Why IP Geolocation Can Go Wrong: Causes and Fixes

how to fix ip geolocation

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how to fix ip geolocation

IP geolocation is a compelling technology that has the potential to be extremely helpful for an e-commerce page or other websites, simply by sourcing a user’s IP address location . This can span everything from preventing fraud to offering more relevant content experiences for customers.

But with the best will in the world, nothing is perfect and there are a whole host of reasons why IP addresses, whether sourced from API, database , or lookup might be incorrect.

Related:  How to add IP geolocation to your website

General IP geolocation accuracy

One important point to bear in mind is that of scale. There are approximately 4.3 billion IPv4 internet addresses in use in different physical locations across the world with many different ISPs (Internet Service Providers) managing them all. The law of averages alone should tell us that something is bound to go wrong when there are this many factors.

Also, IPv4 is hardly a modern technology. It’s an early internet technology that was first deployed on SATNET (Atlantic Packet Satellite Network) in 1982 and ARPANET (Advanced

Research Projects Agency Network) in 1983. Put simply, it predates the public internet.

how to fix ip geolocation

 As a result, IP geolocation accuracy is estimated to be:

  • Country: 95% to 99%
  • Region (State): 55% to 80%
  • City: 50% to 75%

As you can see, it starts to decline because it’s relatively easy when the IP lookup is attempting to determine an area as large as a country. However, the more granular the data becomes, the harder it becomes to ensure that it’s accurate.

As a result, it’s important to understand that even the best IP geolocation services , despite their many strengths for websites, are innately prone to a margin of error. This means that it can’t be viewed as an exact location finder and that for some sites or services, it can be important to give the user the option to confirm their address.

Quality of IP database provider 

There’s an old saying in the digital era: garbage in, garbage out. While all IP databases get their data from ARIN (American Registry for Internet Numbers) it can still be wrong. While updates to ARIN can be submitted, they don’t register in ARIN immediately. Therefore, there’s a short window during which data available from ARIN post-update may be inaccurate. It’s possible to submit updates to ARIN on an ongoing basis, but if this is only done a limited number of times over a specific time period, then the data may be inaccurate.

Also, individual ISPs may not be current themselves. If an ISP releases a block of unwanted IP addresses or acquires more, then this can lead to inaccuracy.

In such a connected world with so many interdependent systems, we shouldn’t be surprised to learn that sourcing a user’s physical location to the right city can be a challenge. However, the cost of deploying more accurate technologies such as GPS may be noticeably greater. As a result, IP geolocation may prove to be the more attractive option.

You can assess the exactness of individual geolocation services for your operational needs by using a trial account to test it directly. If location data is important for your operations, assess how often an ISP updates their free databases versus their paid databases. If there’s a difference between the data and location data is that important for you, then consider moving to a paid option where more frequent updates are taking place.

On the user side of the equation, give the user the option to correct the location you’ve detected. If there’s value for them in terms of enabling location sensitive services, then there’s a good chance that they’ll be prepared to update the location.

Downloaded IP databases

Typically, there are two methods for carrying out IP Geolocation: databases and APIs. The advantage of third party databases providing IP addresses from a local server is that it won’t consume any additional bandwidth to produce the data. However, the big disadvantage is that it means that you’re going to be solely responsible for updating the database. So, this will need to be a responsibility that’s allocated to someone in the IT team with an update schedule to ensure that the database remains up to date on an ongoing basis. This inevitably means that there will be a delay between the point in time at which an update becomes available and the time at which it gets rolled out for your service.

The advantage of an API is that this potential complication is abstracted away. As soon as the data is updated by the vendor, it’ll automatically become usable on your systems. So, no delays and no additional management is needed.

Systemic problems

As mentioned above, IP addresses are a complex system and have inherent disadvantages alongside their advantages.

how to fix ip geolocation

One clear example of this becomes clear using a mobile device such as a smartphone. As people naturally go about their day such as commuting or going shopping, they’re constantly moving to a different location and they’ll be ‘passed’ from one cell phone tower to the next. This means that a user’s mobile phone location will be constantly changing and can mean that IP Geolocation might be accurate from 50 KM to 100 KM. One study from September 2021 found that 75% of IPv4 internet addresses are assigned for less than a day.

Also, while the detected phone network provider may be correct, the location that gets detected might be the office for the network provider rather than the user’s location. In the UK, a group of smaller countries, this can result in errors that can, if rarely, get the country wrong.

Individual users of an internet service provider, especially home users, typically have a dynamic IP address on the ISP’s network. This means that each time they connect to the network, such as after a power outage or router reboot to try to resolve connectivity issues, they’ll be assigned a different IP address. So IP lookup will provide a different address each time even though the user or users, their location and the sites they visit remain the same. So, while a corporation or organization of some kind is likely to be provided with static IP addresses by their ISP, it’s not safe to assume that the predictability of behavior resulting from locked IP addresses in such circumstances is common.

how to fix ip geolocation

Home internet with apartments or multiple people in the same residence or property can share IP addresses. Venue wireless services can also mean that the same IP address can be used by hundreds or thousands of users on different devices connecting to wifi located at the same physical location. So, this makes it extremely difficult to determine which user is which. With different parties coming and going, IP address isn’t an infallible way of detecting the physical location of individual users.

Finally, be aware that a service such as VPN (Virtual Private Network) which have legitimate uses (ensuring secure connections by employees to company systems) can also be used to obfuscate location data for fraud. Many services do offer the capability to detect connections using such tools, but these can be ‘gated’ at higher pricing levels.

While IP Geolocation offers a wide range of options, it isn’t safe to view it as a ‘fire and forget’ technology guaranteed to provide a user’s location. Instead, like most technologies, it requires ongoing management to ensure its viability on an ongoing basis.

Also, the more granular the data required, the more likely it is that IP address data more accurate than city level is going to be less than 50%. With such a complex system spanning ARIN, internet service providers, vendors, websites, VPN, and your deployment, then it’s inevitable that errors will exist. Take every reasonable step to mitigate this, but from the beginning of the selection process be sure to manage stakeholder expectations.

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What Is IP Address Geolocation and How to Change It?

ip address geolocation blog post cover img

What is IP geolocation?

IP geolocation  is the mapping of an IP address to the geographic location of the internet from the connected device. By geographically mapping the IP address, it provides you with location information such as the country, state, city, zip code, latitude/longitude, ISP, area code, and other information.

What is it for?

Various systems use geolocation databases for IP addresses. The reasons for this are numerous, but it is mainly used for deducting the user’s location so that the system could give more personalized offers (products, services, etc.).

