Subnet Calculator

Break a CIDR into network, broadcast, mask, wildcard, and usable host range.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is CIDR notation?

CIDR (Classless Inter-Domain Routing) represents an IP network as an address followed by a prefix length: 192.168.1.0/24. The prefix length specifies how many bits are the network portion — /24 means 24 bits fixed, giving 256 addresses (28). This replaced the older Class A/B/C system for more flexible address allocation.

What is the difference between network and broadcast addresses?

The network address is the first address in a subnet (all host bits 0) and identifies the subnet itself — it cannot be assigned to a host. The broadcast address is the last address (all host bits 1) and sends a packet to all hosts in the subnet. Usable hosts are everything in between.

How do I calculate the number of usable hosts?

Usable hosts = 2(32 − prefix) − 2. The −2 removes the network and broadcast addresses. For a /24: 28 − 2 = 254 hosts. For a /30 (point-to-point links): 22 − 2 = 2 hosts.

What is subnetting used for?

Subnetting divides a large IP block into smaller networks for: security isolation (hosts in different subnets can't communicate without a router), reduced broadcast traffic, efficient IP address utilisation, and hierarchical network design. VLANs are the Layer-2 complement — they work together with subnets at Layer 3.