Ah, privacy. We do not know if it was by fashion or conscience, but we thank God that users finally begin to worry more about the handling of their data when surfing the Internet. The amount of information we store on our devices is generally very personal .
When it comes to online privacy, the IP address is one of the most important elements, since it can reveal much more information than we think . That is why we are going to focus on today’s article.
You will know step by step how to change your private Internet protocol address , as well as we will explain why it is important that you take this element more seriously and all the personal information that this information can reveal of your Internet connection.
Index:
Why should I change my IP address?
Have you seriously thought about what an IP address is? Conceptually, is an identification number given to devices that participate in a computer network . This technically sounds good, but if we go to what that means, you may think differently.
This means that each and every one of our devices has a unique number that identifies them with data . That is, with this address you can easily know the location from which we connect, especially country and city.
In addition to that, a sufficiently skilled person can track an IP and find out which Internet portals they have browsed. So they will know all the social networks and profiles you visit, what are your favorite pages, and even the porn you see at night .
Even will be able to know the searches you have done on Google . Which means that if you have had some symptoms lately and searched for their causes, this person will also know them.
If we add this to the fact that practically any doubt we have we look for on the Internet, a person with our IP could make a profile of us with our tastes, hobbies, work and lifestyle without even knowing our names .
Public IP vs. Private IP What are they and what is each one?
There are two types of IP addresses that we can identify as public and private. The first one is the one that corresponds to our Internet connection, it is stored in the router itself and users can access it in various ways. The second one, in turn, serves to identify the devices that connect to that router .
The private address can be changed, since it is assigned a different one each time it connects to a new network and this will be subject to the public address of that network .
Is it possible to change the public IP?
The public IP is almost inaccessible to users and cannot be modified at all since it is determined by a number of factors. The main one is the country from which you connect, where your provider’s servers are, as well as your city. It is a perfectly organized system specially designed to know where a person connects to Internet .
However, there are certain measures that you can take so that no one but you knows your public IP address, so that the most important data of your connection is safe from third parties with uncertain intentions.
What is the IP of Spain and the main countries of LATAM?
Surely you will be wondering what it is that the country from which we connect influences our IP. Well, as we explained earlier, IP addresses are also an organizational system to know each device that connects, these were thought in blocks, and these blocks are assigned to each country or geographical area .
This is a very powerful tool to censor digital content, being the cause that if you are outside the United States or Europe, you can not watch certain videos that only the inhabitants of these countries have access to >. A country does not have a single block, it has hundreds of them, but then we will leave you the most important in Spain and the LATAM countries:
Steps to change your private Internet protocol address in Windows, Linux and MacOS
The private IP is usually assigned by the DHCP server of our own router, and this usually changes over time. What we can do is make the change from dynamic to fixed IP , so that it does not change and is maintained over time.
This is a really simple process to perform that we can complete in a few minutes. Here’s how to do it:
In Windows
In Windows, the tool determined to solve any aspect related to the Internet network is the Network and Sharing Center. In it you can change your dynamic IP to fixed by doing the following :
- Enter the “Network and Sharing Center” of Windows.
- Then select the option “Change adapter settings” and once there select the Internet connection you have, which can be Ethernet or WLAN.
- Double clicking on our connection will open a small window in which we must select the option « Properties ».
- Once inside the network properties we select « Internet Protocol address version 4 » and click again on « Properties ».
- At this point you should simply check the « Use the following IPv4 address » box and in the corresponding fields put the IP you wish to have, the mask subnet and the default gateway.
- In this case it is also advisable to change the DNS, so check «Use the following server address D NS » and in the ” Preferred DNS “ and ” Alternative DNS “ fields 8.8.8.8 and 8.8. 4.4 respectively.
On MacOS
On Apple computers, things change a bit, but the process is still very easy to do from the “System preferences”, the tool we will move through in this case.
What you should do is simply:
- Enter the “System Preferences” on your Mac and then go to the accountedRed.
- In the left column you will see a list of connections, the one you are using will say «Connected», you must select it and then click on «Advanced».
- Then you must position yourself on the TCP / IP section and mark the “IP Configuration” as “Manual” and then write in the field below the address you wish to set.
What methods can be used to change or disguise our public IP ?
As we explained earlier, changing the public IP is virtually impossible since it is established by the blocks that are assigned to each country that we explained earlier. However there are certain methods that you can apply to hide it , so that it cannot be known by the portals you visit.
VPN
The first option we have is to use a private virtual network or VPN , which is nothing more than a tool to create a tunnel to encrypt the communications of our connection, Encrypting our IP so that it cannot be known and remain completely anonymous .
Proxys
Proxies are the second option you have to mask your IP. It is about connecting to a website and from this to enter other pages, so the IP shown is that of the proxy server and not the original of your connection to Internet .
Tor Browser
Finally we suggest you use Tor Browser, the only browser in the world that guarantees 100% the privacy of your users’ data since it does not leave browsing history , cookies or anything that It looks like it. It is available for both mobile phones and computers.
