CompTIA Network+ Practice Test

Which statement is true regarding private IPs?

1. They can be routed on the internet

2. They cannot be routed internally

3. They are not internet-routable

4. They must use a public IP for external communication

The correct answer is: They are not internet-routable

Private IP addresses are defined by specific ranges set forth by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and are not routable on the public internet. This means that devices using private IPs can communicate within a local network but require Network Address Translation (NAT) to connect to external networks, such as the internet. The most common private IP address ranges include 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255, 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255, and 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255. Therefore, the assertion that private IPs are not internet-routable correctly illustrates their intended use. Devices on a private network can communicate with each other without being assigned a public IP address, but they cannot be directly accessed from the internet. For external communication, these private IP addresses must use a public IP address facilitated by NAT devices, allowing them to connect to the global internet while maintaining their private addressing internally.