An IP Address is a sequence of numbers used to identify your computer.  This works in much of the same way as your home address or phone number works.  You must provide the post office or phone network a specific place for it to forward the information.

Because there is a limit of possible IP Addresses, a private address is used to identify a network of computers.  For instance, if I were to buy 10 computers for my small business, I could use one “Private IP Address” to identify my network instead of using a separate address for each computer.

The network uses a type of configuration known as NAT (Network Address Translation), which is able to identify each computer as belonging to my network.  It then can take any information that’s generated and connect it to the internet, sending it to any number of other IP Addresses.

Using a private IP address will not make your computer invisible. Even though your computer IP address is something like 10.0.0.x inside the network, outside your network your computer has the IP of the network.

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