In this case, we will deduct the geolocation for the following IP address: 185.141.165.74 . The easiest way to do it is to use free online tools like  iplocation.net  (google ip geolocation tools ).

IP Address Geolocation Blog Post Image 1

Paste the IP address in the IP Location Finder text box and press the IP Lookup button. In this case, the result you get is this:

IP Address Geolocation Blog Post

In the picture above, we can see that the tool found the IP record on three databases: IP2Location,  ipinfo.io , and DB-IP. The text in the brackets denotes where the information was taken from and when it was last updated (e.g., IP2location (Product: DB6, etc.) means that the geolocation record for the IP was taken from DB6 database).

Wrong geolocation

Sometimes you might see that geolocation data varies from database to database. One system might deduct that your IP address is from Germany, other states that it is from France. How is that possible?

There are many reasons why this might happen, yet it is basically due to the difference in database records.

Changing the records

If you find your geolocation wrong and you would like to change it, you need to request a correction for a record. The means of doing this varies depending on the database, for example, DB-IP handles the requests via support email, where you should state the IP (with the subnet) and the location information (City, State, Country, Postal Code). Other databases like MaxMind use  data correction web forms  so that all requests had the same standard and could be handled by API.

So to change the records, you need to find the way the database handles the requests.

You might be contacted by some person, who supervises the database system, asking you to provide traceroutes (to at least one IP of the subnet range). To do that using Windows OS, press  Start , type  cmd , hit Enter then type:

and type the IP you would like to trace instead of  your_ip . For our example IP: 185.141.165.74 the result looks like this:

ip address geolocation blog post img 3

Take notice that the traceroute will be different if it is done from other locations that are due to the fact that the utility checks the connection from one  PoP  to the other, mapping the route. The first column denotes the number of the Hop, second, third, and fourth denotes the latency between hops (checked three times), and the last one denotes the address of the Hop. Take notice that latency between some PoPs is marked like * – that is because, for security purposes (DDoS), some PoPs are configured not to handle  ICMP  requests. Find more information about tracert  here .

So, if you are asked for a traceroute, copy the result from cmd to a text document and send it to them, in most cases, that is enough.

Still Wrong IP Geolocation?

You have requested for data correction, yet you still see the same results? Some databases refresh their records once a month, others – once in a week. Depending on the database, it may not have updated your records yet.

You can see that utilities see your IP address correctly, but some sites (system) still states that you are from the wrong location? Most probably, a system like that uses the database, which holds a false record. In this case, you would have to find out what database it is and then ask its support for correction.

Alternatively, you can talk with the Heficed team to discuss the issues you are facing, and we are ready to help. Want to try Heficed services? Get started with the IP Address Market, where you will find all RIRs and many geolocations in one place at an affordable price! You can run bare-metal and virtual servers with the IPs ordered in IP Address Market.

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Why Is My IP Address Wrong Location

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  • Internet & Connectivity
  • Online Services

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Introduction

Your IP address is a unique numerical identifier that allows devices to communicate with each other on the internet. But have you ever wondered why your IP address may seem to reflect a different location than where you actually are? It can be quite frustrating and confusing when websites or apps incorrectly identify your IP address location.

IP geolocation is the process of determining the physical location of an IP address. It is an essential tool used by various service providers, websites, and applications to personalize content, improve user experience, and enhance security. However, there are several factors that can contribute to incorrect IP address geolocation, leading to discrepancies between your actual location and the location displayed by some platforms.

In this article, we will explore the reasons behind incorrect IP address location and provide tips on how to correct it. By understanding these factors, you can gain more insight into why your IP address may be showing the wrong location and take steps to ensure accurate geolocation in the future.

How Does IP Geolocation Work?

IP geolocation uses a combination of techniques to determine the location associated with an IP address. The process involves analyzing various data points and using sophisticated algorithms to provide an approximation of the physical location.

One of the primary methods used in IP geolocation is the utilization of geolocation databases. These databases store information about the geographic locations of IP addresses based on past observations and data from sources such as internet service providers (ISPs) and regional internet registries (RIRs). The databases map IP addresses to specific locations, enabling websites and applications to identify the approximate location of a user based on their IP address.

To determine the location, geolocation services typically rely on data such as the IP address’s subnet, domain name system (DNS) information, and routing tables. By analyzing this information, the geolocation service can estimate the location of the IP address with varying degrees of accuracy.

In addition to geolocation databases, other methods can enhance the accuracy of IP geolocation. For instance, some websites and applications use GPS data from mobile devices to pinpoint the geographic location of the user. This approach is particularly useful for mobile applications and can provide more precise location information.

It is important to note that IP geolocation is not always 100% accurate. Factors such as outdated databases, the use of proxy servers or virtual private networks (VPNs), shared IP addresses, ISP routing errors, and mobile network providers can all contribute to inaccuracies in IP address location. Furthermore, privacy concerns may also impact the granularity of information provided by geolocation services.

Overall, IP geolocation is a valuable tool that facilitates personalized online experiences and enhances security measures. However, understanding the limitations and factors that can affect its accuracy will help you better comprehend why your IP address location may not always align with your actual physical location.

Factors Affecting IP Address Geolocation

Although IP geolocation is a useful technique, it is influenced by various factors that can impact the accuracy of the location information associated with an IP address. Understanding these factors can shed light on why your IP address may be showing a location different from where you are actually located. Let’s explore some of the main factors affecting IP address geolocation:

1. Outdated IP Geolocation Databases: Geolocation databases are continuously updated, but they may not always have the most recent information. Changes in IP address assignments and the addition of new IP ranges can result in outdated data, leading to incorrect geolocation results.

2. Use of Proxy Servers or VPNs: Proxy servers and virtual private networks (VPNs) can mask your original IP address and route your internet traffic through servers in different locations. This can cause the geolocation service to detect the location of the proxy server or VPN server rather than your actual location.

3. Shared IP Addresses: In some cases, multiple users may share the same IP address. This can happen when internet service providers (ISPs) use a technique called network address translation (NAT) to conserve IP addresses. As a result, the geolocation service may assign the IP address location to a general area rather than a specific location.

4. Mobile Network Providers: Mobile network providers assign dynamic IP addresses to their users, and these addresses can change as you move between different cell towers. The geolocation service may have difficulty accurately pinpointing your location if it relies on static IP location data.

5. GPS Data Override: Some websites and applications have access to GPS data from mobile devices. If you have granted permission, they may prioritize GPS data over IP geolocation, resulting in a more accurate location determination.

