Do all routers hide your IP address

[babylon5guy]

Hi,
Do routers hide your IP address? As I understand it they generate their own IP address. Is this the one that can be read by people on the internet and not the one your ISP assigns you? I know Zone Alarm isn't blocking my IP address. You know how those pop ups say your PC isn't protected and pops up your IP address and they are correct! I would prefer if sites could not read my correct IP address, is that possible?
TIA

[bonzai]

Routers don't hide your IP address. A proxy on the Internet can be set up to hide your address for you.

[babylon5guy]

Thanks bonzai but what is a proxy on the internet? Is that like Anonymizer that Zone Alarm advertises on it's site?

[babylon5guy]

What I really meant is: doesn't a router assign another IP address? That would be as good as hiding it to me. Isn't that how it lets 2 or more PC's share the internet?
TIA

[bonzai]

The router takes the assigned public IP address from your ISP, and then it gives private IP addresses to your computers. People outside don't see your private address, they see everything as if it's coming from the public address.

[babylon5guy]

Thanks bonzai, that's what I want to know. That should give me some privacy. So when someone gets the IP address on the internet they'll see my ISP and not me, if that's how I understand it.

[gunrunnerjohn]

They see whatever IP address is assigned to your line at the time. Since dozens of machines could be using that same IP for Internet sharing, they obviously don't know which machine is behind the mask.

[babylon5guy]

Thanks gunrunnerjohn that's what I'm looking for.