Surf The Internet Safely By Changing Your IP Address: Attention to security and privacy when using the Internet is essential. One way to maintain your privacy on the Internet is to change your IP address. So that unrelated people or third parties cannot track you or access your browsing history.
You don’t need a computer science degree to change an IP address. Making this change is easier than you think. There are ways to easily change IP addresses.
What is an IP address?
IP stands for Internet Protocol. It is a numerical label of a device connected to the Internet. It has two main tasks: identifying the network interface and finding the location.
There are two types of IP addresses internal and external. Your home network has an external IP address assigned to you by your modem or router service provider. If you see your browser’s ‘What is my IP address?’ If you go to (What is my IP address?), you will see the external IP address.
Anyone can see your address. You cannot change it permanently. But you can make it look a little different. The outside world can make you untraceable.
Another internal IP address may vary depending on your device. You can change this if you have access to and knowledge of your router’s configuration window.
If your IP address is 192.168.10 you can also make it 10.0.1.0.
You don’t have to change the internal IP address. But changing your external IP address so that the outside world can see is important. However, the router itself gives you the internal IP address. You can change it as per your requirement.
How to change internal IP address per device
Linux
Linux is an open-source operating system.
1. First open the Settings app.
2. Then find the network.
3. Click on the gear icon corresponding to Wired or Wireless.
4. Select the IPv4 tab.
5. Click on ‘Manual’.
6. Fill in the necessary information such as address, netmask, gateway, DNS, etc.
macOS
1. Open System Settings.
2. Go to Wi-Fi (if wireless)
3. Find your current wireless connection and click Details.
4. TCP/IP appears there. Click on it.
5. Select Manually from the Configure IPv4 drop-down.
6. Fill in the necessary information such as address, netmask, gateway, DNS, etc.
7. Then click on the OK sign.
Windows 11
1. Go to Network and Internet through Settings.
2. Select your connection type (Ethernet or Wi-Fi).
4. Then go to ‘Manage’ and click ‘Edit’.
5. Select Manual under Edit Network IP.
6. Fill in the required information, and click.
7. Then click on save.
Android
1. Go to the Settings option and tap on Network and Internet.
2. Tap the gear icon associated with your wireless network.
3. Tap the pencil icon in the upper right corner.
4. Tap on Advanced Options.
5. Choose Static from the IP Settings drop-down.
6. Fill in the required information and tap on Save.
iOS
1. Go to Settings and select Wi-Fi.
2. Tap the icon to the right of the wireless network you’re using.
3. Select Manual from the Configure IP drop-down.
4. Fill in the required information and save.
Remember that changing your internal IP address will not affect your external IP address.
How to Change External IP Address
You cannot manually and permanently change the external IP address. But you can use different services to hide your real IP address. which may obscure your IP address to some extent.
1 VPN
You can use VPN services to hide your real external IP address. It not only hides your IP address but also encrypts your real address.
This is the easiest way to hide external IP addresses. You can find a VPN service for every platform you use. Among them Nord VPN, Express VPN, Surfshark VPN, Private Internet Access, and Proton VPN are popular. But usually, you have to pay a fee to use a VPN.
2. Tor Browser
If you don’t want to pay for a VPN or go through the process of installing or configuring such a service, you can use Tor Browser.
Tor Browser does everything a VPN does. But it only obfuscates your web browser traffic, not others.
3. Proxy server
This is the most complicated process because installing and configuring the service is often more challenging than using a VPN or Tor browser. If you use a proxy server, you must also use the same server to connect other devices to your network. So it is complicated.
You can hide your IP address to protect your privacy. But don’t use an internal IP address that is already used.
If you use a VPN or Tor browser to change your external IP address, it hides your location. It also encrypts your internet activity.