What Is My ISP? How to Find Your Internet Provider

Your ISP, or internet service provider, is the company that connects you to the internet. Most of the time you already know who it is, because they send the bill. But sometimes you need to confirm it: after moving, when a VPN is on, or when a support agent asks. Here is how to find it in seconds.

The fastest way

Open our IP checker. The ISP line in the Network box shows who owns the network your connection comes from, and the ASN beside it is that network's identification number. For a lookup of any other address, use the IP lookup.

Why the name may not match your provider's brand

• The legal name is shown. A brand such as Airtel may appear under its registered company name, for example “Bharti British Telecom Internet Limited”.
• Wholesale and resold lines. Smaller providers often rent capacity from a larger network, so the larger company's name appears.
• Mobile data. On a phone's mobile connection you will see the mobile carrier, not your home provider.
• A VPN is on. You will see the VPN company's hosting network. Turn it off to see your real ISP, or read how to hide your IP address to understand what the VPN is doing.

Other ways to find your ISP

• Check your monthly bill or the provider's app.
• Look at the label on the modem or router, which often shows the brand.
• Log in to your router and look at the WAN or internet status page. See how to find your router's IP address.

What an ISP can see

Your ISP sees which sites and servers you connect to by name, how much data you use and when, but not the content of pages loaded over HTTPS. A VPN hides your browsing destinations from the ISP, though it then trusts the VPN company instead.

What an ISP can do with your IP address

Providers assign your public address, usually dynamically, and they are the only ones who can link it to your account. Read why your IP address changes and can someone track you by your IP address?

Check how well your ISP performs

Test your connection with the speed test and the ping test. If your results are far below what you pay for, repeat them on a wired connection before calling support.