Everything you need to know about IP addresses and their types

IP addresses (or “IPs”) help network devices communicate, so they’re essential to ensuring your solutions run smoothly, without any hiccups.

If you want to locate things, or connect them, your device needs an IP address. And just like how we have postcodes, IPs contain the country, town, street, and building number of a device.

Without an IP address communicating this information, no data or connectivity can reach a device; just like how your letters would go missing if there’s no address on the envelope.

Public and private IPs both have their uses depending on your intended goal. Public IP addresses are visible to everyone, meaning people can know and access the respective device outside of your own private network, leaving it somewhat exposed.

Private IP addresses are the opposite and are normally used in places like homes and schools where security is important. Devices that have private IP addresses can’t connect directly to the internet. That’s why we have routers in our homes or offices, so they can step in and securely complete the connection.

But there’s more to IPs.

When it comes to fixed (or static) IPs, the address is permanent, much like your home address might (should!) be.

Devices use IP addresses to find and talk to each other on the internet, so it’s helpful when the address stays the same no matter how many times the device connects or disconnects.

Imagine every time you were trying to find a friend’s address, they changed houses!

But that doesn’t mean dynamic IPs are bad. It can be useful to have your IP addresses change every time a device connects or disconnects. But more on that below.

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Just as with all things, there are pros and cons to whatever kind of IP addressing you choose.

One advantage of a fixed public IP address is that you can connect to your device from anywhere. This can be useful for solutions you need remote access in like CCTV cameras. On the flipside, that same device is open for anyone to connect to it if they know the IP address.

There are other things to consider when it comes to what type of IP addressing should be used.

Costs are another factor. Static IPs cost more than dynamic IPs because the latter is the default option provided by ISPs (internet service providers). Plus, static IPs need to be configured properly or you’ll end up with holes in your security system.

Public IPs are not free as they’re assigned and controlled by your ISP, but private IPs are free and you can assign them to a specific device within your own private network.

On a private static IP, devices won’t be able to connect to the internet outside of the local network. Likewise, devices outside of the local network can’t connect to anything inside the local network.

Nothing gets in, and nothing gets out, making it useful for office and enterprise environments. Only opt for a private static IP if devices and applications don’t need to be accessed from anywhere other than within the same local network.