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What's My IP? A Guide to IPv4, IPv6, and Geolocation Accuracy

Your public IP identifies your network, not you. Here's how IPv4 vs IPv6 differ, how geolocation databases actually work, and why the city they show is often wrong.

Zro7 What's My IP shows your public IP by asking a single edge endpoint. Nothing is stored server-side.

Your public IP is the address your ISP or mobile carrier assigns to the network you're on right now — not to you personally. To see it, open Zro7 What's My IP. You'll see an IPv4 address, and (if your ISP supports it) an IPv6 address, plus the geolocation that public databases associate with the IP.

IPv4 vs IPv6, in one paragraph

IPv4 looks like 203.0.113.42 — 32 bits, ~4.3 billion addresses, mostly exhausted. Home routers hide many devices behind one via NAT. IPv6 looks like 2001:db8::1 — 128 bits, effectively unlimited, no NAT needed. Every device gets its own address. Most mobile carriers and modern ISPs assign both (dual-stack).

Why the city on the geolocation is often wrong

IP geolocation is a database lookup, not GPS. Providers (MaxMind, IP2Location, ipinfo) map IP blocks to a guessed location using BGP registrations, WHOIS, and user-reported data. Accuracy:

  • Country — ~99% accurate for residential IPs.
  • City — typically 55–80% accurate; often the ISP's regional POP, not your street.
  • Mobile / CGNAT / VPN — routinely wrong by hundreds of km. A T-Mobile IP might show 'Seattle' for a user in Miami.

Things your IP does NOT reveal

  • Your name, address, or phone number — those require a court order to your ISP.
  • Your MAC address — IPs stop at your router.
  • Which website you're browsing — the IP only identifies your network to the outside world.

What it can reveal

  • The ISP or ASN (e.g. AS15169 Google) — trivially public.
  • That two visitors came from the same network (family, office, campus).
  • Rough country/region for geo-blocking and fraud scoring.

Steps

  1. Open What's My IP.
  2. Note your IPv4 and (if present) IPv6.
  3. Use Reverse DNS to see the PTR name, and DNS Lookup to sanity-check the ASN.

Frequently asked questions

Why do I see two IPs?

Dual-stack — one IPv4, one IPv6. Websites pick whichever both endpoints support.

How often does my IP change?

Home broadband: usually stable for weeks to months. Mobile: can change per session. Static IPs are a paid add-on.

Does a VPN really hide my IP?

Yes — sites see the VPN exit's IP, not yours. Fingerprinting (canvas, fonts, headers) can still identify you.

What is CGNAT?

Carrier-Grade NAT — many customers share one public IPv4. Common on mobile and rural fiber. Breaks port forwarding and confuses geolocation.

Does Zro7 log my IP?

The edge endpoint that echoes it back sees it (that's unavoidable — it's how the internet works), but nothing is stored.

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