What Is My ISP?
See which internet service provider your connection uses, what type of connection you have, and what every website learns about your provider.
Your Internet Provider
Looking up your internet provider…Understanding Your Result
The result at the top is one of these:
Possible results
| Provider name | No VPN. The result shows your internet provider, for example Xfinity or T-Mobile. Every website you visit sees the same name. |
| ISP hidden by your VPN | Your VPN is on. Websites see the network your VPN runs on, not your provider. |
| ISP hidden by Tor | You're using Tor Browser. Websites see a Tor exit node, not your provider. |
| Unable to check | The lookup service didn't respond. Run the test again in a minute. |
What Is an ISP?
An ISP (internet service provider) is the company that connects you to the internet: your cable or fiber company at home, your mobile carrier on your phone, or the network at your office, school or hotel. In the US that usually means Xfinity, Spectrum, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile or Cox.
Your provider gives you a public IP address. That address is registered to the provider, so any website you visit can look it up and see who your provider is, roughly where you are and what kind of connection you use. You don't have to log in or share anything for that to happen.
How This Tool Finds Your ISP
The test reads your public IP address and looks up who it belongs to. Each row in the result answers a different question:
| Row | What it means |
|---|---|
| Internet provider | The company your IP address is registered to, with its consumer brand in brackets when it differs. |
| Connection type | Home, mobile, business or data center. See the types below. |
| ASN | The Autonomous System Number of your provider's network, for example AS7922 for Comcast. See your full network details on the Network Analysis page. |
| IP range | The block of addresses your IP belongs to. Your provider assigns addresses from this block to customers in your area. |
| Hostname | The name your provider gave your IP address (reverse DNS). It often contains the provider and region, such as c-73-158-64-15.hsd1.ca.comcast.net. Mobile carriers usually don't set one. |
To look up the owner of any other IP address or domain, use the WHOIS Lookup.
Connection Types
| Type | Typical providers | What websites conclude |
|---|---|---|
| Residential (home internet) | Xfinity, Spectrum, AT&T Fiber, Verizon Fios, Cox | A real person at home. The most trusted type. |
| Mobile / wireless | T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, AT&T Wireless, also T-Mobile and Verizon Home Internet | A phone or a 5G home connection. Many users share one address, so location is less precise. |
| Business | Office networks, Comcast Business, Spectrum Business | A company or organization network. |
| Data center / hosting | VPN servers, cloud providers such as AWS or Google Cloud | Not a home user. Streaming services and banks may block or challenge these addresses. |
Why Does My ISP Show a Different Name?
IP address records list the legal company that owns the network, not the brand you pay. That's why the result may not match your bill. The test adds the brand in brackets for the large US providers:
| Brand on your bill | Name in IP records | Main ASN |
|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Comcast Cable Communications | AS7922 |
| Spectrum | Charter Communications | AS20115, AS11427 and others |
| AT&T Internet and Fiber | AT&T Enterprises | AS7018 |
| Verizon Fios | Verizon Business (MCI Communications) | AS701 |
| Verizon Wireless | Verizon Business or Cellco Partnership | AS6167 |
| T-Mobile and T-Mobile Home Internet | T-Mobile USA | AS21928 |
| Cox | Cox Communications | AS22773 |
| Optimum | Cablevision Systems (Altice USA) | AS6128 |
| Starlink | Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) | AS14593 |
Small local providers and many fixed wireless or fiber startups rent capacity from a larger network. In that case the test may show the larger network's name instead of the company you signed up with.
What Your ISP Can See
All of your traffic passes through your provider's network. Most websites use HTTPS, so your provider can't read the pages you open, your messages or your passwords. It can still see a lot:
- Which websites you visit. Your device asks a DNS server for the address of every site, and by default that server belongs to your provider. The site name is also visible when the encrypted connection starts.
- When and how long. Your provider sees when you're online, which services you connect to and for how long.
- How much data you use. Including whether you stream video, play games or download large files.
- Your devices. Your router's address and, with a rented router, often the devices connected to it.
In 2017, Congress overturned the FCC rules that would have required US internet providers to get your consent before using or selling your browsing data. A 2021 FTC report found that several of the largest providers collect browsing data and use it for advertising. See how your data ends up with data brokers.
How to Hide Your Browsing from Your ISP
Chrome: Settings → Privacy and security → Security → Use secure DNS. Firefox: Settings → Privacy & Security → DNS over HTTPS. Your provider can no longer read your DNS lookups. It's free, but it hides only part of your activity.
A VPN encrypts all your traffic to its server. Your provider sees only that you're connected to a VPN, and websites see the VPN's network instead of your provider. See the VPN guide for how to choose one.
Tor routes traffic through three volunteer servers. It's free and stronger than a VPN for anonymity, but slower. See the Tor Browser guide.
Run this test with the VPN on. The result should be ISP hidden by your VPN. Then run the DNS Leak Test: if your DNS still goes to your provider, it can see every site you visit.
More ways to hide your IP address and provider, compared side by side, are in How to Hide My IP.
Is Your ISP Slowing You Down?
Providers can slow down specific traffic, such as video streaming, or your whole connection after you reach a data cap. Mobile and 5G home plans do this most often during busy hours. Run the Speed Test and see how to spot throttling.
The Verdict: Every Website Knows Your ISP
Your provider's name travels with your IP address. Websites, advertisers and streaming services see it on every visit, together with your approximate location and connection type.
Your provider sees more than websites do. It knows which sites you visit unless you use encrypted DNS, a VPN or Tor. A VPN hides your provider from websites and your browsing from your provider.
Compare VPNs That Hide Your ISP