Hi Ana,
Any time you connect to the Internet, your machine, be it a desktop or laptop, a smartphone or tablet, is given an IP address which identifies where you are so that data can be routed correctly from you and to you. Odds are that your IP address will vary depending on whoever else is connected to your router or access point because the router or access point uses DHCP to dynamically assign that address. Other devices on your network need a static IP address that won’t change because your machine needs to know where to find it. Network printers are a good example. When Google gives you those alerts it’s effectively saying “Hey, Ana who always logs in through AT&T, someone on Comcast has logged in as you and we don’t know if it’s really you or someone else who’s using your credentials”. Confirm that it was really. you and you’ll be okay. Hope that helps.

Tom

> On May 9, 2020, at 10:20 PM, Ana G <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
> 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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