Why Do Most Private IP Addresses Start with 192.168.Xxx.Xxx?

Published on September 28, 2025

Let me explain.

The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) is the standards body that manages global IP address allocation and other internet-related identifiers.

IANA has reserved three IP address ranges specifically for private use within local networks.

Class A

Range: 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255 (/8)
Network Mask: The /8 means the first 8 bits are fixed (the “10”), leaving 24 bits (total 32 - 8) for host addresses
Available IPs: 2^24 = 16.7 million possible private IP addresses

Class B

Range: 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255 (/12)
Network Mask: First 12 bits are fixed
Available IPs: Around 1 million private IP addresses

Class C

Range: 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255 (/16)
Network Mask: First 16 bits are fixed (the “192.168”), leaving 16 bits for host addresses
Available IPs: 2^16 = 65,536 private IP addresses

Why Class C is Common for Private Networks

Class C (192.168.x.x) is a popular choice for home and small office networks because:

It’s the default design choice made by most router vendors
Provides more than enough addresses for typical home and small office use
Typically provides up to 254 usable IP addresses (from .1 to .254)
Simple and easy to manage

Consider this common situation:

My home router might use 192.168.10.0
My neighbor’s router could also use 192.168.10.0

This is perfectly fine because these private IP addresses are only valid inside each private Local Area Network (LAN), not on the public internet.

NAT (Network Address Translation)

NAT is a process where your router converts private IP addresses from your local network into a single public IP address before sending data to the internet.

ISP (Internet Service Provider)

Your ISP is the company that provides you with internet access and assigns your public IP address.

When connecting to the public internet:

Your device uses a private IP (e.g., 192.168.10.0)
Your router uses NAT to translate this private IP into your ISP-provided public IP address
Traffic is sent to the internet using the public IP

This is why even if neighbors have the same internal private IPs, their traffic is uniquely identified on the internet by different public IP addresses.