What is a public IP address?
Your public IP address allows access from the outside of your home router into your home network. Where as your local IP address is only accessible from inside your home network. When using port forward rules your essentially linking your public IP address to a specific port attached to your miners local network IP address. For example, 243.74.78.25:44158 (Public IP Example) is accessible from outside your home network but will link to your hotspot miner inside your home network at 192.168.1.101:44158 (Local IP Example).
Remember, the local IP address can't be accessed from outside your home network only a public IP address can be this is why port forwarding is important for Helium hotspot miners.
How can I find my public IP address?
Finding your public IP address is simple however, you need to follow some rules to get the correct address.
You must be connected to your home network be that via ethernet cable to your computer or WIFI connection from your computer or phone.
It's very important that you are connecting to the same router your miner is connected to when finding your public IP address.
When your ready, there are a few ways to do this:
- Google search "What is my IP address"
- Use the helium phone app. Simply open the app, find your miner, click the settings or hear button, then select Diagnostics. Don't forget to press the miners Bluetooth button on the back so the miner shows in the list.
Is a public IP address private information?
Yes. You should not share your public IP address with anyone as this could invite potential hackers to find ways of hacking devices in your network. Generally this isn't extremely important as there are ways for people to find your unique public IP address but don't advertise this. Don't post this in screenshots on Discord either. Local IP addresses are safe to post online when asking for help since it's useless to those that are not connected to your home network WIFI.
Do I need to know my public IP address?
Not really. However, if you need to check https://heliumstatus.io you will need to know your public IP address for a direct connection test.
