IPv4 Analogy
Pv4 Addressing Explained Using a House and Street Address Analogy
Imagine a city with multiple streets, and each street has multiple houses. This analogy helps to understand IPv4 addressing in a way that’s easy to visualize.
Street = Network Address
A street represents the network portion of an IPv4 address. All houses on the same street belong to the same network.
House = IP Address
Each house represents an individual device (host) within that network. Every house has a unique number, just like every device in a network has a unique IP address.
Breaking it Down with an Example
Let’s take an IP address 192.168.1.10 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0.
- Street Name (Network Address):
192.168.1.0 - House Number (Host Address):
10 - Broadcast Address (The Last House on the Street):
192.168.1.255
This means:
- The network (street) is 192.168.1.0, and every house (device) on this street will have an IP in the range
192.168.1.1 - 192.168.1.254. - The broadcast address (
192.168.1.255) is like shouting so every house (device) on the street hears the message.
Multiple Class A Addresses – Different Streets, Not the Same Network
Just because you have multiple Class A addresses, it doesn’t mean they’re on the same street (network).
Example
- Class A IP 10.1.1.1 (Network 10.0.0.0/8) → One Street
- Class A IP 11.1.1.1 (Network 11.0.0.0/8) → A Completely Different Street
- Class A IP 12.1.1.1 (Network 12.0.0.0/8) → Yet Another Different Street
Each Class A address belongs to a different major network, just like different street names in a city.
Key Takeaways
- A street (network) groups multiple houses (IP addresses) together.
- Each house (IP address) must have a unique number within the street (network).
- Different Class A networks are like different streets in a city—they don’t overlap even though they follow the same format.
- Subnet masks help determine where the “street” ends and the “house numbers” begin.