There are many reasons why you might want to hide your IP address with the help of our company MyIp, experts in web hosting, from having discounted airfare to accessing content that is not available in your home country. This allows you to unblock Netflix libraries in many different countries, as well as platforms such as Hulu and BBC iPlayer, which are blocked in many parts of the world .
It is also a great way to protect your privacy and prevent your personal information from falling into the hands of advertisers, hackers and others.
What is an IP Address?
An Internet Protocol (IP) address is a unique set of numbers and decimals used to identify each device connected to the Internet . Each device that is connected to a computer network has its own unique IP address. But if you have connected several devices through a WiFi router, then their IP addresses are the same.
When you visit a website, your device sends a request to the website server using the website’s IP address. The request returns with the information you requested using your own IP address.
There are two types of IP addresses. IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4) addresses consist of four two-digit or three-digit numbers separated by periods (for example 123.45.67.89). IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) addresses are much larger and include uppercase and lowercase letters and numbers.
The IPv6 protocol is being developed because the number of available IPv4 addresses is running low. It also has more efficient routing and data flow than IPv4, as well as improved security. But in most of the world the use of IPv4 is still prevalent and the transition to IPv6 is not an easy process.
If you want to switch to IPv6, your ISP (Internet Service Provider), router, and operating system must be compatible with it. Unfortunately, most ISPs do not yet support IPv6 .
If you want to see your own IP address right now, you can easily use our tool to check your IP . I used it to check my IP address with and without VPN.
Your IP address has not been assigned to you by chance. A non-profit organization called the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority generates IP addresses and gives them to the five regional Internet registries around the world (RIR). These regional registries then assign IP addresses to ISPs in their area.
This means that your IP address can be used to locate your location .
Because your computer and other devices need an IP address to access information on the Internet, there is no way you can avoid using an IP address. The only way to hide your real IP address is to disguise it with a different one.
Why Hide My IP Address?
The fact that you give your real IP to every website you visit can threaten the security of your privacy and anonymity on the internet .
This is because your IP address can easily be used to identify your location – sometimes with a frightening level of accuracy. Hiding your IP prevents you from being detected. This is especially important if you are going to use torrents or any other activity located in the gray area of legality.
But even if you just browse, revealing your location has consequences . Various websites and advertisers can use this data to target you in order to benefit from your online activity.
For example, airlines and travel companies change their prices based on the location of your IP address. You may be shocked at how much airfare can vary because of the location you appear to be in.
Another reason for hiding your IP address is to bypass the restrictions of various websites, ISPs, government agencies, workplaces, and even schools . A common example is Netflix, which uses your IP address to identify content that you can watch.
If you do not hide your IP address, you will only be able to view your Netflix library from your actual location. But if you want to bypass the restrictions of a country and access content from all over the world , hiding your IP will help you achieve this.
9 Ways to Hide Your IP Address
1. Use a VPN
This is the best and most reliable way to hide your IP . All you have to do is select one of the top VPN services, download the VPN and then choose which country you want to connect to. The VPN will assign you a virtual IP address associated with this country and effectively hide your real location .
One of the biggest advantages of using a VPN is the fast connection speed . Unlike other methods, you do not have to worry about browsing, streaming or downloading content too late.
This is especially important if you want to watch content on Netflix or other platforms. These sites are great at detecting when users are trying to bypass their restrictions and will not hesitate to block you. But the best VPNs can easily bypass even the strictest geographical restrictions .
VPNs are also the safest way to download torrents. In addition to hiding your IP address and protecting your privacy, some VPN providers offer dedicated servers for torrents and P2P profiles.
In general, VPNs are incredibly secure if you choose a trusted service that uses advanced security profile. This will protect your IP from leaks.
The best VPNs on the market ask you to pay a subscription, but it’s really worth it. While there are some pretty good free VPNs , these are very few and usually offer slow connection, low bandwidth and data transfer. Some free VPNs may even put you at risk for data theft, malware attacks and other security threats.
In my opinion, it is necessary to invest in a chargeable VPN like the ones we present to you below. Just a few extra dollars a month is the small price you have to pay when it comes to protecting your privacy. The VPNs that we offer you offer money back guarantees, so that you can try their services without any financial risk on your part.
