What’s My IP Address? Accurate & Fast Location Info | PIA VPN
What Is My IP Address
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Why Should I Hide My IP Address?
On its own, an IP address is harmless. Every device has a public IP address. But advertisers, hackers, and authorities can use your IP for nefarious purposes, such as to:
Track your activity online
Gather and sell your personal information
Restrict your access to online content
PIA VPN Makes It Easy To Browse Anonymously
By hiding your IP address with PIA, you can conceal your identity and location for an incredibly low monthly cost. Get started today and enjoy private, secure, and anonymous online browsing.
How Much Does It Cost To Protect Your IP Address?
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How Does a VPN Work?
PIA VPN acts like a buffer between your device and the websites or applications you connect to.
An extra layer of protection
Internet traffic is encrypted
IP address is concealed
Cannot be tracked
Choose server location
Access your favorite content
No extra protection
Internet traffic is unencrypted
IP address is exposed
Can easily be tracked
Geographic location exposed
Content may be blocked or censored
Want To Know More?
PIA VPN connects to a remote server that conceals your real IP address and assigns you a new anonymous one, and encrypts your data. It acts as a buffer between your device and the website you’re trying to connect to and offers extra protection and anonymity.
PIA’s most value-packed subscription comes out to only $2. 69 per month. PIA offers the best VPN service at a significantly lower price than our competitors — and one subscription covers 10 devices.
An IP address is a necessary part of connecting to the internet. It’s a unique number linked to all of your online activity — including your device information, location, and more. This unique number provides a way for advertisers, hackers, and authorities can use your IP to track you online, gather and sell your personal information, or restrict your access to online content.
An IP address is necessary to connect to the internet, but it can also be used to track you online, as it is unique to your particular device. Advertisers, cybercriminals, and authorities can use your IP to keep tabs on you, gather and sell your personal information, or restrict your access to online content. For these reasons, it is considered a best practice of internet safety to hide your IP address, just as you would any other private information.
IP addresses are often closely tied to your geographical location. While an IP address won’t reveal the exact address of your home, it’s very easy to tell which country, state, city, or region you’re accessing the internet from. This is bad news for privacy, but good news for easily switching your IP to a new location.
Absolutely. You have a right to privacy online, and using PIA VPN to keep yourself secure and anonymous while browsing the web is perfectly legal in almost all jurisdictions. VPNs are legal in most countries worldwide except China, Russia, Belarus, North Korea, and other authoritarian regimes which only allow citizens to use state-approved VPN services.
Yes. Your real IP address is still protected when using a Dedicated IP. Unlike a shared IP, which is assigned to many users, a Dedicated IP is unique to your account — no one else can use it — avoiding congestion and giving you better speeds, all while preserving the same security and anonymity of a traditional VPN. So while a Dedicated IP is unique to only you, PIA keeps no record of which Dedicated IP belongs to which user — keeping you anonymous.
Still Not Convinced? Try PIA Risk-Free
You’re covered by our 30-day money-back guarantee. If you’re not satisfied, get a refund.
Disclaimer: Per our Terms and Conditions, using PIA VPN for illegal purposes is not encouraged.
How to Check If Your VPN Is Leaking Your IP Address on Your Computer …
VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) are great for security, but one of the big reasons many people use one is to mask or change their IP address. Thus, one of the essential motivations to utilize a VPN is to conceal your actual IP address. In addition, while using a VPN, all of your web movements are encoded and sent to a VPN server. These servers, which handle all the data on the server side and is run by your VPN provider, are encrypted.
This implies that outside eyewitnesses can only see the IP address of the VPN server and not your actual IP. VPN providers take strong measures to protect user IPs, including using shared IPs and not maintaining logs. However, there is still a chance that your IP address can be discovered while using a VPN. Read on to learn how to find out if your VPN is leaking your IP and what you can do about it.
An IP leak is the leaking of a user’s real IP address while connected to a VPN service. It can occur in a situation where a user’s computer is unknowingly accessing default servers rather than the anonymous VPN servers assigned by the network such as VPN. Here is simple example to understand IP leak while you are using a VPN:
Say you want to access some content that is not accessible (i. e. geo-restricted) from your home country. When you log into your VPN account, usually you can choose between servers in different countries. The VPN will “pretend” you’re actually located in the selected region. Usually that’s enough to convince you that you are now virtually in a supported country – all good so far!
But, if you go to access that content and are still facing the geo-restrictions, this means that service you are trying to access from a restricted country is actually tracking your original IP rather than the IP from the VPN server. This means your VPN is leaking your original IP.
Most IP leak types can affect any network protocol at one time or another on your smartphones, but the best VPN providers have built workarounds into their software to minimize the likelihood of an IP leakage. IP leaks aren’t normally the fault of your VPN service provider. They are often caused by vulnerabilities in existing technology like browser plugins (flash), web browsing software and operating systems on our smartphones.
