Your IP address is a unique identifier, similar to a postal address, associated with your online activity. Every time you use the Internet (shop online, send emails, watch streaming TV), you are sending a request to access a specific online destination and information is sent back to you in response. How does it work? IP stands for Internet Protocol, which defines the standards and rules (yes, otherwise known as a protocol) for routing data and connecting to the Internet. This protocol is a set of rules that each party must adhere to in order to ensure the bi-directional flow of data.

No, it doesn't. Your IP address is only associated with one location, unless you use a VPN (we'll talk more about that later). When you are at home and connect to the internet you pay for, you are using it. However, if you check your email in the morning at home and then browse the news at the local coffee shop while waiting for your coffee and then work from the office, you will be using a different IP address at each location.

Yes. Even if you only use the internet at home, the IP address of your home may change. You can contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to change it, but even restarting your modem or router due to problems with your internet connection can cause it to change.

This is a bit of a tricky question - the answer is both yes and no. More than one device can share an external (public) IP address, but each device will have its own local (private) IP address. For example, your ISP (Internet Service Provider) sets up your home with a single external IP address. Since your router actually connects to the Internet, the IP address is assigned to the router. Your router then assigns a local IP address to each device connected to the internet at the same time. An external IP address is shared with the outside world. Your local IP address is not visible outside of your private home network.

When the Internet was created, it used "version 4" addresses. These are 32 bits, which means we could have up to 4.2 billion addresses. This seemed sufficient at the time, but it is still not enough in a world where the average US family has 11 connected devices.

Now we have version 6 IP addresses, which contain 128 bits per address. Unfortunately, versions 4 and 6 cannot connect directly to each other, so people will need version 4 addresses for a long time.

You do not need to hide your IP address, but in some cases you may want to. The most common reason is privacy. In the US, Congress has repealed privacy rules designed to protect the privacy of mobile internet users. Internet service providers can see your browsing habits, what you use the Internet for, and how much time you spend on each page. This connection is not encrypted, so outsiders can see which website you are visiting. One way to combat this is DNS over HTTPS (DoH). It encrypts your DNS (Domain Name System) traffic, making it harder for ISPs to access data about the websites you visit. For Firefox users in the US, DoH requests are typically routed to trusted DNS servers, making it harder to associate you with the websites you visit.

There are also situational reasons to hide your IP address. You may want to hide it while traveling. A VPN will also give you more privacy when connecting to Wi-Fi to stream videos and make purchases while traveling the world.

A VPN is a way to hide your IP address. When using a VPN, your external IP address will come from the external IP address of the VPN server, not the external IP address of your location. So if the VPN server you are connected to is located in California, your external IP address will look like you are in California, no matter where you are. In addition, your online activity is sent over an encrypted, secure connection to your VPN server for added security and privacy.