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Need to know your IP address for any reason? Here's how you can quickly look it up on any device with web browsing capabilities iStock

An Internet Protocol Address (IP Address) is a string of binary numbers used to uniquely connect your computer to the internet.

But it's not just computers. Every single device you own that goes on the internet, from your routers to tablets, smartphones, video game consoles, smart TVs, printers, scanners, smart watches and connected Internet of things (IoT)-enabled devices – they all require IP addresses.

IP addresses are important because they roughly determine the city and country a user is located in, which can be used by advertisers to show you targeted ads, or by law enforcement to discover where suspects are.

You can also survive internet connectivity issues by resetting or releasing a device's IP address, so it's useful to be able to look it up.

How to find my IP address

If you're trying to locate an IP address on a device that does not come with a web browser, such as a printer or smart fridge, this will be a bit tough, but you can easily look it up on devices that do have browsing capability.

To discover your IP address, simply go to How To Find My IP Address. The 11-digit number will immediately come up on the web page.

Advice: You might want to consider hiding your IP address so that it can't be used to track you and your activities online. To do this, it would be worth learning how to use Tor here.