2. Proxy – Slow and Unsafe Download Torrents
Proxies are commonly used to access content with geographical restrictions. Suppose you want to see something that is only available in a specific country. Your computer sends a request to the site to see it, but the proxy corrupts the request and resends it using an IP address from that country . When the proxy server gains access, it sends it back to you – that’s it!
There are several drawbacks to proxies: they are very slow and not very secure because they do not encrypt your traffic like VPNs do. Also, they do not work well for downloading torrents , as they do not hide all your activity from your ISP (your ISP). In addition, many popular sites, such as Hulu, can easily tell when you are using a proxy and block your access.
3. Tor – Covers your IP for Free (Not for Streaming or Downloading Torrents)
If you want to remain completely anonymous online without paying a penny, Tor is a solid solution. It consists of a large network of servers run by volunteers around the world. When you use Tor, your traffic goes through several of these servers and is often encrypted, making it almost impossible for anyone to track your traffic and locate your IP.
However, all of this encryption and decryption makes Tor incredibly slow, so it’s not at all useful for streaming or downloading – and its developers advise against using it for torrents. If you just want to browse the web, you can use Tor Browser or download the Firefox extension. However, in order to have the highest possible level of protection of your privacy, I suggest you use Tor in conjunction with a VPN .
4. WiFi Network – A Dangerous Last Solution
Your IP address is assigned to you by your ISP, so if you connect to the Internet through a different network, you will be assigned a new IP. If you want to quickly and temporarily change your IP , you can go to a cafeteria or any other place where there is a public WiFi network. Because this is a shared connection, your activity could not lead to your location.
However, connecting to a public WiFi makes you vulnerable to hacker attacks, malware, and all sorts of security threats. I always recommend using a VPN when connecting to a public WiFi network. Plus, a WiFi network won’t help you get around geographical constraints – so it’s more of a quick fix than a long-term solution.
5. Use Your Mobile Network – A Temporary Solution
If you do not have easy access to a public WiFi connection – or you just do not want to take all the risks involved – you can also temporarily change your IP using the data you have on your mobile instead of connecting to a WiFi .
The biggest disadvantage of this method is that it can be expensive, especially if you want to stream or download a lot of content. But again, this is a solution that can not be permanent and I only recommend it if you think your normal IP address is exposed . If so, using your mobile network is an easy way to get a new IP right away.
6. Disconnect Your Modem – Refresh your IP Address
This may sound silly, but sometimes unplugging your modem for a while can really change your IP address. When you disconnect from your ISP (your ISP), the link to your existing IP is deleted – but only if your ISP uses dynamic IP addresses (which is most likely).
Leave your modem disconnected for as long as you can, as this increases the chance that your IP will change. When you reconnect it, you will need to have a new IP. However, this is not the most reliable method and therefore should not be your first choice.
7. Refresh Your IP Address – Follow These Steps
As I mentioned above, your primary IP address is publicly visible, but if you use a WiFi network or an Ethernet cable, you can also have a private IP address. This method only works to replace private IP , not public IP.
8. Use a NAT Firewall – Hide Your Private IP Address
Like the previous method, this option only applies to your private IP address. A Firewall NAT (Network Address Translation) allows different devices to hide their own IP address and use all the same public IP address. In other words, many devices connected to the same router can share a public IP address.
The main advantage of NAT is that it protects you from receiving unwanted communication from unknown internet users, which can be malicious. However, it does not hide the public IP address of your device , which is even more important when it comes to protecting your privacy online. As I mentioned before, the best way to hide your IP is with a VPN.
9. Ask Your ISP to Change It for You – Ask Kindly
Because your ISP (Internet Service Provider) is the one giving you your IP, you can simply ask them to change it . You should contact his service directly and provide your account details. This is an easy and simple way to change your IP, but it’s not going to solve geographical constraints or security issues like a VPN would .
Remember that if your ISP uses dynamic IP addresses, your address will change again at some point in the future . If you want it to stay the same, you can ask for a static IP address – but this usually costs extra and requires extra effort.