The most common types of IP addresses fall into four practical groups: public IP / private IP, static IP / dynamic IP, IPv4 / IPv6, and transmission patterns such as unicast / multicast / broadcast / anycast. For everyday users, the first group matters most. Websites usually see your public IP, while phones, laptops, and TVs behind your home router usually use private IP addresses.［1］［2］［3］

When people search "what type of IP do I have?", they are often not trying to study a networking textbook. They are trying to solve practical confusion: why a VPN changed one address while system settings still show another; why a broadband reconnect can change an IP; why some VPN leak tests mention IPv6 separately. This guide explains the common categories in that order.

Use the complete VPN guide as the foundation: it explains the tunnel, exit IP, encryption, and routing terms this article builds on.

Key Takeaways

The four common groups of IP address types are public/private, static/dynamic, IPv4/IPv6, and unicast/multicast/broadcast/anycast.［1］［2］［4］［5］

Everyday users most often confuse public and private IPs: websites usually see the former, while home devices often use the latter.［1］［2］

Dynamic IPs can change with leases, reconnects, or ISP allocation policies. Static IPs are better for stable long-term access.［3］［6］

IPv4 space is tighter, while IPv6 has a much larger address space. VPN tests mention IPv6 because both can coexist in real networks.［4］［5］

A VPN usually changes the public exit IP you expose externally. It does not also erase your private IP inside the local network.［2］［7］

What Are IP Address Types? Start With the 4 Common Groups

An IP address is not just one kind of number. You can classify it from several angles.

The first group is public IP and private IP. This is the most useful distinction because it decides what outside websites see and how devices inside your local network talk to each other. RFC 1918 reserves 10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12, and 192.168.0.0/16 as private address ranges for internal networks.［1］

The second group is static IP and dynamic IP. This is not about how the address looks; it is about whether the address changes. Home broadband and mobile networks commonly use dynamic assignment, while servers, remote access, and allowlist systems often need stable static addresses.［3］［6］

The third group is IPv4 and IPv6. These are different versions of IP addressing. IPv4 remains the most familiar public format today, while IPv6 was designed for a much larger address space and long-term internet growth.［4］［5］

The fourth group is unicast, multicast, broadcast, and anycast. This one describes who the data is meant to reach. It is more theoretical, but the simple idea is enough: one-to-one, one-to-many subscribers, everyone on a local network, or the nearest equivalent node.［5］［8］

Public IP vs Private IP: What's the Difference?

This is the first distinction worth learning.

A public IP is the address a device or router exposes to the internet. External websites, app backends, and IP lookup tools usually see this layer first. A private IP only has meaning inside your own local network. Home phones, laptops, NAS devices, and TV boxes often use addresses such as 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x.［1］［2］

Think of it like two address layers. The public IP is the building's delivery address. The private IP is the room number inside the building. A website may know which building the package reaches, but not which room receives it.

This explains a common VPN misunderstanding. You may turn on a VPN and still see a 192.168 address in system settings, then assume the VPN failed. Not necessarily. A private IP staying inside the local network is normal. The key question is whether the public IP shown by an external lookup site changed. For practical methods, read How to change your IP address: 6 methods and when to use them.

Comparison	Public IP	Private IP
Who can see it	External websites and internet services	Devices and routers on the same local network
Routable on the public internet	Yes	No, usually needs NAT［2］
Common use	Web access, geo recognition, remote entry	Home and office internal communication
Common examples	External address from ISP or VPN node	`192.168.x.x`, `10.x.x.x`

Static IP vs Dynamic IP: What's the Difference?

This category is about whether the address stays fixed.

A static IP is long-lived, manually assigned, or reserved for a stable endpoint. It fits server hosting, remote desktop, office allowlists, and monitoring devices that need to call home reliably. A dynamic IP is usually assigned automatically by DHCP and may change over time, after reconnects, when you switch networks, or because of ISP allocation policies.［3］［6］

Dynamic IPs are common for home users because they reduce management overhead and help providers manage address resources. Static IPs are more convenient for businesses or users who need a stable entry point.

One common myth: dynamic IP does not mean the address must change every time you restart a device. Whether it changes depends on lease time, router behavior, the provider, and DHCP allocation. It means "can change," not "must constantly jump."［3］

If your question has moved from concept to verification, How to test whether your VPN connection is working is more practical.

IPv4 vs IPv6: What's the Difference?

IPv4 is the familiar format such as 203.0.113.8, made of four number groups. IPv6 is longer and usually written in hexadecimal segments, such as 2001:db8::1. The core difference is address-space size and design era.［4］［5］

Why talk about both today? Because real networks did not switch to IPv6 overnight. Many services, home routers, VPN apps, and websites still handle IPv4 and IPv6 side by side. That is why privacy tools often mention whether IPv6 is also protected.［4］［5］

For everyday users, remember two simple signals:

A dotted decimal address such as 192.0.2.1 is usually IPv4.
A longer address with colons is usually IPv6.

If you only want to know which protocol a website is using to see you, run an IP and leak test rather than staring at the system settings page. For more boundaries, read How to hide your IP address: 5 common methods and risk limits.

What Are Unicast, Multicast, Broadcast, and Anycast?

This group sounds like an exam question, but the plain-language version is simple.

