What is the difference between a Public and Private subnet?

We supply IPv4 addresses from two different types of subnets; Public Subnets and Private Subnets.

As standard, our dedicated devices are supplied with an IPv4 address from a public subnet and all additional IP addresses will come from this same public subnet. A public subnet’s IP addresses are shared amongst a multitude of clients; with several clients using addresses from the same subnet. The benefits of having IPv4 addresses from a public subnet is that it is generally cheaper than having a private subnet, per IP address. However, you are limited to 30 IP addresses per device from a shared subnet – so this is only an option for devices that require 30 or less IP addresses on each device, you cannot have IPv6 addresses while on a public subnet, and you cannot directly control which address is assigned to which device under your account.

A private subnet is assigned to a single client; with this client having access to every usable IP addresses within this private subnet. A private subnet is leased through us as a separate product and is billed for monthly. The benefits of having a private subnet is that you have full control over which device each IP address is assigned to, with a private subnet you can also have IPv6 addresses, you can have more than 30 IPs assigned to a single device and only your devices will have access to the vLAN the subnet resides upon, providing greater security. With a private subnet, you are also less likely to be affected by NAC violations. Our private subnets come in a range of sizes, to suit a range of requirements.

Please note, clients cannot have IP addresses assigned to a single device from both a public and a private subnet; it must be one or the other.

If you have any further question or wish to purchase a private subnet, please feel free to get in touch through a ticket and a member of our team will be happy to help.