What is IP?

IP, or internet protocol, is a method that computers use to send data between them. It describes the way that this data is encoded, stored, addressed, sent, received, and acknowledged.

Network devices break down data into smaller chunks, called packets. It’s kind of like sending a book through the mail, with each page mailed separately.

IP also describes the method to address computers. A network device assigns these IP Addresses to every device on the network.