Unicast means one-to-one. Most web requests are unicast. Multicast means one-to-many, but only to devices that joined a specific group. It appears in media distribution, local discovery, and some enterprise networks. Broadcast means sending to all devices on a local network segment. It is common in some IPv4 discovery flows, while IPv6 replaced broadcast with more multicast use.［5］ Anycast means sending traffic to the nearest node among a group of equivalent service nodes. Many DNS and edge networks use this pattern.［8］

You do not need to memorize this like a textbook. Knowing the direction of each term is enough to make many networking articles easier to read.

Type	Simple meaning	Common scenarios
Unicast	One-to-one	Opening a webpage, calling an API
Multicast	One-to-many subscribers	Media delivery, local network services
Broadcast	Everyone on the local segment	Some IPv4 local discovery
Anycast	Nearest equivalent node	DNS, CDN, global edge networks［8］

Which Type of IP Do VPNs, Proxies, and Everyday Browsing Usually Touch?

For everyday users, the two layers you touch most are the private IP inside the local network and the public IP exposed when you access the internet.

VPNs and proxies usually change the second one: the public exit IP seen by websites, platforms, and risk-control systems. After you connect to a VPN, the target website usually sees the VPN server's public IP. When you use a proxy, it usually sees the proxy node's public IP. Neither tool automatically turns the 192.168.x.x address behind your router into something else.［2］［7］

So many "which IP did I change?" questions can be split into two checks:

Did my local network address change?
Did the exit address seen by outside websites change?

The first is about private IP and LAN management. The second is closer to VPNs, proxies, region detection, and privacy.

How Can Everyday Users Identify Their IP Type?

The easiest method is not memorizing definitions. Judge by context.

What you see	Likely IP type
`192.168.x.x`, `10.x.x.x`, or `172.16-31.x.x`	Private IPv4［1］
Long address with colons	IPv6［5］
May differ after switching networks or reconnecting	Dynamic IP［3］
Used long term for allowlists or remote access	Static IP
Shown by a public IP lookup website	Public IP［2］

If you are checking whether a VPN or proxy works, use two steps:

Check whether the external address on an IP lookup site changed.
Check for DNS or IPv6 leaks.

That is more reliable than staring only at your device's network settings.

Summary

The common types of IP addresses are public/private, static/dynamic, IPv4/IPv6, and unicast/multicast/broadcast/anycast.［1］［3］［4］［5］
For everyday users, public vs private IP is the most important distinction because it answers what websites see and how local devices communicate.［1］［2］
Static IPs fit stable entry points. Dynamic IPs are more common on home and mobile networks.［3］［6］
IPv4 and IPv6 will coexist for a long time, which is why VPN tools often mention IPv6 handling.［4］［5］
A VPN usually changes the public exit IP, not the private address inside your LAN.［2］［7］

FAQ

What types of IP addresses should normal users remember first?

Remember four groups: public/private, static/dynamic, IPv4/IPv6, and unicast/multicast/broadcast/anycast. Public vs private is the most useful because it directly affects what websites see and what your home devices use.

Do websites see my public IP or private IP?

Usually your public IP. Private IPs are used behind your router and inside local networks; they are not your public internet identity.［1］［2］

Why do home devices often start with 192.168?

Because 192.168.0.0/16 is one of the private address ranges reserved by RFC 1918 for internal networks. Many home routers assign addresses from that range by default.［1］

Is a static IP always better than a dynamic IP?

No. Static IPs are better for servers, remote access, and allowlists. Dynamic IPs are usually enough for home users and are easier to manage.［3］［6］

Will IPv6 replace IPv4?

IPv6 will keep growing, but IPv4 and IPv6 will coexist for a long time. Many networks, websites, and tools still support both.［4］［5］

Which IP does a VPN change?

Usually the public exit IP exposed externally, not your private address inside the local network. A website seeing a new address does not mean your home 192.168.x.x address must change.［2］［7］

Why do VPN leak tests mention IPv6 separately?

Because IPv4 and IPv6 often coexist. If a tool protects IPv4 but does not handle IPv6 through the same protected path, IPv4 may look changed while IPv6 still exposes the original network.［4］［5］

Disclaimer

This article is for general networking knowledge and privacy education only. It is not legal advice, network architecture advice, or a promise about ISP services. Address assignment, NAT, IPv6, and remote-access support vary by region, ISP, router, and device. Follow your network environment and service terms.

For “Types of IP addresses”, AethoVPN covers only the VPN network step, not account or device checks.

Sources:

RFC 1918 - Address Allocation for Private Internets — https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1918
Cloudflare Learning Center - What is a public IP address? What is a private IP address? — https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/network-layer/what-is-a-private-ip-address/
Microsoft Learn - Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) overview — https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/networking/technologies/dhcp/dhcp-top
Cloudflare Learning Center - What is IPv6? — https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/network-layer/what-is-ipv6/
RFC 4291 - IP Version 6 Addressing Architecture — https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc4291
Microsoft Support - Change TCP/IP settings — https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/change-tcp-ip-settings-bd0a07af-15f5-cd6a-363f-ca2b6f391ace
Cloudflare Learning Center - What is a VPN? — https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/access-management/what-is-a-vpn/
Cloudflare Learning Center - What is Anycast? — https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/cdn/glossary/anycast-network/

Sources checked 8 May 2026.

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