Steps to hide your public IP from your computer or mobile
Now we are going to teach you how to apply each of the strategies mentioned above, so that you can start protecting your online communications now.
With a proxy
A proxy is the tool that will be easier for you to use throughout this article. It is a website from which you can enter other portals. That is, you can use it as if it were an Internet browser. The advantage of using it is that when entering the websites you want, will show the address of the proxy servers and not ours .
Its use is very simple. You simply enter the proxy web of your choice, and once there you will see an address bar in the middle of the interface. In it you must indicate the country of the server from which you want to connect, and then the web to which you are going to enter. After that it will start loading the destination portal as if it were any browser .
The proxies have evolved tremendously during the last years, since before I could limit certain functions of the portals, but now you can enjoy a complete experience from them.
With a VPN
The next option you have is to configure a VPN on your mobile or desktop device. You can choose from the hundreds of providers that are currently. Of course, we recommend that you make the investment of paying a premium service and not a free one since the latter usually have a lot of information leaks.
Once you have your access credentials. To configure the VPN on your Windows computer you simply have to do the following :
- Go to your “Control Panel” and enter the “Internet and networks” .
- Once in She will have to look for the VPN section and when selecting it she looks for the option «Add new VPN» .
- Now you must enter the data that you are requested of the connection, such as the IP of your server and the user data you obtained when you registered. After all that you just have to click on “Accept” and now your communications are encrypted.
There are certain VPNs that do not require this configuration since it is enough to just download and install a client, as with NordVPN, or an extension of the Chrome or Mozilla browser.
Now, if you connect from a smartphone and not from a desktop computer, then you must follow these steps to configure a VPN on your Android :
- Enter the «Settings» of your mobile and go to the «Internet and Network» section. Once in it, select the option contributed Advancedly .
- In this section we must select «VPN» and then in the sign of «+» in the upper right corner of the interface, where it will ask us to enter the VPN data that we are going to configure.
- Once the data is written and saved, we will have our communications 100% secured.
As with your computer, there are some providers that do not require this configuration, since it is enough to install an application on the device.
With Tor
Tor is an excellent browser that allows you to maintain full control over your data when browsing the Internet. To start, use a unique technology that integrates complex encryption methods so you don’t have to worry about using VPN, as well as other functions to improve Internet connection speed.
Tor Browser is completely free, and you can download it on both your mobile and computer with the following links:
Download Tor Browser Windows
Download Tor Browser macOS
Download Tor Browser Linux
List of the best tools to hide your public IP address
Next, we present a list with the best VPN extensions and proxies to hide your public IP address and navigate with the certainty of being in a completely private environment when browsing:
Browser extensions
Chrome and Mozilla are two of the most versatile browsers because they allow you to add extensions and add-ons that will allow you to give extra features to the program. One of them is to be able to install a VPN extension to encrypt traffic on them and not reveal your IP.
In this sense the best options you have are :
- NordVPN Extension : This is a fairly complete tool that includes an ultra-fast proxy that also has the ability to block ads. With it all data traffic will be encrypted and secured, so that your IP remains completely anonymous.
NordVPN – # 1 VPN Proxy Extension for ChromeDeveloper: https : //nordvpn.comPrice: Free
NordVPN – The # 1 VPN Proxy Extension for FirefoxDeveloper: NordVPNPrice: Free- HotSpot Shield : one of the most sought-after VPN providers in the world. Its extension allows you to log in to activate its service, as well as block cookies and any advertisement of all the portals you visit.
Hotspot Shield VPN Free Proxy – Unblock SitesDeveloper: www. hotspotshield.comPrice: Free
Free VPN proxy Hotspot ShieldDeveloper: AnchorFree Inc.Erick PackAndrew AleksieienkoPrice: Free- ZenMate for Chrome : of the few free of this list but with pretty good features. They offer you 500mb of bandwidth with your free account, as well as a complete encryption of data that ensure you have no leaks.
ZenMate Free VPN – Best VPN for ChromeDeveloper: zenmate. comPrice: Free- SaferVPN for Chrome: an extension that has the backing of being one of the most downloaded in your industry. With it you can have 500mb of free bandwidth, although it is best to scale to a premium account that in addition to having better features is more secure. The free account has been checked for IP leaks.
SaferVPN- Unlock web pages and browse anonymouslyDeveloper: SaferVPNPrice: Free- ExpressVPN for Chrome: If you want to encrypt your IP address and navigate at the speed of light at the same time, then you must install this extension. It is quite basic, since it does not include any additional function, but it has the highest bandwidth with excellent Internet speed.
ExpressVPN: a VPN proxy to unlock everythingDeveloper: https: //www.expressvpn.comPrice: Free - HotSpot Shield : one of the most sought-after VPN providers in the world. Its extension allows you to log in to activate its service, as well as block cookies and any advertisement of all the portals you visit.
