XPost: alt.comp.software.firefox   
   From: bowman@montana.com   
      
   On Thu, 18 Dec 2025 13:39:30 -0500, Retirednoguilt wrote:   
      
   >  Paul,  I'm an end user and your reply lost me.  OK, given that "the WAN   
   > address is what the Internet sees for your three machines", I'll modify   
   > my question to:  what controls what is seen as my WAN address, my   
   > device, the router providing the connection to my device, or the ISP?   
      
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrier-grade_NAT   
      
   There isn't a real easy answer, but your ISP is where it happens. I have a   
   wireless modem that supports WiFi connections. If I look at what is   
   connected, the computers, tablets, Fire TV, phone or whatever, I see the   
   devices have IPs like 192.168.1.90.  That's the Fedora box so I can 'ssh   
   rbowman@fedora' to connect. (I've got the mapping in /etc/hosts).   
      
   The Novatel MiFi hotspot assigns those IPs for the LAN. IPs starting with   
   10, 172, and 192 are reserved for private networks. There's a little more   
   to it but that's the simple answer.   
      
   Now for the fun. WhatsMyIp.com returns returns the same   address in the   
   browsers on the Ubuntu, Fedora, and Mint boxes. That's in a block of IP   
   addresses assigned to Verizon Business.   
      
   If I search for cat videos on the Ubuntu box the results do not get   
   returned to the Fedora box so there's a little more Network Address   
   Translation going on. That's not a rabbit hole you probably don't want to   
   go down.   
      
   Even better the 174.224.1.83 external address is volatile. It returned   
   174.215.19.58 a few minutes ago. Further more the IP location is Aurora   
   CO. I'm definitely not in Colorado.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)