Public vs Private IP Address
A public IP is routable on the internet; a private IP is used only inside a local network such as your home Wi-Fi.
How it works
Private ranges include 192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x, and 172.16.x.x through 172.31.x.x. They let routers assign addresses to phones, laptops, and printers without consuming globally unique addresses. Your router translates those local connections to a public address when traffic reaches the internet. That is why a device can have both a private address in settings and a different public address on a website.
A printer at 192.168.1.50 can be reached by another device on the same home Wi-Fi, but an internet user cannot normally reach it just by entering that address. The home router decides how local traffic is translated and which, if any, incoming connections are allowed.
This distinction also explains why a support request may ask for both values. A local address helps diagnose a Wi-Fi or LAN problem; a public address helps identify the connection at the edge of the internet.
Practical guidance
- Use the public address when troubleshooting a website, VPN, or remote service.
- Use the private address when connecting to a device on the same Wi-Fi network.
- Do not publish a private address as though it were a public route; it normally has no meaning outside its local network.
Common question
Is a private IP safer? It is not directly reachable from the public internet by design, but normal router and device security still matter.