by dots. Each octet represents a value between 0 and 255.
For example, the IPv4 address “192.0.2.235” comprises four octets: 192, 0, 2, and 235.
Other examples of IPv4 addresses include:
- “172.16.254.1”
- “10.0.0.5”
- “127.0.0.1” (the loopback address)
Note: The dots between the octets are important and are used to separate the octets from each other. An IPv4 address must contain four octets, and a dot must separate each octet.
Is IPv4 or IPv6 faster?
In general, IPv4 and IPv6 are similar in terms of speed. Both protocols are designed to allow devices to communicate over a network and are capable of transmitting data at similar speeds.
The main difference between IPv4 and IPv6 is the size of their address spaces. IPv4 uses 32-bit addresses and can support approximately 4.3 billion unique addresses, while IPv6 uses 128-bit addresses and can support a virtually unlimited number of unique addresses.
It means that IPv6 can support a much larger number of devices on a network than IPv4, which may be necessary as the number of devices connected to the internet continues to grow.
There may be some minor differences in performance between IPv4 and IPv6 in certain scenarios. Still, in most cases, the choice of protocol is not a significant factor in determining the speed of a connection.
Factors such as the speed of the internet connection, the distance between the devices, and the number of devices connected to the network are more likely to affect the speed of a connection.
How do I know if I have IPv4 or IPv6 on Windows?
To determine whether your device is using IPv4 or IPv6 on a Windows computer, you can follow these steps:
- Open the Start menu and type “cmd” in the search bar.
- In the command prompt, type “ipconfig” and press Enter.
- Look for the “IPv4 Address” field. If it is present and has an address listed, your device is using IPv4. If it is not present, your device is using IPv6.
Alternatively, you can also check the properties of your network connection to see which protocol is being used:
- Right-click on the network icon in the system tray and select “Open Network and Sharing Center.”
- Click on the network connection name you want to check (e.g., Ethernet, Wi-Fi).
- Click on “Properties.”
- In the “Properties” window, look for the “Internet Protocol Version” field. If it says “Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4),” your device uses IPv4. If it says “Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6),” your device uses IPv6.
Does everyone have an IPv4 address?
Not every device connected to the Internet has an IPv4 address. IPv4 is the fourth version of the Internet Protocol (IP), a networking protocol for the Internet that was initially defined in 1981.
It uses 32-bit addresses and can support approximately 4.3 billion unique addresses. However, the number of devices connected to the Internet has grown since IPv4 was first introduced, and the pool of available IPv4 addresses has been depleted.
This new version of the Internet Protocol called IPv6 can solve this issue. IPv6 uses 128-bit addresses and can support a virtually unlimited number of unique addresses.
Today, many devices are assigned both an IPv4 and an IPv6 address, and most internet service providers (ISPs) support both protocols. However, some devices may only have an IPv6 address, particularly if connected to an IPv6-only network.
FAQ about what is my ipv4?
Here are some frequently asked questions about IPv4 addresses: