Question 1

What is a public IP address?

Accepted Answer

It is the address the rest of the internet sees when your router talks to a website. Every device on your home network shares it, which is why it identifies your connection rather than a specific computer or phone.

Question 2

Why is the city shown sometimes wrong?

Accepted Answer

IP geolocation is an estimate based on where your provider routes traffic, not GPS. It is usually right about the country, often right about the region, and can be off by a long way for the city — especially on mobile networks and when you use a VPN.

Question 3

Does this page store my IP address?

Accepted Answer

No. The address is read at the edge and sent straight back to your browser; nothing is written to a database or a log we keep. Looking up someone else's address does query a public geolocation service, which is unavoidable for third-party addresses.

Question 4

How do I hide my IP address?

Accepted Answer

Use a VPN or a privacy-focused proxy: websites then see the server's address instead of yours. Note that many services detect and block datacentre addresses, so a VPN can change how sites behave towards you.