Difference Between Computer IP Address and Default Gateway Address

What is IP Address

An internet protocol (IP) address is a sequence of numbers assigned to a device that is linked to the web, much like a home’s street address. IP addresses are vital for your computer network to communicate with other computers, websites, and all aspects of cyberspace. In reality, IP addresses are how internet machines recognize one another.

Types of IP Address

1. Private IP addresses

Every device that connects to your internet connection has a distinct, private IP address. This includes PCs, smartphones, and tablets as well as any Bluetooth-enabled devices like speakers or printers.

With the advent of the internet of things, your router’s number of private IP addresses is almost certainly going to rise. Many devices require a mechanism for distinguishing one another; as a result, your router generates unique private IP addresses for each device on the network.

2. Public IP addresses

Your entire network’s primary address is a public IP address. While each connected device has its own IP address, it is also part of the main IP address for your network. As previously said, your ISP provides you with a public IP address. ISPs typically provide their customers with a large number of addresses from which to pick.

What is Gateway Address

A gateway is a device that serves as an entry point from one network to another. All packets destined for foreign hosts are forwarded to the default gateway (i.e., the Gateway IP address), therefore a host with no default gateway address may communicate only with computers in the same local area network using TCP/IP.

The gateway is put in place at the network perimeter to manage all data traveling between the internal network and external networks. A gateway, in most situations, serves as a secure method for the local area while also enabling it to communicate with public networks.

When assigning an IP address to a gateway (from the local network side), the first available pool of host addresses in a network is generally used.

Considerable Difference

Let’s look at an example to illustrate how the IP address and the gateway differ. Consider a household of four people who live in four rooms. Their common address is where they receive mail or send their own letters. Consider these four individuals as four computers linked together in a network.

1. In this instance, the computers have unique IP addresses in the network, and they have individual rooms and room numbers if you choose to number them.

2. This is where you find out what they need to know. They would provide their residential address for mail delivery. The gateway to your home is an example of when computers within a network use your router’s IP address as their default gateway to send packets out on the internet.

So, in summary, the distinction between both is that an IP address is a unique string that is utilized to communicate within a network and while a gateway is required to send and receive data packets properly outside the network.

How to Find IP Address & Default Gateway Address in Windows

1. Using Control Panel

Go to Control Panel
Click on Network and Internet options.

Tap on Network and Sharing Center.

Go to the Ethernet setting.

On a pop-up window, the IP and Gateways are shown.

2. Using Command Prompt

Go to Dos mode by pressing Ctrl+R
Now type “cmd” and hit enter to run the command.
A few syntaxes appear on the screen, containing the IP address and the Gateway as required.