6. ISP Routing Errors: Internet traffic routing can be complex, and sometimes errors occur in the routing tables of ISPs. These errors can cause your internet traffic to be routed through servers in different locations, leading to a mismatch between your actual location and the detected IP address location.

By considering these factors, you can better understand why your IP address location may not always align with your physical location. It is crucial to keep in mind that IP geolocation is an estimation and may not provide pinpoint accuracy in every instance.

Possible Reasons for Wrong IP Location

There are several reasons why your IP address may be showing the wrong location. Understanding these reasons can help you identify the cause and take appropriate steps to rectify the issue. Let’s explore some possible explanations for incorrect IP address location:

1. Outdated IP Geolocation Databases: As mentioned earlier, geolocation databases may not always have the most up-to-date information. If the database being used by a particular website or application is outdated, it can lead to inaccurate IP address geolocation results.

2. Use of Proxy Servers or VPNs: Proxy servers and VPNs can mask your IP address and route your internet traffic through servers in different locations. This can result in the geolocation service detecting the location of the server rather than your actual location.

3. Shared IP Addresses: When multiple users share the same IP address, the geolocation service may assign the location to a general area rather than a specific user’s location. This can lead to inaccuracies, especially in densely populated areas where many users are connected to the same IP address.

4. Mobile Network Providers: If you are using a mobile device, your location can be influenced by the network provider’s dynamic IP address allocation. As you move between different cell towers, your IP address may change, and the geolocation service may have difficulty accurately determining your location.

5. GPS Data Override: Some websites and applications have access to GPS data from your mobile device if you have granted permission. In such cases, they may prioritize GPS data over IP geolocation, resulting in location discrepancies.

6. ISP Routing Errors: Errors in the routing tables of internet service providers (ISPs) can cause your internet traffic to be routed through servers in different locations. This can lead to IP address location mismatches, particularly when there are routing errors.

It is important to remember that the accuracy of IP geolocation is not guaranteed, and these factors can contribute to incorrect IP address location. To ensure more accurate results, consider using multiple geolocation services or verifying your location through other means, such as GPS data from your device.

Outdated IP Geolocation Databases

One of the possible reasons why your IP address may be showing the wrong location is outdated IP geolocation databases. These databases store information about the geographical locations associated with specific IP addresses. However, as the internet constantly evolves, IP address assignments and allocations can change over time, resulting in outdated data in geolocation databases.

Geolocation databases rely on various sources, such as internet service providers (ISPs) and regional internet registries (RIRs), to gather information about the location of IP addresses. They map IP addresses to specific geographic locations, allowing websites and applications to determine the approximate location of their users. However, if a database is not regularly updated, it may not reflect the most recent IP address location assignments.

Outdated geolocation databases can lead to incorrect IP address location results. For example, if an IP address previously registered to a particular region is now assigned to a different location, the geolocation service may still associate it with the old location. This discrepancy can result in your IP address showing the wrong location when you access websites or use applications that rely on this database for geolocation data.

To address this issue, geolocation service providers strive to update their databases regularly. However, the frequency and accuracy of updates can vary. Some providers update their databases daily, while others may have longer update intervals. Additionally, smaller or less widely-used geolocation databases may not have access to the same level of up-to-date information as larger, more comprehensive databases.

If you find that your IP address consistently shows the wrong location, despite being within the expected range of IP address assignments for your location, it could be due to an outdated geolocation database. In such cases, it is recommended to reach out to the website or application’s support team and inform them of the issue. They may be able to update their geolocation database or investigate alternative methods of determining your location accurately.

It is worth noting that relying solely on IP geolocation for accurate location data is not always foolproof. To obtain the most precise results, combining multiple data sources such as GPS data from a mobile device or manually providing your location information may be necessary.

Use of Proxy Servers or VPNs

Another potential reason for your IP address showing the wrong location is the use of proxy servers or virtual private networks (VPNs). These technologies allow you to route your internet traffic through servers located in different regions or countries, effectively masking your original IP address and making it appear as if you are accessing the internet from a different location.

When you connect to a website or use an application while using a proxy server or VPN, the geolocation service may detect the location of the server you are connected to, rather than your actual physical location. This can result in the IP address location being inaccurately identified.

Proxy servers act as intermediaries between your device and the internet, forwarding your requests through their own servers. They can be used to bypass geographic restrictions on content or increase online privacy. Similarly, VPNs encrypt your internet traffic and route it through servers located in different regions, making it seem as if you are accessing the internet from that location.

While proxy servers and VPNs provide valuable benefits, they can also contribute to incorrect IP address geolocation. Geolocation services rely on the IP address of the connection request to determine the location, but if that IP address is associated with a proxy server or VPN, the detected location may not align with your actual physical location.

It’s important to note that not all proxy servers or VPNs will mask your IP address and change your geolocation. Some services offer dedicated IP addresses that maintain the correct location information. However, many services utilize shared IP addresses, where one IP address is used by multiple users. In such cases, the geolocation database may assign a general location to the shared IP, leading to potential inaccuracies in IP address location.

If you suspect that the use of a VPN or proxy server is causing your IP address to show the wrong location, you can try disconnecting from the service and accessing the website or application directly. This will help determine whether the proxy or VPN is the cause of the location discrepancy.

Overall, while proxy servers and VPNs provide privacy and enhanced online access, they can also affect the accuracy of IP geolocation. Being aware of the impact of these technologies can help you understand why your IP address may be displaying the wrong location in certain contexts.

Shared IP Addresses

Shared IP addresses are another factor that can contribute to your IP address showing the wrong location. In some cases, multiple users can share the same IP address, particularly when internet service providers (ISPs) use a technique called network address translation (NAT) to conserve IP addresses.

With shared IP addresses, the geolocation service may assign the IP address location to a general area rather than a specific location. This can result in your IP address showing a location different from where you are physically located. In densely populated areas or areas with a high concentration of internet users, there is a higher probability of encountering shared IP addresses.

The reason behind shared IP addresses lies in the limited availability of IPv4 addresses. As the demand for internet connectivity increases, the pool of available IP addresses shrinks. ISPs mitigate this issue by assigning a single IP address to multiple users within the same network using NAT technology. This method allows multiple devices to use a single IP address, sharing the available IP resources.

Shared IP addresses present a challenge for accurate IP geolocation. Since multiple users residing in different locations share the same IP address, the geolocation service cannot accurately pinpoint an individual user’s precise location. Instead, it approximates the general area associated with the shared IP address.