Similarly, some DNS leaks can expose your original IP address to the DNS server. If your VPN has the “DNS Leak, ” it means your DNS requests are being sent to an unsafe DNS server (usually one controlled by your internet provider). Some VPNs have built-in DNS leak protection, use their custom DNS servers, and use special technology to assure that your DNS requests are always routed securely, inside the encrypted VPN tunnel.
Some ISPs use a technology called “transparent DNS proxy”. Using this technology, they can intercept all DNS requests moving through their servers. If you specify the different DNS server on your home PC or router, it’s possible these requests could still be intercepted. If you have changed your DNS settings to use an ‘open’ DNS service such as Google or OpenDNS, expecting that your DNS traffic is no longer being sent to your internet provider’s DNS server, you may be shocked to find out that they are using transparent DNS proxying.
Your ‘real’ IP address is the one which is assigned to you by your internet service provider and can be used to identify your unique internet subscription specifically. All devices on your home network will share the same IP address.
Here are few useful steps through which you can check whether your VPN is working fine and not leaking your IP address:
Step 1: Check your IP – Make sure that your VPN is NOT connected. If you are sure that your VPN is disconnected, then go to Google and type “what is my IP address” to check your real IP.
Step 2: Sign in to VPN – Log into your VPN account and connect to the server of your choice. Verify twice that you are connected.
Step 3: Check your IP again – Go to Google and type “what is my iIP address” again to check your new IP. You should see a new address, one that corresponds with your VPN and the country you selected.
Step 4: Do IP Leak test – Several free websites allow you to check if your VPN is leaking IP. There is a good tool for IP Leak tests in regards to user’s online privacy. It’s unique because it’s a modern web app and includes a free API to use on your smartphones. Most IP or DNS leak tests used today are generally not mobile friendly, but more importantly outdated. For example, this tool’s API checks if DNS over TLS is enabled, which is missing from the older DNS leak test sites. This may be a relatively new protocol, but will become an increasingly important feature since it keeps your DNS requests encrypted. Its API also checks to see if DNSSEC is enabled or “Checking Disabled” is on or off. DNSSEC provides origin authority, data integrity, and authenticated denial of existence. So overall these results give you a more complete picture of your privacy and security settings.
There is another common leak named ‘Dropped Connection’ which occurs if your VPN disconnects suddenly, in which case all your web traffic will be routed through your regular Internet connection (less secure). This is the common IP leak and also the easiest to prevent.
Choosing a VPN service with a kill-switch feature is the right choice even for your smartphones. A kill-switch is a critical piece of your VPN client software that continuously monitors your network connection and makes sure that your true IP address is never exposed online in the event of a dropped VPN connection. If it detects a change, it will instantly stop all internet connectivity and try to reconnect to the VPN automatically. I recommend looking for this feature when you are comparing VPNs.
VPNs can be a great tool for protecting your privacy online, but sometimes they can be undermined. I hope this post has opened your eyes to risks of IP leaks and the importance of regularly checking for them to ensure your information is staying safe.
Looking for more on VPNs? Check out my recent post Top 10 VPNs That Take Your Privacy and Security Seriously.
Note: This blog article was written by a guest contributor for the purpose of offering a wider variety of content for our readers. The opinions expressed in this guest author article are solely those of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect those of GlobalSign
How to Check If Your VPN Is Working | Avast
How to tell if your VPN is securely connected
Many VPNs are far less secure than their developers admit. A quick VPN test will show you whether or not your VPN is masking your IP address, leaking your DNS info, or spilling other info that should be protected. Once you learn how to tell if your VPN is working, you’ll have everything you need to evaluate any VPN you use.
A VPN security test will reveal whether your VPN (virtual private network) is providing the level of protection you’re paying for — and if you’re using a free VPN, it’s probably not doing much at all. You can quickly and easily test your VPN connection and see if you’re as anonymous online as you should be.
Is your VPN working? Let’s find out!
Why your VPN is not working — and how to check
When your VPN is working properly, it hides your identifying information from anyone online. But not all VPNs are built as securely as others, and many will inadvertently reveal information that could be used to identify you or your geographical location. If you’re trying to use a VPN to unblock websites, these leaks will prevent you from doing so.
It’s especially important to check for leaks if you’re setting up your own VPN, since you can’t rely on a VPN provider for security. A trustworthy VPN for PC or VPN for Mac should already be leak-proof — but it helps to make sure.
Here, we’ll review the three most common types of VPN leaks and show you how to check your VPN in each case. The best way to avoid all VPN leaks — and fix them if you find any — is to choose a secure and reliable VPN from a provider you trust to keep your data safe.
