An IP address is not the same thing as Wi-Fi, though the two work closely together. Wi-Fi is the wireless technology that lets your devices connect to a network without cables, using radio signals broadcast by your router. An IP address, on the other hand, is the numerical label assigned to a device once it joins that network, allowing it to send and receive data. Your Wi-Fi network has a name, known as the SSID, and a password, while each device connected to it gets its own private IP address from the router. Meanwhile, your entire home network shares one public IP address issued by your internet provider. In short, Wi-Fi is the connection method, and an IP address is the identifier that comes after you connect.

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