The accuracy of shared IP address geolocation depends on the granularity of available data and the reliability of the geolocation database being used. Different databases and services may have varying levels of accuracy in assigning locations to shared IP addresses. Moreover, as IP address assignments and user connections change over time, the location association may not always reflect the current situation accurately.

To mitigate the impact of shared IP addresses on geolocation, some companies use additional techniques such as browser-based geolocation or user-provided location information. Websites and applications can leverage technologies like GPS data or user-inputted location details to enhance the accuracy of the detected location.

If your IP address consistently shows the wrong location and you suspect it may be due to shared IP addressing, there are a few steps you can take. First, try accessing location-based services from websites or applications that rely on GPS data or user-provided location information. Additionally, contact your ISP to inquire about their IP allocation methods and determine if they offer any options for dedicated or static IP addresses, which may provide a more accurate geolocation experience.

Understanding the implications of shared IP addresses can help you better grasp why your IP location may not always align with your physical location. While accuracy limitations exist, geolocation services continue to improve, providing increasingly precise location data even in scenarios involving shared IP addresses.

Mobile Network Providers

If you are using a mobile device to access the internet, your IP address location can be influenced by your mobile network provider. Mobile network providers assign dynamic IP addresses to their users, which can change as you move between different cell towers or switch from Wi-Fi to mobile data.

The dynamic nature of mobile IP addresses can pose challenges to accurate geolocation. Geolocation services often rely on static IP location data to determine the approximate location associated with an IP address. However, when your IP address changes frequently due to mobile network handoffs or switching between Wi-Fi and mobile data, the accuracy of IP geolocation may be compromised.

Additionally, mobile network providers often use methods such as network address translation (NAT) to conserve IP addresses and manage network traffic. This means that multiple users can share the same IP address, further complicating the geolocation process.

When a geolocation service attempts to determine your location based on your IP address, it may associate your IP address with a general location based on the IP range used by your mobile network provider. As a result, your actual physical location may not match the location provided by the geolocation service.

To improve the accuracy of IP geolocation on mobile devices, some websites and applications leverage GPS data. If you have granted permission, these services can access the GPS information on your device to pinpoint your exact location, bypassing the reliance on IP geolocation. This approach provides more precise information and can be particularly valuable for location-based services and apps.

If you find that your mobile IP address consistently shows the wrong location, despite being within the range of your network provider’s IP assignments, it may be due to the challenges associated with mobile IP geolocation. In such cases, it is recommended to ensure that location services and GPS data are enabled on your device and that you have granted the necessary permissions to the websites or applications you are using.

While mobile IP geolocation can be affected by factors such as dynamic IP assignments and shared IP addresses, advancements in technology continue to improve the accuracy of geolocation services. By combining multiple data sources, such as GPS and IP geolocation, mobile devices can offer more precise location information for a wide range of applications and services.

GPS Data Override

In some cases, websites and applications have access to GPS data from your mobile device, and they may prioritize this data over IP geolocation to determine your location. If you have granted permissions for the app or website to access your GPS information, it can override the IP geolocation results and provide a more accurate location.

GPS (Global Positioning System) is a satellite-based navigation system that calculates precise location data using signals from multiple satellites. This technology is capable of providing highly accurate location information, making it a valuable tool for determining the user’s actual physical location.

When a website or app uses GPS data, it can access the precise coordinates provided by the GPS receiver on your mobile device. By combining this data with other location-based services, the website or app can accurately pinpoint your location, regardless of the IP address or its associated geolocation data.

The use of GPS data override is particularly beneficial for mobile applications that heavily rely on location-based services. It ensures that the app provides accurate results for navigation, local search, or other location-specific features.

However, it is important to note that not all websites or applications have access to GPS data or prioritize it over IP geolocation. The availability of GPS data and its integration into a particular website or app is dependent on their programming and user permissions. Therefore, certain platforms may solely rely on IP geolocation, which can lead to discrepancies between the detected location and your actual physical location.

To enhance the accuracy of location-based services, it is recommended to ensure that GPS services and permissions are enabled on your mobile device. By doing so, you allow websites and apps to access your GPS data, resulting in more precise location information.

It is worth mentioning that privacy concerns should be taken into consideration when granting permissions for GPS data access. Always review the privacy policy of the website or app and make an informed decision about the level of access you are comfortable granting.

Overall, the use of GPS data override can significantly improve the accuracy of location-based services by bypassing the limitations of IP geolocation. By combining multiple data sources, websites and applications can provide more precise and personalized experiences based on your actual physical location.

ISP Routing Errors

ISP routing errors can contribute to incorrect IP address geolocation, causing your IP address to display the wrong location. Internet traffic routing can be complex, involving numerous network devices and routing tables maintained by ISPs. Errors in these routing tables can result in your internet traffic being routed through servers located in different regions or countries.

When geolocation services attempt to determine your location based on your IP address, they rely on the assumption that the IP address is connected to an internet service provider in close proximity to you. However, if your internet traffic gets routed through servers in different locations due to routing errors, the geolocation service may incorrectly associate your IP address with the location of those servers.

ISP routing errors can occur for various reasons, such as misconfiguration, network issues, or changes in network infrastructure. These errors can be temporary or persist over a longer period, leading to ongoing location discrepancies for affected IP addresses.

It’s important to note that ISP routing errors are beyond the control of individual users. If you suspect ISP routing errors are the cause of your IP address showing the wrong location, it is recommended to contact your internet service provider’s customer support. Inform them of the issue you are experiencing and provide details about the incorrect geolocation results. They may be able to investigate and address the routing errors affecting your IP address.

It is worth noting that ISP routing errors can impact not only IP geolocation but also other aspects of your internet experience, such as connection quality and latency. Resolving routing errors can improve the overall performance and accuracy of various internet services.

Additionally, if you frequently experience routing errors or consistently incorrect IP address geolocation, consider using alternative network technologies, such as a different ISP or mobile data connection. These alternatives may offer different routing configurations that can result in more accurate IP geolocation.

While ISP routing errors can introduce challenges to accurate geolocation, advancements in network infrastructure and ongoing optimizations by ISPs aim to minimize these errors. Understanding the potential impact of routing errors on IP geolocation can help you identify the possible causes of incorrect location information associated with your IP address.

How to Check Your Actual IP Geolocation?

