Subnetting Explained: From /24 to /30 in Plain English

Subnetting is just the art of borrowing bits from the host portion of an IP address to create smaller networks. It sounds scary, but once you see the pattern it clicks.

What a subnet mask does

A subnet mask marks which part of an IP is the network and which is the host. In 192.168.1.0/24, the /24 means the first 24 bits are the network — so 255.255.255.0.

Reading CIDR

The number after the slash is how many bits are locked to the network. Bigger number = smaller network:

• /24 → 256 addresses (254 usable)
• /26 → 64 addresses (62 usable)
• /30 → 4 addresses (2 usable) — perfect for point-to-point links

Try it yourself

Plug any address into our IPv4 Subnet Calculator to see the network, broadcast and host range instantly.