IP address leaks
Every device that connects to the internet has an IP address, which allows devices to communicate with one another online. IP addresses are linked to geographical locations, so if someone can see your IP address, they know where you are, down to the city or town. People can also use your IP address to track and monitor your activity online.
One of the primary duties of a good VPN is to hide your IP address behind another one. Then, no one can identify your real IP address when you’re online.
How to test for an IP address leak
Any VPN worth its subscription fee should hide your IP address. It’s easy to check if yours is giving you this basic level of protection — or if you have a VPN leak.
First, identify your actual IP address. Make sure your VPN is turned off. Your VPN may display your IP address, or you can search “what is my IP address” and find a number of sites that will quickly show you.
If you Google “what is my IP, ” you’ll see your IP address in either IPv6 or IPv4 format. Avast SecureLine VPN will display your IPv4 address, and many IP address lookup websites will give you both.
Note your IP address — you’ll need to refer to it later during this VPN test.
Turn on your VPN and connect to any server. The Virtual IP here is what your VPN IP address is, which should be different from the actual IP address you noted in Step 1.
Search “what is my IP” again in Google (or use an IP lookup site) and check the result against your VPN’s virtual IP address. If they match, then you know your VPN is effectively hiding your real IP address.
But if the IP check shows your actual IP address from Step 1, then your VPN has failed the VPN test and is leaking your IP address.
How to fix an IP address leak
If your VPN test showed your actual IP address, first try connecting to another VPN server and testing again. If that doesn’t solve the problem, choose a different VPN provider with better security. IP address tracking is one way companies like Google collect and use your data. While a VPN won’t protect against all types of web tracking, it will prevent you from being tracked through your IP address.
Some VPNs don’t cover IPv6 connections. If you have IPv6 enabled on your computer, and you connect to an IPv6-enabled website, your VPN may secure your IPv4 address while letting your IPv6 traffic slip through. In this case, either disable IPv6 on your device, or choose a VPN that protects it. Any VPN that supports IPv6 will also support IPv4.
Hiding your IP address is one of the primary reasons why people choose to use VPNs, and if you’re not getting this basic level of service from your VPN, take your business elsewhere.
Avast SecureLine VPN uses bank-grade encryption on all our lightning-fast servers around the world to hide your IP address and keep you anonymous whenever you connect.
DNS leaks
The DNS (domain name system) is like the phone book for the internet. All websites have IP addresses, but it’s not practical to remember a unique string of numbers for every website you visit. The DNS matches a website’s IP address to its URL — such as You can view and edit your router’s DNS settings in its admin menu.
When you’re not using a VPN, your local ISP (internet service provider) handles your DNS requests, and the websites you visit can see where your DNS requests come from.
A good VPN should handle DNS lookups for you, but not all of them do. In these cases, a website you visit while connected to your VPN will still know where your DNS request came from. This also means your ISP will know which websites you visit, since they’ll be handling DNS lookups instead of your VPN.
How to test for a DNS leak
Checking for DNS leaks is similar to testing your VPN for IP address protection. Here’s how to test your VPN for DNS leaks:
With your VPN off, head to DNSLeakTest, which will show you what your IP address is and display your general location.
Now, turn on your VPN and reload the page. You should see your VPN’s IP address displayed here instead.
If these IP addresses match, then your VPN is protecting your IP address. Try clicking Standard Test or Extended Test under your DNSLeakTest info for more detailed results.
You can see that the results of the Extended Test reflect the US-based server we’re using via Avast SecureLine VPN. If these tests show DNS addresses that belong to your ISP, then your VPN is leaking your DNS info.
How to fix a DNS leak
If the results of your VPN test show a DNS leak, try contacting your VPN provider’s customer support. They may be able to address the issue.
Otherwise, switch to a better VPN with its own encrypted DNS servers — like Avast SecureLine VPN. This will ensure that your VPN won’t reveal your DNS info, which can be used to find your IP address.
WebRTC leaks (and what is a WebRTC leak? )
WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication) is a free, open-source solution that lets websites and apps host real-time audio and video communications, offer live streaming, and enable file sharing without using third-party software like extensions or plugins.
A WebRTC leak happens when your browser reveals your actual IP address when making WebRTC requests while you’re connected to a VPN. A good VPN will prevent WebRTC leaks, but not all VPNs do.
Let’s find out what happens with Avast SecureLine VPN.
How to test for a WebRTC leak
With your VPN off, head to a website that can test your VPN for WebRTC protection. Here, we’ll use BrowserLeaks. You should see your actual IP address under Public IP Address.
Connect to your VPN and refresh the page. If your browser is protecting you against WebRTC leaks, you’ll see your VPN-provided IP address here.
In the screenshot above, the IP address in the WebRTC test matches that of our VPN connection — if you get similar results, then your VPN test worked and your VPN is hiding your IP address.