If you want to verify your actual IP geolocation and ensure that it is accurately reflecting your physical location, several methods can help you confirm your location information. Here are a few ways to check your IP geolocation:

1. Using IP Geolocation Websites: Numerous websites provide IP geolocation services that can display your estimated location based on your IP address. Simply visit one of these websites and look for the information displayed about your IP address location. Keep in mind that different geolocation services may vary in terms of accuracy and data sources, so it is a good idea to check multiple sites to cross-reference the results.

2. Using IP Geolocation APIs: IP geolocation APIs allow developers to incorporate geolocation services into their applications. Some of these APIs provide publicly accessible endpoints that allow you to input your IP address and retrieve the associated location information programmatically. Using these APIs can provide more detailed information and even allow you to integrate IP geolocation into your own applications.

3. Verifying Location-Based Services: Many websites and applications utilize location-based services for various functionalities, such as weather forecasts, local search results, or targeted advertisements. By interacting with these services and observing the location-specific information they provide, you can get an indication of whether your IP address location aligns with your actual physical location.

4. Using GPS on Mobile Devices: If you are using a mobile device, you can leverage the GPS functionality to obtain accurate location information. GPS relies on satellite signals and provides precise latitude and longitude coordinates. By accessing the GPS data on your device, you can compare it with the IP geolocation results to validate the accuracy of your IP address location.

Remember that IP geolocation is not always 100% accurate and can be influenced by various factors. Additionally, keep in mind that your IP address location can change depending on factors such as network connectivity or the use of proxy servers or VPNs. Therefore, it’s important to consider these factors when checking your IP geolocation and interpreting the results.

If you consistently encounter discrepancies between your actual location and the IP address location displayed, despite taking the above steps, it may be worth reaching out to the website or application’s support team. They may be able to provide further insight into their geolocation methods or investigate any potential issues that could be causing the inaccurate results.

By utilizing these methods to check your actual IP geolocation, you can gain a better understanding of how your IP address is being interpreted and whether it accurately reflects your physical location.

Tips to Correct Wrong IP Address Location

If you find that your IP address is consistently showing the wrong location, there are several actions you can take to help correct this issue. Here are some tips to consider:

1. Contact the Geolocation Service Provider: If an incorrect IP address location persists across multiple websites and applications, it is worth reaching out to the geolocation service provider. Inform them about the discrepancy and provide details about your actual physical location. They may be able to investigate and update their databases to reflect the correct geolocation information for your IP address.

2. Disable Proxy Servers or VPNs: If you are using a proxy server or VPN service, try disconnecting from it and accessing websites or applications directly. Disabling these services can help eliminate any location masking or rerouting that could be affecting the accuracy of your IP address geolocation.

3. Consider Dedicated IP Addresses: Some internet service providers (ISPs) offer the option of obtaining a dedicated IP address. With a dedicated IP address, you have a unique IP assigned to you, which can improve the accuracy of IP geolocation. You can contact your ISP to inquire about dedicated IP options and whether they are available in your area.

4. Verify GPS Data Usage: If you are accessing websites or applications through a mobile device, ensure that GPS services are enabled and permissions are granted to access your device’s GPS data. By using GPS information instead of relying solely on IP geolocation, you can ensure more accurate location detection.

5. Manually Provide Your Location: Some websites or applications allow users to manually input their location information. Consider providing your actual physical address or coordinates to override any inaccuracies in IP geolocation. This option is particularly useful if you frequently encounter incorrect location results.

6. Cross-Reference Multiple Geolocation Services: To enhance the accuracy of your IP address location, consider using multiple geolocation services and comparing the results. Different services may use different databases or algorithms, which can result in varying levels of accuracy. By cross-referencing multiple sources, you can gain a better understanding of your actual location and identify any persistent discrepancies.

Keep in mind that while these tips can help improve the accuracy of your IP address location, there might be limitations in certain scenarios. Factors such as shared IP addresses, dynamic IP assignments, and ISP routing errors can still affect IP geolocation accuracy. It’s important to maintain realistic expectations and consider alternative methods, such as manual location input or GPS data, to ensure the most accurate results.

By following these tips and actively addressing any inaccuracies in IP address geolocation, you can help ensure that websites and applications provide location-based services that align with your actual physical location.

IP address geolocation is a valuable tool used by websites and applications to personalize content, enhance user experiences, and improve security measures. However, it is important to understand the factors that can affect the accuracy of IP geolocation, leading to potential discrepancies between your IP address location and your actual physical location.

Throughout this article, we explored various reasons why your IP address may show the wrong location. Outdated geolocation databases, the use of proxy servers or VPNs, shared IP addresses, mobile network providers, GPS data overrides, and ISP routing errors can all contribute to incorrect IP address geolocation.

To address these issues, we discussed several tips to help correct wrong IP address location. These include contacting geolocation service providers, disabling proxy servers or VPNs, considering dedicated IP addresses, verifying GPS data usage, manually providing your location information, and cross-referencing multiple geolocation services.

It is important to keep in mind that while these tips can improve the accuracy of IP geolocation, there may still be limitations in certain situations. Factors such as shared IP addresses, dynamic IP assignments, and ISP routing errors can impact the accuracy of IP geolocation and result in location discrepancies. Therefore, maintaining realistic expectations and considering alternative methods, such as manual location input or GPS data, are also essential.

By understanding the factors affecting IP address geolocation and making use of these tips, you can ensure that your IP address location aligns more accurately with your physical location. This, in turn, can enhance the effectiveness of location-based services, improve online experiences, and provide a higher level of security.

The world of IP geolocation is constantly evolving, and as technology advances, we can expect improvements in accuracy and more robust methods of determining location. Keeping up with these advancements and staying informed about the latest developments in IP geolocation can help you navigate the digital landscape with confidence and enjoy a more personalized and accurate online experience.

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Is it possible to correct my GeoIP location

Numerous services and advertising do GeoIP lookups. They get the country correct, but often the city is wrong. Are there places where I can go and correct this, letting people know the actual location of my IP address. I have a static IP, so it's not going to go to another user in a different location.

  • advertisements
  • geolocation

quack quixote's user avatar

  • 4 Since you already seem to know where you live, why bother? –  innaM Dec 18, 2009 at 9:35
  • 3 I know companies sell geoip services to advertisers. I've had the same IP for almost four years, and if I have to see ads, I'd rather they say there's sexy singles in MY suburb, and not the one 20 kms away. –  brianegge Feb 5, 2010 at 7:19
  • I would see this as a gift instead of a curse. Online services know way too much about internet users even without pinpointing their exact location from their IP. –  svin83 Dec 20, 2021 at 13:59

4 Answers 4

Yes, it's possible to correct your GeoIP location. Read on.

