My WAN IP Address: Find It and Check What It Means

To find my WAN IP address, open Loqmi from the Wi-Fi or wired network you want to check. The IP checker shows the public address websites see. Your router’s WAN field shows the address assigned to its internet-facing side. They often match. But an ISP’s carrier-grade NAT, a second router, a VPN, or an IPv4/IPv6 mismatch can add another hop in between, like a hallway you forgot was there. Here’s how to compare them without blaming the wrong box.

Open Loqmi from the network you want to check. To find the router’s WAN value, open its app or admin page and look under Internet, WAN, Status, or Connection. Checking a forwarded service? Test its TCP port with Loqmi’s port checker. Labels vary by maker (router menus are less standardized than coffee orders).

My WAN IP address vs. the outside IP address

WAN means wide area network. It is the connection that carries traffic from your router toward your internet service provider (ISP). LAN means local area network, the home side where your phone, computer, television, and other devices connect. “External IP address” and “outside IP address” usually mean the public address a website sees. People sometimes say “WAN IP” as shorthand for that same value, too.

At home, a router usually gives each device a private local address. Then it uses Network Address Translation (NAT) to send their internet traffic out through one outside address. Think of the router as a receptionist with one public phone number and a very busy extension list. So your laptop’s Wi-Fi address is normally not the one a website sees.

Private IPv4 ranges include 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255, 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255, and 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255, as defined by RFC 1918. These are meant for internal networks, so they are not globally routed on the public internet. A local device getting one through Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is normal. DHCP is the automatic system that hands out network settings.

IPv6 addresses are longer and follow different ranges and routing rules. A site can see an IPv4 address, an IPv6 address, or both depending on the connection. Compare like with like: an IPv4 WAN value against the IPv4 Loqmi reports, and an IPv6 value against IPv6. The two versions are separate paths, not two spellings of one number.

How to find your WAN IP

1. Connect to the exact home network you want to inspect. If your phone is on mobile data or guest Wi-Fi, it may be using a different router or ISP path.
2. Open Loqmi’s IP checker and note the address shown. This is the public IP address visible to Loqmi for that browser connection. A VPN or proxy can make it show that service’s address instead.
3. Open the router or gateway’s app/admin page. Look for Internet, WAN, Status, Broadband, or Connection, and record the WAN IPv4 address. Avoid the LAN or Gateway field. That is usually the router’s local address, not its outside one. If you need help reaching the page, follow our router login guide.
4. Compare values from the same time and the same IP version. If you have a modem/router plus a separate Wi-Fi router, check which device is the main gateway and inspect both if needed.

On Windows 11, open Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi and select the connected network, or choose Ethernet. This shows the device’s IPv4, not the router WAN IP. Run ipconfig in Command Prompt to find Default Gateway, the router’s local page address. Use the router app or page for WAN status.

What the comparison tells you

RFC 6598 calls 100.64.0.0/10 Shared Address Space. A WAN address there is a strong CGNAT clue. A private WAN means another private hop exists. It may be your own second router, sitting in a drawer and collecting dust and NAT rules.

A matching public WAN address does not promise that port forwarding, a game server, or a camera will work; firewalls, service settings, or ISP policy can still block incoming traffic. See what CGNAT means and how port forwarding works.

Why your WAN IP changes

Many residential connections receive a dynamic address that the ISP can change when a lease renews or equipment reconnects. A reboot may or may not change it, as if the ISP were flipping a coin. A static address is meant to stay fixed. “Public” describes routability. “Static” describes whether the assignment stays the same.

A VPN or proxy can change the address sites observe without changing your router’s WAN value. Traffic exits through that intermediary, so Loqmi reports the address for the browser’s route; the router page shows what the ISP assigned to that router.

For IPv6, your device may have a globally reachable address even while IPv4 is behind CGNAT. “Globally reachable” does not mean unprotected: router and device firewalls still matter. Treat IPv4 and IPv6 separately, and do not open firewall rules just to make a test pass. IP geolocation may point to an ISP facility or nearby region rather than your front door.

If the addresses do not match

First check the same connection and IP version, and make sure Loqmi was not routed through a VPN, proxy, or mobile network. Refresh both values close together because dynamic addresses can change.

Then check the boxes between home and ISP. A modem/router plus your own router can create double NAT, like a mirror facing another mirror, with a private WAN address on your router. Ask your ISP whether its device is routing or in bridge mode before changing it; do not factory-reset equipment or disable firewalls to diagnose a mismatch.

If the WAN is in 100.64.0.0/10, or the ISP confirms its own NAT, explain what you need (for example, inbound remote access) and ask about a public IPv4 address. Availability and cost vary. If the observed address is unexpected while a VPN is enabled, compare it with the address shown when that route is paused.

A quick WAN IP self-test

Check Loqmi, then compare its result with the router’s Internet/Status WAN IPv4. A match snapshots the address websites see; a mismatch calls for the table’s NAT, VPN, and IP-version checks.

This does not identify a person, pinpoint a home, measure speed, or prove a port is open. For bandwidth and latency, use the Loqmi speed test; IP addresses are not speedometers, despite their enthusiasm for looking technical.