What is a Private IP address?

Imagine you are in company A, working on a secret project against company B with all algorithms and complexities. However, an employee from company B reviews your project and steals it for their company. What will you do? You try to keep it private, But How?

You will use a secure device for your confidential project, which no one can access. Similarly, Public IP networks allow everyone to access at any time without minding your privacy. Due to this, network security and management are affected.

However, with a Private IP address, you can secure and manage your network privacy without interruptions. In this article, you can find Private IP addresses, how to use them, and why it makes your network secure and enhances its management.

What is a Private IP address?

A private IP Address is a type of IP Address assigned to devices, including Smart TVs, printers, and more. A private IP address creates a closed network that restricts the access of unauthorized users to keep it secure.

Classes of IP Address

There are two versions of IP Address:

IPV4

IPV6

TCP/IP classifies IPV4 addresses into five classes to efficiently use a large network. The first three IP Classes are used as host addresses.

Class A

Class A of IP addresses is used for large networks like the Internet backbone. The range of Class A IP addresses is 1.0.0.0 to 126.255.255.255.

Class B

Class B of IP addresses is used for medium-sized networks. The range of Class B IP addresses is 128.0.0.0 to 191.255.255.255.

Class C

Class C of IP addresses is used for small networks. The range of Class C IP addresses is 192.0.0.0 to 223.255.255.255.

Private IP Address Range

Private IP addresses are used for networks not connected to the public internet, such as home and corporate networks. The range of private IP addresses is as follows:

10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255

172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255

192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255

You can check your IP Address in two different ways. You can go to Google and Search WhatIsMyIPAddress for Public IP or press Windows+ R, open the Command prompt, and write ipconfig for IP address details.

How Can I Use a Private IP Address?

You can use Private IP addresses for more secure networks. Private IPs are not routable on the public internet, which makes it hard for hackers to target devices on a private network.

With private IP addresses, you can connect devices on a private network to each other, connect devices on a private network to the public internet, and set up a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

Moreover, Public IP addresses are limited and assigned by ISPs, while private IP addresses are free to use, saving public IP address space and costs for ISPs in your home or corporate network.

How Private IP Address Enhances Network Security

Our lives are increasingly operated online. Even youngsters can search for their favorite cartoons online without caring about their data being exposed to hackers. Therefore, effective network security is important in today’s digital landscape. It is the practice of protecting computer networks from unauthorized access.

Private IP addresses can improve network security. It can reduce the attack surface by hiding the IP addresses of their internal devices from the public internet. Here’s how Private IP protects you:

Protects your sensitive data

Prevent from Disruptions

Secure your system against cyber threats

Why Do You Need Network Address Translation (NAT) for Private Networks?

Suppose you have a private network. All your internal devices are connected and hidden with Private IPs. But to search online or communicate outside, you must connect to the Internet. For that, NAT is necessary.

NAT translates the Private IP addresses of devices on the internal network to public IP addresses when they need to access the internet. It can prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data.

Here’s how Private IP addresses and NAT protects your home network:

For instance, your home network uses private IP addresses for all network devices.

When a device like a computer needs to access the internet, the NAT device translates the private IP address to the public IP address provided to the NAT device.

The NAT device then forwards the traffic to the internet.

When the traffic returns from the internet, the NAT device translates back the public IP address to the private IP address.

With these security measures, you can protect your networks from unauthorized access. You can also improve traffic isolation by routing different types of traffic to different subnets using private IP addresses.

How Can I Make My Network Management Effective?

You can efficiently manage a network with Private IP Addresses with a single subnet mask for all the network devices. It can help to reduce the complexity of your network configuration.

Increased Scalability:

Private IP addresses scale your network more easily by allowing you to add new devices without requesting new IP addresses from your ISP.

Increased Flexibility:

You can reuse Private IP addresses on different private networks worldwide, easily move devices from one network to another without changing IP addresses.

Private IP Address for Home Networks

Private IP Addresses for Small Businesses

Private IP Address for Large Enterprise

Private IP Address Communication within Closed Network

Here is how Private IP addresses enable communication between your devices within closed network environments, including computers, printers, and servers:

-Suppose your home network has three devices: a computer, a printer, and a server.

-Each device is assigned a private IP address.

-When you need to print a document, your computer sends the print request to the printer.

-The printer receives the print request and processes it.

-The printer then sends the printed document back to the computer.

-The communication process between the computer and the printer occurs within the private network.

Why do you need a Virtual Private Network with a Private IP Address?

With Private IP Addresses, you can create a private network, but when you need to communicate outside your network, NAT is used. Here is where your privacy can be affected since NAT can give away your geographical location.

To improve your security and privacy online, a reliableVPN, such as PureVPN is the best fit. Once connected to the VPN, a private IP Address is provided to your device from the PureVPN’s network. It allows you to access resources on PureVPN’s network and resources on the internet.

In a nutshell

Having a private IP address for your internet activities is a good way to manage your security options. This could be an issue if you want to have access behind the CGNAT and NAT barriers. A VPN is an additional resource you can employ to have a diverse internet experience with security.