There are numerous providers of "Geo IP" data. You first need to figure out which provider the service in question is using, and then file a report/correction with that provider.

I see my location reported incorrectly every time my router gets a new IP. So I usually check my location against various providers using https://www.iplocation.net (click details link next to your IP adddress) which usually flags up one or more services reporting the wrong location.

You can file corrections at the following pages (not a complete list, feel free to add a comment with other links, corrections or dead link reports):

  • https://www.maxmind.com/en/geoip-location-correction
  • https://db-ip.com/report/
  • https://www.home.neustar/resources/tools/submit-to-global-ip-database
  • http://www.skyhookwireless.com/submit-access-point
  • https://whatismyipaddress.com/location-feedback
  • https://ipregistry.co/data-corrections

And some other less friendly reporting methods:

  • https://www.ip2location.com/contact/
  • http://www.ipligence.com/contact/
  • https://ipgeolocation.io/contact.html
  • https://support.google.com/websearch/contact/ip/

Matt Sephton's user avatar

Matt Sephton's answer is good, but if you are looking to update your IP geolocation with MaxMind, the data correction forms have moved to:

  • Correct your location
  • Correct network information
  • Email [email protected] to correct other kinds of data

Christopher Luna's user avatar

  • Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please edit to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center . –  Community Bot Jan 4, 2022 at 21:42
  • While this link may answer the question, it is better to include the essential parts of the answer here and provide the link for reference. Link-only answers can become invalid if the linked page changes. - From Review –  DarkDiamond Jan 4, 2022 at 23:24
  • I don't check the links in my answers too often, but I just updated multiple bad or outdated links. If this had been a comment on my answer I'd have rectified the problem immediately. –  Matt Sephton Jan 14, 2022 at 15:26
  • Sorry about that, Matt. I haven't really contributed here, so it wasn't meant as a slight against you or anything. I don't really understand all the etiquette or anything yet. Thanks for updating the link. –  Christopher Luna Jan 18, 2022 at 19:51

Apart from changing ISPs (but then it is doubtful whether it would work or not), no.

Josh Hunt's user avatar

No. Your location is probably determined by doing a WhoIs query against your IP block. Whatever address is listed as owning that IP block is where they are probably getting your "estimated" geographical information.

Mark's user avatar

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how to fix ip geolocation

Welcome to the ARIN Vault! This is a repository of historical information, including policy archives, reports from policy meetings, public announcements and consultations, meeting minutes for the Advisory Council and Board of Trustees, and a collection of corporate documents.

IP Geolocation: The Good, The Bad, & The Frustrating

IP Geolocation: The Good, The Bad, & The Frustrating [Archived]

By Jon Worley

OUT OF DATE?

Here in the Vault, information is published in its final form and then not changed or updated. As a result, some content, specifically links to other pages and other references, may be out-of-date or no longer available.

Here at ARIN, one of the most common topics we hear about from our customers is geolocation of IP addresses. Common concerns include:

Hey, I got a new block and I am based in Canada, but the search engine I use thinks I’m in the United States.

My video streaming service won’t let me log in because it thinks I’m outside my home country.

This online location finder says I’m in another state. How do I fix it?

We must then break the news to them that, unfortunately, there is no master IP geolocation database. IP geolocation is done either via third party sites that provide that data (some for free, some for a cost) or by proprietary systems developed by a content provider for its own use. All of these use ARIN’s Whois data to make their geolocation decisions, and sometimes getting the correct information in Whois will help. Unfortunately, there just isn’t any way to guarantee that will work. We don’t have any control over how third-party sites gather and use our data nor how they arrive at their geolocation decisions.

This begs the question: just how widespread is the problem of incorrect IP geolocation? An academic article 1 published in 2017 provides some useful insight into the scope of geolocation accuracy. The study looked specifically at geolocation for routers (not end users) across multiple free/paid IP geolocation services. The basic conclusion is that while country-level IP geolocation is fairly reliable for US-based routers (> 95% accuracy), it can be significantly less reliable for other countries. Moreover, city-level accuracy was found to be far less reliable, with ~75% accuracy being considered the upper bound (or in other words, at best 1 out of 4 are geolocated incorrectly at the city level). In fact, the study specifically “recommend[s] users not to trust city-level accuracy in ARIN regardless of the database used” (emphasis ours).

Which brings us to the takeaways:

The good : IP geolocation at the country level is fairly reliable within the US.

The bad : It’s less reliable outside the US and not at all reliable at the city level.

The frustrating : IP geolocation is inherently a guessing game. It’ll never be perfect; the only question is how often it’ll be wrong.

That being the case, we encourage network operators to work with one another to help solve geolocation problems. There isn’t one silver bullet that will always work, but by asking other network operators for help (for example, on the NANOG mailing list ) you have the greatest chance to either reach someone else who’s gone through the same process (and thus may have wisdom to share) or reach the site directly and work with them to correct the geolocation problem.

Manaf Gharaibeh, Anant Shah, Bradley Huffaker, Han Zhang, Roya Ensafi, and Christos Papadopoulos. 2017. A Look at Router Geolocation in Public and Commercial Databases. In Proceedings of IMC ’17, London, United Kingdom, November 1–3, 2017, 7 pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/3131365.3131380   ↩︎

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Why is my location wrong?

Have you been to a website or used an app that can detect what city and state you are in?  This is called geolocation and it's powered by third-party databases.

Not all geolocation services are the same. These services use different algorithms that look at factors such as:

  • Public IP address
  • Geolocation databases (provided by third parties)
  • Cell tower IDs
  • GPS information
  • A list of WiFi access points
  • Signal strength
  • MAC IDs (WiFi and/or Bluetooth)

The location information is usually a close approximation, but isn't 100% accurate all the time. Using a VPN can often provide a wrong location.

What can you do?

If your location is displaying incorrectly, the quickest way to correct it is to change your location on the individual website or app that you're using. For instance, if you're on a store's website, they usually provide an option to change stores or change location.

Request a location correction

You can submit a request to have a geolocation provider make an update. Here are some tips to get you started.

Ask your content provider which geolocation provider they use and how to contact them.

Contact the geolocation provider or submit a correction request. Here are some examples:

Wait for the geolocation provider to approve your request. Once your request is approved, it typically takes a month or more to see the correction. This varies by provider.

