Guide
What is a local IP address?
The 192.168.x.x address in your phone's settings is a local LAN address. What it means, where it comes from, the 169.254 fallback, and how a local address can leak onto the public web.
On this page
Local vs public in one breath
A local (LAN) IP address is a private number — typically 192.168.x.x — that only means anything inside your own network. Your router creates the private space, hands each device an address by DHCP, and translates all of their traffic onto the single public address facing the internet. Routers outside your network are required to drop anything addressed to a local range, which is why the internet cannot dial your 192.168.1.24 directly.
Where to find your local address
- iPhone: Settings → Wi-Fi → (i) next to the network → IP Address.
- Android: Settings → Wi-Fi → connected network → IP address.
- Windows:
ipconfigin Command Prompt; macOS/Linux:ifconfig/ip addr. - Your router's admin page (usually
192.168.1.1or192.168.0.1) lists every connected device and its local address.
The reserved ranges
| Range | You will see it on |
|---|---|
| 192.168.0.0/16 | Most home routers — the classic 192.168.1.x |
| 10.0.0.0/8 | Large networks, some ISPs' LAN sides |
| 172.16.0.0/12 | Business LANs, Docker and container defaults |
The full reserved-space map, including the CGNAT and link-local ranges, is in public vs private IP.
The 169.254.x.x fallback
If a device cannot reach a DHCP server, it assigns itself an address from 169.254.0.0/16 — link-local. Seeing one means the network is not working the way you expect: cable unplugged, Wi-Fi connected but the router's DHCP down, or a captive portal in between. It is the computer world's shrug: "I have an address, but you probably cannot reach anything with it".
When a local address appears online
A public website should never see your 192.168.x.x. If a site or a check reports a local address, something is leaking it — most often WebRTC, which can expose your LAN address to any page through peer-to-peer candidate gathering (what is a WebRTC leak), or a misconfigured proxy that forwards raw internal addresses. That is a bug worth fixing, not a normal state. The home page's WebRTC row tells you instantly which it is.
Frequently asked questions
Is 192.168.1.1 my public IP address?
No — 192.168.1.1 is almost always your router's LAN address, the gateway between your devices and the internet. Your public IP is what this site's checker shows.
Can someone on the internet find my devices from my local IP?
Not over plain HTTP — local ranges are un-routable. The realistic exposure is WebRTC leaking the address to a site you visit, or someone who is already on your LAN.
Why does my device show 169.254.x.x?
It could not get an address from the router (DHCP failure) and self-assigned one. Check the connection, restart the router, or re-join the Wi-Fi network.
Keep reading
- What is an IP address?
- Public vs private IP addresses
- IPv4 vs IPv6
- How to hide your IP address
- How to check your IP address on a phone
- What is CGNAT?
- How to change your IP address
- Why does my IP address keep changing?
- How to find a website's IP address
- What is a datacenter IP?
- IPv6 privacy extensions
- What is an ASN?
- How IP geolocation works
- Why am I getting blocked or stuck on CAPTCHAs?
- What is IP reputation?
- How websites detect VPNs and proxies
- What is a DNS leak?
- What is a WebRTC leak?
- Proxy vs VPN
- How to check if your VPN actually works
- Static vs dynamic public IP
- How to find out who owns an IP address
- IPv6 in 2026
- Check my public IP address
Check any other IP address
Investigating a suspicious login, a spam email header or a server log entry? Run any IPv4 or IPv6 address through the same geolocation and proxy checks.