224.0.0.0/4
Multicast RFC 5771224.0.0.0/4 is the IPv4 multicast address space, spanning 224.0.0.0 through 239.255.255.255. Multicast allows a single packet to be delivered to a group of interested receivers simultaneously.
Network address — the base address of the block (224.0.0.0). All devices in this subnet share this prefix. Cannot be assigned to a host.
Broadcast address — packets sent to 239.255.255.255 are delivered to every device in the subnet. Also reserved — not assignable.
Usable hosts — the 268,435,454 addresses between those two that you can assign to servers, VMs, or interfaces.
Subnet mask — 240.0.0.0 is the dotted-decimal equivalent of /4. Older tools and Cisco configs use this format instead of CIDR slash notation.
Full Details
| CIDR Notation | 224.0.0.0/4 |
| Network Address | 224.0.0.0 |
| Broadcast Address | 239.255.255.255 |
| Subnet Mask | 240.0.0.0 |
| Wildcard Mask | 15.255.255.255 |
| Prefix Length | /4 |
| IP Address Class | Class D (Multicast) |
| Total IP Addresses | 268,435,456 |
| Usable Host Addresses | 268,435,454 |
| First Usable IP | 224.0.0.1 |
| Last Usable IP | 239.255.255.254 |
| Network (Hex) | 0xE0000000 |
| Broadcast (Hex) | 0xEFFFFFFF |
| Governing RFC | RFC 5771 |
| Address Type | Multicast |
Binary Representation
The first 4 bits (1s in the mask) identify the network. The remaining 28 bits identify hosts within the network.
Subnet Breakdown — splitting into /5
This /4 block can be divided into 2 /5 subnets.
| CIDR | Network | Broadcast | First Usable | Last Usable | Hosts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 224.0.0.0/5 | 224.0.0.0 | 231.255.255.255 | 224.0.0.1 | 231.255.255.254 | 134,217,726 |
| 232.0.0.0/5 | 232.0.0.0 | 239.255.255.255 | 232.0.0.1 | 239.255.255.254 | 134,217,726 |
Common Use Cases
- → OSPF routing protocol (224.0.0.5, 224.0.0.6)
- → mDNS / Bonjour (224.0.0.251)
- → IGMP multicast group management
- → Video streaming and IPTV
- → PIM sparse mode routing