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Why is my IP address showing the wrong location?

how to fix ip geolocation

One of the main draws of a VPN is its ability to hide your IP address and make it look as if you’re browsing from somewhere else in the world — hell, that’s half our marketing right there. But there have been times when people have noticed that in spite of their VPN saying their IP address is supposed to be disguised as one place — say, Ecuador -- certain websites or services think they’re actually somewhere else — Paris, for example. 

Does that mean your VPN is broken? Mislabeled? That for a brief moment reality folded on itself and Ecuador and Paris were in the same metaphysical location and you’ve captured a once-in-a-lifetime illustration of illogical relationalism and mereological phenomenon playing out before your eyes? 

No, no, and sadly, no. 

It has to do with how IP addresses work.

This is going to get complicated, so what’s the fast and simple version? 

Long story short: different websites and services have different ways of determining where your location is. If a website or service doesn’t use official information about your IP address to figure out where you are, then it’s possible you’ll appear in a different location on that site than your VPN says you’re browsing from.

It’s sadly unavoidable, and there’s not a whole lot you can do about it, but it’s not the VPN’s fault. 

Now, for the long and drawn out version: what even is an IP address?

So, to understand how this works, we first need to understand what an IP address even is. 

IP address-laptop

In brief, it’s a numerical ID (kinda like your social security number) that identifies attributes of every connected device on the web. While this simplifies things immensely, there are mainly two different kinds of IP addresses: IPv4, and IPv6 . For the purposes of this article they’re functionally the same: they use a number of bits (32 and 128 bits, respectively) that can quickly help websites and services identify what device is trying to connect to them, and where that object is located in the physical world. It’s what allows websites to pull up different versions of their pages depending on if they see a PC or a mobile device trying to access them, and to pick which language to have up by default.

IPV4_scheme

But it’s not like websites or services can just read the IP address and figure out all that information. Of course it’s not that simple. Rather, they use something called an IP address register. 

What’s an IP address register? 

Basically, it’s like a phone book for the internet: it has every single IP address in its region (there are 5 regions worldwide) saved in it, that lists information about the ownership of the IP address, technical contact details, addresses, and more. So all a website has to do is take an IP address, search for its match in the IP address register, and it will tell that website where that IP address is coming from. 

We hope you’re not getting as sick of reading “IP address” as we are of writing it. 

Now, HMA VPN — and every VPN, for the matter — operates using official IP address registers, which are the definitive lists of every IP address in the world, and the location that’s tied to that address. Every single server and IP address that HMA has at its disposal operates on official IP address registers, and is 100% accurate by those standards. If every single service and website used official IP address registers to determine where their traffic was coming from, there would be no issues and thus no need to write this article.

IANA-map

However, not every website or service uses official IP address registers. In fact, most don’t. 

See, it’s not convenient or easy for websites to use an official register. So instead, they generally use third-party registers, which you can think of as a phone book that’s been published by a different company. And while it’s entirely possible that a third-party register and an official register attach the same physical location to the same IP address, it’s equally possible that they could disagree, and while the official one thinks your IP address is in Ecuador, the third-party one thinks it’s in Paris. 

So that’s part of the problem. 

Now, you might be wondering — if most websites and services don’t use official registries, why does HMA VPN? Long story short, we don’t have much choice. We’re registered as a legal entity, so doing things through an official registry is required to operate an IP address in the first place. It also doesn’t help that there are a lot of third-party registries, and many of them like to keep how they operate a secret. In fact, some of them even advertise themselves as “more accurate” than the official registries. So while we can, and certainly do, try to cooperate with third party registries to keep our IP addresses accurate across the board, our ability to do that hinges entirely on how much those third parties want to cooperate. Some are on board. Some aren’t. 

But here’s where things get extra spicy: as we alluded to before, that’s only part of the problem. Indeed, there are other reasons why things might not be working the way you’d expect: mainly, that websites and services can be really lazy about updating their registries. 

Jack-the-donkey-wrong-IP address

Keeping IP address registries up-to-date 

So the thing about IP address registries is that they change. 

IP addresses aren’t as static as one might expect. New devices are created, new data centers are founded, and existing data centers switch hands and locations. An IP address that was once linked to a physical location in Paris can, thanks to any number of events, be moved to a physical location in Ecuador instead. And generally, when that happens, IP address registries, both official and third-party, are quick to update their listings to reflect that change. 

But websites and services might not reflect that change for a while. See, if websites and services had a 24/7 connection to a register so they could check who’s connecting to them in real-time, that register would get overwhelmed in a big hurry, which would slow things down for everyone. So instead, these websites and services will download a version of the register and save it locally on their servers, so they can quickly and effectively reference IP addresses. This is the preferred system, but it means that if there’s a change in the register, the website or service won’t know about it until they update their register. 

And for a lot of websites and services, updating their register is a fairly low priority. If they’re really on top of things, they’ll do it once a week. But it’s more common for them to do it every month, every three months, or even somewhere in the scope of years. So for example, if an IP address in Paris was recently moved to Ecuador, HMA VPN might connect to it and say that you’re browsing from Ecuador. But if a website using an old register sees that IP address, they’re going to think it’s still in Paris, and thus, bring up the Paris version of the site. 

This issue isn’t as common as different registers having different interpretations of where an IP address is located, but it does happen, and it can be a contributing factor in your VPN — or even your region's ISP — not working the way you might expect. But we’re not done yet, no sir: because there’s one more reason why your VPN and a website might disagree.

Namely, that service might not even be looking at your IP address. And I’m talkin’ about the big-G right here. 

Why does Google think I’m somewhere else?

Usually when people notice a disconnect between where their VPN says they are and where the internet says they are, it’s because of Google. And it’s easy to see why this would be distressing: Google is functionally the front page of the internet, the first thing many people see when they connect and the primary way they explore an otherwise impossible-to-navigate labyrinth of websites. 

Google-VS-VPN

But it's that very same ubiquity and size that makes Google — and other websites in its weight class — rather unique in how they tackle the issue of identifying where you are. Because Google, among others, only uses your IP address as a fallback if their usual methods fail. 

See, the biggest digital corporations have lots of different ways to track who you are and where you’re physically located: cookies, GPS data, language settings, browsing activity, and more. If we knew the exact formula Google used to figure out where you are, we’d tell you, but unfortunately the Notorious G keeps that information under lock and key. Needless to say, they don’t rely exclusively on your IP address the way most other websites and services do, so even if HMA VPN is doing its job and making your IP address appear as if you’re in Ecuador, Google could still know you’re in Paris and give you search results and information based on that knowledge, circumventing your IP address and VPN completely.

What can I do about this?

