Hi All,


Basically, my question is about what an IP points to. Is it a specific 
computer, or is it a computer on a specific network?


The other day, I was using my personal laptop at work. Right around the 
time I signed in, I received a critical alert from Google telling me 
that Google blocked an unknown device from getting into my account. The 
warning let me know that this person knows my password and directed me 
to confirm that it was or was not me.


I get alerts like this every couple of years, and so far, they've all 
turned out to be me. For example, the last time it happened, I was 
signing in from a work computer to do something HR related.


This time, I think it's me because the sign-in attempt coincides with my 
turning on the laptop, but I can't be sure because I didn't notice the 
email alert until later. The network I was using is a public network, 
and I was able to connect and visit some websites. unfortunately, I 
don't remember whether I was signed into Google or not.


I'm trying to make sense of the information Google is giving me to 
investigate this issue. Mostly I have an IP to work with. I have AT&T at 
home. When I checked the IP at home, it's different from what appears in 
the alert. An internet search of the IP in the alert tells me it belongs 
to Comcast, which I think is what my employer uses. So my question ...


Will my laptop always have the same IP regardless of where I am 
physically located and what network I'm using, or will the IP change 
based on my location and network?


I'm planning to double-check the IP at work when I go back in on Monday. 
I thought I'd ask here in the meantime.


Thanks for any wisdom.


Ciao


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