Would my desktop computer have the same IP address as?

Question

my laptop if the laptop had a wireless connection to the computer or to the router on the computer? Or would they be different? Would the IP address change if I were to take my laptop to another place that had wireless connection available such as to a coffee house that had that? I don't really understand how the IP address works. I know it is y our "address" on the internet but I guess what I'm really asking is would a laptop have the same IP address as a desk top computer on the same internet access or would they be different because they are different computers?

Answer 1

No they will not have the same IP address. Any two devices that are connected to a network must have different IP addresses so that the information gets delivered to the right place. However, if you have a router that is sharing the internet across a network to which your laptop and desktop are connected, then the issue is a little complicated. The router has an external IP address visible to the rest of the internet (say 192.168.1.103), and your laptop and desktop have addresses inside the home network (say 192.168.1.1 and 192.168.1.5 resp.). Even though both computers are accessing the internet, it appears to users in the internet that the information is only flowing to one place (192.168.1.103), but your router is doing clever things to get that information to both the laptop and desktop.

The IP address isn't something that is permanently fixed to a specific computer either. The IP address of a computer will change depending on which network it is connected to.

Answer 2

There are two IP addresses:

1) The one that your router supplies (and you see on your computer).  Each device connected to the router (wired or wireless) gets a different address.  (Called the internal IP.)

2) The one that your provider gives you, and is only seen on your router.  (Called the external IP.)  This is the one seen by anyone not connected to your router, and it's the same for all computers connected to your router.

(That's what a "router" does - "routes" packets from a single external IP to multiple internal IPs.)

Answer 3

They will not have the same IP address. Any two devices that are connected to a network must have UNIQUE addresses so that the information gets delivered to the right place. However, if you have a router that is sharing the internet across the network to which your laptop and desktop are connected, then the issue is a little muddied. The router has an external IP address visible to the rest of the internet (say 68.1.2.3), and your laptop and desktop have addresses inside the home network (say 192.168.1.1 and 192.168.1.2 resp.). Even though both computers are accessing the internet, it appears to users in the internet that the information is only flowing to one place (68.1.2.3), but your router is doing clever things to get that information to both the laptop and desktop.

The IP address isn't something that is permanently fixed to a specific computer either. The IP address of a computer will change depending on which network it is connected to.

Answer 4

No - the router assigns a unique IP address to each PC each time it boots up and accesses the router.  This is called DHCP (dynamic host control protocol).  You can assign a psuedo-permanent IP address to a device - but unnecessary for home networks.