When you search "what is my IP", you are really after one number: the address internet servers use to identify your connection. The Show-IP.ir home page shows it instantly, but the result has several more lines that are worth understanding.
Which address is your public IP?
The four-part number at the top, like 203.0.113.42, is your public IP — the address every website, game server and online service sees. You may also see a longer IPv6 address with letters and colons; the difference is covered in IPv4 vs IPv6.
This is not the same as the address in your Windows settings or router (for example 192.168.1.5). That one is a private IP and only means something inside your home network.
What each line means
- Country and city: estimated from the IP block and geolocation databases — not GPS. That is why the city is sometimes wrong.
- ISP / carrier: the company the address is registered to.
- ASN and route: the network number your IP lives in. Not important day to day, but useful for diagnosing routing problems.
- Time zone and currency: filled in from the estimated country.
- Security status: whether your IP is known as Tor, a proxy, a datacenter or a VPN.
Why is my location wrong?
- Carrier NAT (CGNAT): many mobile carriers and some ISPs share one public address among hundreds of subscribers, and it may be registered in a different city.
- A VPN is on: the country and city then belong to the VPN server, not you. See how a VPN changes your IP.
- Stale database: when an ISP gets a new block, it takes weeks to appear correctly in global databases.
If you need an accurate position, use the "use my precise location" button on the home page. It uses your browser's GPS and sends nothing to the server.
My IP keeps changing — is that normal?
Yes. Most home and mobile connections use a dynamic IP that changes on a modem restart or on a schedule. If you need a fixed address for a camera or remote access, see how to get a static IP from your ISP.
Key takeaways
- The address at the top is your public IP; your router's address is private and different.
- Country and city are estimates and are often imprecise behind CGNAT.
- If a VPN is on, every detail describes the VPN server, not you.
- A home IP changing regularly is completely normal.