If you still see your actual IP address after the VPN test, then your VPN is leaking your IP address when your web browser makes WebRTC requests.
How to fix a WebRTC leak
If your browser is leaking your IP address via WebRTC, you’ve got several options. The safest, most convenient, and most effective solution is to use a VPN that protects against WebRTC leaks. As we’ve seen in our test above, Avast SecureLine VPN hides your IP address and forces your browser to use one of our IP addresses instead for WebRTC.
And to ensure comprehensive leak protection, our dedicated privacy and security engineers built a simple VPN browser extension that’s easily launched from within the Avast SecureLine VPN app. With Avast SecureLine VPN’s extension turned on, you’ll get comprehensive protection against WebRTC leaks.
You should be able to rely on your VPN to protect your personal data at all times: when you’re using WebRTC to video-call a colleague, banking online, sending a file, surfing over free public Wi-Fi, or trying to unblock a beloved website. Avast SecureLine VPN gets the job done every time, with bank-grade encryption and super-fast servers all over the world.
Without a reliable VPN, you’ll need to disable WebRTC in your browser. This will stop WebRTC leaks, but it’ll also prevent you from using WebRTC-related functions at all.
Test your VPN speed
IP address leaks aren’t the only thing to worry about when testing your VPN. No matter how secure your VPN is, you won’t want to use it if it’s slowing down your internet connection.
A number of factors can affect your VPN speed, and not all of them are due to the VPN itself.
Your internet connection: Your VPN can’t be faster than your actual internet connection. The best it can do is be just as fast.
Physical distance between you and the VPN server: The closer you are to your VPN server, the faster the connection will usually be. But this isn’t always true, since VPN speed can also depend on…
The number of people using the same server: If the closest server to you is handling lots of simultaneous connections, you might get faster service by connecting to one a bit farther away.
Your computer’s processing power: Your computer encrypts and decrypts data as it flows through your VPN. A struggling computer can’t support super-fast VPN speeds.
Local bandwidth limits: If you live in a region with bandwidth restrictions or limitations, your internet speed may suffer. The same can happen if you’re sharing an internet connection with other people.
A quick VPN speed test will show you how well your VPN is performing. If you Google “internet speed test, ” you’ll find one at the top of the search results. Click Run Speed Test to begin.
How to fix VPN speed issues
Is your VPN too slow? Here are a few ways you can speed up your VPN connection. But remember, your VPN can only be as fast as the speed you get from your ISP.
Disconnect and reconnect. You never know — sometimes a reset can make a difference.
Change servers. Experiment and see if you get faster speeds on a different server. Some VPNs can auto-connect you to the fastest available server at any time.
Try a wired connection. Wi-Fi is usually slower than Ethernet. You’ll likely get faster speeds if you connect your computer to your router with an Ethernet cable.
Close down other apps. The more apps that are funneling data through your internet connection, the slower everything will feel.
Do a malware scan. Malicious software can eat up your PC’s resources and slow it down. Try a virus removal tool to speed things up.
What you should do if your VPN isn’t working
Has your VPN failed any of the VPN tests outlined above? If so, contact your VPN’s support team. If you’re using a trustworthy VPN, they should be available to resolve the issue.
Otherwise, switch to a trustworthy and secure VPN that won’t leak your IP address or other personal info online. Avast SecureLine VPN hides your IP address and protects your internet traffic against DNS leaks and other privacy threats to keep you anonymous whenever you’re online.
Protect your privacy with our trusted VPN
There’s no reason to use a VPN that can’t keep your IP address hidden. For true online anonymity whenever you connect, choose a VPN from the cybersecurity experts trusted by over 435 million users worldwide.
Avast SecureLine VPN uses powerful encryption protocols to secure your internet connection against leaks of any kind, protecting you against anyone trying to access your personal data. Experience airtight online privacy today with our 7-day free trial.
Frequently Asked Questions about whats my ip vpn
How do I find my VPN IP address?
Step 1: Check your IP – Make sure that your VPN is NOT connected. If you are sure that your VPN is disconnected, then go to Google and type “what is my IP address” to check your real IP. Step 2: Sign in to VPN – Log into your VPN account and connect to the server of your choice. Verify twice that you are connected.Jul 19, 2017
How do I look up my VPN?
First, identify your actual IP address. Make sure your VPN is turned off. Your VPN may display your IP address, or you can search “what is my IP address” and find a number of sites that will quickly show you. If you Google “what is my IP,” you’ll see your IP address in either IPv6 or IPv4 format.May 20, 2021
What is IP Pia?
What is my phone’s IP address? Navigate to Settings > About device > Status then scroll down. There, you’ll be able to see your Android phone’s public IP address along with other information such as MAC address.
