Why Your IP Address Matters More Than You Think for Video Calls

The Video Call That Made Me Curious

So here's the thing. Last week I had two back-to-back video calls. The first one with a colleague across town was crystal clear. The second one with someone in the same city? Choppy, laggy, and we both gave up after ten minutes.

Same internet connection. Same laptop. Completely different experience.

That's when I started digging into what's actually happening when you click "Join Meeting." And honestly? It's way more interesting than I expected.

What's Really Happening When You Start a Video Call

Most people assume video calls work like everything else on the internet: your video goes to some server in the cloud, then gets sent to the other person. Simple, right?

Not quite. Modern video calling services—especially lightweight ones like videocalling.app—use something called WebRTC. And WebRTC tries to do something clever: connect you directly to the other person.

Here's why this matters: when your video doesn't have to bounce through a server thousands of miles away, it arrives faster. Way faster. That's why some calls feel like you're in the same room, while others feel like you're talking to someone on the moon.

The IP Address Discovery Game

Before you can connect directly to someone, you need to know where they are on the internet. That's where IP addresses come in.

But there's a catch. You probably don't know your real public IP address. Neither does the person you're calling. Both of you are sitting behind routers, firewalls, and something called NAT (Network Address Translation) that hides your actual address from the internet.

So WebRTC uses STUN servers—think of them as internet mirrors—to help you discover your public IP. You send a request out, and the STUN server tells you what address the world sees when you connect.

This is why tools like ip.network exist. They show you your public IP address—the same address that video calling services need to establish that direct connection.

When Direct Connections Fail

Here's where it gets real: direct peer-to-peer connections don't always work.

Maybe your office firewall is paranoid. Maybe you're on a cellular network that aggressively blocks certain ports. Maybe both people are behind the same type of NAT that refuses to cooperate.

When this happens, your video call falls back to TURN servers—relay servers that your video traffic bounces through. It still works, but now you've got an extra hop. More latency. More chances for things to go wrong.

This explains why my second call that day was terrible. Both of us were probably on restrictive networks, forcing all our video through relay servers that added precious milliseconds to every frame.

What This Means for Your Call Quality

A few practical things I've learned:

Your connection type matters. Wired ethernet beats WiFi, which beats cellular. Not just for bandwidth, but for connection stability. Video calls hate jitter—those tiny variations in timing that make everything stutter.

IPv6 can actually help. If you and the person you're calling both have IPv6 addresses, you might get better direct connections. IPv6 devices often have globally routable addresses without NAT getting in the way. One less barrier to peer-to-peer magic.

Bandwidth isn't everything. You'd think faster internet always means better calls. But I've seen people with gigabit connections have worse calls than people on basic broadband. Why? Because video calling cares more about consistent latency than raw speed. A stable 50 Mbps connection beats an inconsistent 500 Mbps one.

The "No App Required" Advantage

This is what I appreciate about browser-based video calling. Services like videocalling.app work directly in your browser without installing anything.

Why does this matter for connection quality? Native apps sometimes need special permissions to access network features. Browser-based WebRTC just works—it's been baked into Chrome, Firefox, and Safari for years. The browser handles all the STUN/TURN negotiation automatically.

Plus, no download means no firewall warnings, no IT department approval, no "let me just update this app" delays. You share a link, they click it, you're connected.

For quick calls—a 15-minute check-in, a fast screen share to debug something, a spontaneous catch-up with someone—that simplicity is worth a lot.

How to Diagnose Your Own Connection

Curious about your video call readiness? Try this:

1. Check your IP address at ip.network. Note whether you're on IPv4 or IPv6. If your ISP gives you IPv6, you might have an easier time with peer-to-peer connections.
2. Test your latency to common destinations. You want consistent ping times under 100ms for comfortable video calling. Spikes and variations matter more than the average.
3. Check your upload speed. Most people focus on download, but video calling is two-way. HD video needs at least 1.5 Mbps upstream. For reliable group calls, budget 3-4 Mbps.
4. Consider your local network. Are other devices streaming? Someone gaming? Multiple video calls? Your upload bandwidth gets shared, and video quality degrades.

The Future: IPv6 and Better Connectivity

As IPv6 adoption grows (we're at about 45% globally now), video calling should get easier. More devices with globally routable addresses means fewer NAT traversal headaches, more successful direct connections, and better call quality overall.

It's not a silver bullet—firewalls and security policies will still get in the way—but the underlying internet is slowly becoming more video-call friendly.

What I Actually Do Now

When I know a video call is important, I do a few things:

• Plug in via ethernet if I can
• Close bandwidth-heavy apps
• Quick check my IP address to make sure nothing weird is happening with my network
• Use a simple, browser-based service when possible to minimize variables

Is it overkill? Maybe. But I haven't had a bad video call in weeks.

The next time a call goes sideways, at least now you know what's happening behind the scenes. It's not magic—it's just IP addresses, trying to find the shortest path between two people who want to talk.

Want to check your IP address and understand your network better? Try our free tool at ip.network. For instant video calls without downloads, check out videocalling.app.

References

1. Introduction to WebRTC protocols - MDN Web Docs
2. RFC 8828 - WebRTC IP Address Handling Requirements - IETF (2021)
3. Getting started with peer connections - WebRTC.org
4. How Much Internet Does Video Conferencing Need? - University of Chicago Internet Equity Initiative
5. Testing Bandwidth Usage of Popular Video Conferencing Applications - CableLabs