An Internet Protocol (IP) address is as unique to a computer as a fingerprint is to us.

An IP address enables i networked device to talk to the next. The downside of this inter-connection is that a logical location provided by the IP address is an open up arms invitation to spammers and hackers. The art of war necessitates the importance of knowing who your 'assailant' is. Being able to trace an IP address to a PC is a direct style to remove the cloak of anonymity from a computer communicating with your own.

What Is an IP Address?

In case you lot don't know what an IP accost is all the same: it'due south a serial of digits separated by dotted decimals and represented from 0.0.0.0 to 255.255.255.255. We are still currently following the Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4), although its successor, Version 6 (IPv6) -- developed in 1995 -- has been standardized, and deployed since the mid-2000s.

A good hacker volition take steps to prevent his IP from being revealed. A spammer might hide behind a proxy server. It is also important to think that locating an IP accost using online tools does not revealthe physical address of the guy on the estimator.

Tracking an IP address, for instance, means you can find the source of email; a MakeUseOf reader might use such techniques in lodge to detect out the locations of potential customers making inquiries through their visitor's website. They can too utilize that information to offering upward custom content based on their IP accost. The bones tools only tell us the location of the Cyberspace Service Provider (ISP) supplying the connectedness past using publicly available information. To get across that and really boom downwards, say, the guy sending you dirty emails would crave the law to be in the loop.

Fortunately, the net is packed with sites that'll assist y'all trace an IP address to a PC. Whatever ane website should be enough, but is at that place any harm in bookmarking a few more?

Role 1: Trace an IP Address to the Land and Urban center of Origin

MyIpTest.com

This web service provides a whole range of geolocation services. Included tools areIP Lookup, Reverse IP Lookup, Traceroute, Ping,amid others, notably Email Tools which lets you trace senders using Email Headers. You can even do this through Facebook!

Also of use is a handy link which you can use to get someone else'southward IP. Field the IP accost in the IP address location box and the results give you the geolocation info behind the address and a marker on a Google Map. A Firefox add-on, MyIpTest, is also available from the Firefox Add-ons gallery.

Geotool

Enter an IP address or host proper name into the single field box, and extensive data follows, including the host's proper name, postal code, and local time. Geotool also uses Google Maps to describe the geographical location of the originating IP address, also as displaying longitude and latitude.

Its associated Firefox extension shows a country flag representing the location of the current IP accost (or URL), updated monthly, and gives i click quick admission to detailed location and web server data. Geotool values your privacy and security, besides offering malware checks on websites yous visit, and running your location searches locally.

HostIP

HostIP is a community-driven project to resolve IP addresses. At present, information technology has roughly 9,245,104 entries in its database. You can contribute data to the database (information technology only takes a few seconds!), which is accessible to all. The site'southward FAQ goes into the motivation backside the idea and tackles the notion that it can be used by spammers. The projection is an alternative to commercial geolocation databases. The site too provides a Firefox addition, and an iOS app [No Longer Available] -- though its accuracy is upwardly for debate -- while further offer a connection speed test that inexplicably requires Flash.

DomainTools

This Whois Lookup search service provides a spiffy domain proper name lookup service forth with IP accost searching, merely the first thing you'll notice is how gorgeous the site is. The information is comprehensive including contact data, similar listed telephone numbers and electronic mail address of the hosting service. The Whois access is free while other domain tools (the Power Tools) come up with the paid options.

Arul John's Utilities

A simple box and a simple IP address tracking service, but one which also offers you the option of tracking a US telephone number. You can add together the IP tracker to your website as a Google gadget.

IP-Address

IP-Address has iii information pages which are of use to us -- the homepage of IP-Address detects your IP, IP-Tracer locates the source of any IP address, and Email Trace, which nails the location of the senders IP address. With the latter, we simply demand to paste the electronic mail header info in the box provided to get details about the sender.

IP Accost Location

While the interface might initially look impuissant (and certainly advertisement-filled), the spider web service provides unlike tools for locating IP addresses. With an input, y'all can discover the verbal location of whatsoever IP accost plus the Operating System (OS) used, DNS, IP address range of the country, country code, and country flag. The integrated Geolocator and a world map narrows downwards to the city and country. Also included is a tool to bank check the validity of an email address.

According to the site, its IP database is updated every 48 hours.

Office 2: How to Observe Your Ain IP Address

Some might say that an IP accost is akin to a habitation accost, but really, it'southward not every bit uncomplicated. Lots of geek speak and networking lingo would exist required to explain what'southward it'southward all about. The seven online tools already covered not only give you the location of a strange IP address but yours too every bit soon equally you hit their landing pages.

There are many online services which decipher your IP accost in a flash. Here are a few from the swarm, all simple just constructive:

  • WhatIsMyIPAddress
  • IP Chicken
  • Trace My IP
  • My IP Address

Alternatively, if you're using Google, for instance, you lot can just type in "My IP Address", and information technology'll come. If you want to mask where you are, you can imitation an IP address.

Wanted to find your IP accost on your own using simply your Os? Don't be intimidated; it's very unproblematic to do. Here's how to detect your internal IP on Windows:

  • Right-click on the Windows push, and click Control Prompt.
  • A blackness box volition appear; type inipconfig/all and hitting enter.
  • Bones information of your network interfaces is listed along with your device's IP address.

The process is equally straight-forwards on Mac:

  • Locate Utilities in your Applications, and open up the Mac Terminal.
  • Typing in ifconfig volition display all bachelor interfaces, so at that place'll be a lot of unnecessary information. You can filter it somewhat past instead typing ifconfig | grep "inet " | grep -five 127.0.0.1
  • Your internal IP accost tin can be found by inet.

Equally information technology'southward open-source, with many distros available, we'll focus on the widely-used Debian, Ubuntu, and Mint OSes, all of which use the aforementioned commands for locating an internal IP:

  • Open up Final using Ctrl+Alt+T.
  • Type hostname –I.
  • Your IP should appear on its ain, as long every bit you've no other active interfaces.

Delight notation that your IP accost may be static or dynamic depending on how the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server (the protocol that automatically assigns IPs) is configured.

Have You Ever Traced an IP Address?

The Isp service provider knows exactly where we are located. With the tools mentioned hither, at best nosotros tin find the approximate expanse (even though a urban center is a big area!). It's even so useful---to brand sure someone is genuine, for example, or, if yous run a business, for advertising campaigns---and it can be fun besides.

What nearly IP addresses of mobile devices? There are plenty of tools for finding your IP address on your telephone.

And if you ain a website, check out the free IP Geolocation API so y'all tin can tailor the site to your visitors.

Image Credit: FotoCuisinette via Shutterstock.com

Originally written by Saikat Basu on August 11th 2009

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About The Author

Philip Bates (276 Articles Published)

When he'due south not watching boob tube, reading books 'n' Curiosity comics, listening to The Killers, and obsessing over script ideas, Philip Bates pretends to exist a freelance writer. He enjoys collecting everything.

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