Sadly, not a whole lot. 

For Google, you can send a report and claim they’re showing you the wrong content for your location, but chances are they’ve got your number and won’t make any changes. You could try to circumvent Google by turning off your GPS, clearing your cookies, opening up incognito mode, and then turning on your VPN, but that’s not guaranteed to work — that particular rabbit hole is probably way deeper than we give it credit for, with how omnipresent Google and services like it have become . 

As for third party registers, you can always try to reach out. You could contact a website or service directly to bring up the issue of your IP address and their services not matching, and many websites — and even third-party registers — will genuinely try to update their registers to reflect your complaint. It’s not a guaranteed fix, but it’s worth a try. 

So yeah, no real “call to action” here, unless that action is getting learnt real good about how the internet works: in which case, you’ve already done it! Congratulations!

Wrapping up

Sadly, VPNs aren’t magic. They’re powerful and useful and make you a better human being, sure, but they’re still just tools that sometimes don’t work exactly the way we’d hoped due to circumstances beyond our control. It sucks, but “things are bad and we can’t do anything about it” may as well be the theme for the whole damn 21st century, so, we should all probably just get used to it. 

But hey, at least we still work for porn.

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Geolocation

What information is available in the apnic whois database regarding geolocation.

The "Geofeed" attribute of an inetnum or inet6num object can be used to publish IP geolocation data (see RFC 8805). Content and geolocation service providers can use this information to help locate the users of particular IP addresses.

inetnum: 192.0.2.0/24 # example

geofeed: https://example.com/geofeed.csv

  • For records maintained by APNIC, we do not set the geofeed attributes of inetnum and inet6num objects in the APNIC whois.
  • For records maintained by APNIC, we record your economy of registration (which is associated with the economy of your membership).
  • The “country” attribute in customer assignments (non-portable inetnum and inet6num objects) can be used to indicate the economy where those IP addresses are used.

How can you make updates to include the geolocation information?

APNIC Members who hold “allocated portable” IP ranges are free to create more specific inetnum and inet6num records that contain different “country” values to indicate the economy in which those IP addresses are used. Additionally, the “geofeed” attribute can be added to to publish IP geolocation data.

What can you do if a geolocation provider displays the location of your IP addresses differently to what you’ve registered in the APNIC whois Database?

You should ensure your APNIC Whois registration is up to date.

If you find that a geolocation provider has incorrect location details of your IP address range, you can contact them and request they update the location of the range.

  • Google support
  • IP2 Location
  • ipgeolocation.io
  • bigdatacloud.com
  • Fastah™ IP Geolocation API
  • You may consider implementing a locally managed record of geolocation information or “feed”, in line with this IETF draft from Google .
  • Some content delivery networks (CDN) and content providers maintain their own IP geolocation database which may or may not use RIR data. You may want to contact them directly to report any geolocation issues.

Please note that APNIC does not have any formal or operational relationship with any geolocation providers, and cannot guarantee that any provider will give accurate information, or respond to your requests.

If you have further questions about geolocation, please contact the APNIC Helpdesk .

IP Geolocation Ecosystem Summary

IP geolocation is the mapping of an IP address to a geographic location. This information can be used to provide customized experiences to end-users such as targeted advertisements and other location specific features. Geolocation providers obtain information from multiple sources, including RIR data, to determine IP geolocation in their products or services, which is used by those who need IP location information. The diagram below illustrates the flow and collection of IP geolocation data and the factors that may contribute to differences in IP-based geolocation.

rtaImage.png

It is important to note that APNIC’s whois data is just one of the many sources used by geolocation providers. It is not guaranteed that updating IP address records in the APNIC Whois Database will fix the geolocation data inaccuracies.

Correction of IP geolocation

Geolocation information customers and LIR/ISPs are asked to provide updates or corrections directly to geolocation providers. Such updates, together with other data, contribute to the geolocation provider’s proprietary analysis of IP geolocation information. Please note that geolocation providers have different update schedules to correct their IP geolocation information. APNIC advises Members to take the following steps when dealing with different IP location information in the geolocation provider’s database.

STEP 1. Check that the IP address registration information in the APNIC Whois Database is correct.

STEP 2. Submit updates/correction reports directly to the geolocation providers. There are several organizations that provide geolocation services, such as:

  • Fastah IP Geolocation API

If you are a geolocation provider and would like to be added to this list, please contact the APNIC Helpdesk .

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Find & improve your location’s accuracy

Google Maps may have trouble finding your location. If the GPS location of your blue dot on the map is inaccurate or missing, you can take steps to help fix the problem.

Tip: These steps will also improve your search results and make them more relevant to you.

Find your current location on the map

  • On your computer, open Google Maps .

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How Maps finds your current location

Give maps location permission.

To center the map where you are, you must give Maps permission to find your location.

On macOS, you may need to turn on Location Services for your browser before you can grant Maps permission in your browser:

and then

  • To allow for changes, at the bottom left, click the lock.
  • Next to "Enable Location Services," check the box.
  • Next to your browser, check the box.
  • Give Maps location permission in your browser.

Give Maps location permission in your browser

  • On your computer, open Chrome and go to Google Maps .
  • If you're asked to share your location, choose Allow .
  • If the blue dot appears and shows your location, then Maps already has location permission in your browser.
  • If there’s a message that says "Google Maps does not have permission to use your location," continue to the next steps.
  • Check Always allow http://www.google.com to access your location .
  • Refresh your browser.
  • On your computer, open Firefox and go to Google Maps .
  • When asked to share your location, choose Allow or Allow location access .
  • You might find "Show your location" instead.
  • If the blue dot appears and shows your location, then Maps already has location permission in your browser. 

Close

  • On your computer, open Safari and go to Google Maps .
  • You should be asked to share your location. Choose Allow .
  • On your computer, open Microsoft Edge and go to Google Maps .
  • If you’re asked to share your location, chose  Allow .

Lock

  • Click Permissions for this site .
  • To the right of "Location," choose Allow .

More ways to improve location accuracy

If you get an error like "Your location cannot be determined" or your location is still wrong, here are some steps you can take:

  • Reload your browser (such as Chrome, Firefox, or Safari).
  • Check to make sure you have a strong internet connection.
  • Double-check your browser’s permission settings using the instructions above.
  • Restart your computer.

Find your location on other sites & apps

To find your location in Google Maps on other sites and apps, follow the steps above. However, some features will be different:

  • You’ll use a different site or app, not Google Maps.
  • You must first give location permission to the site or app used, not Google Maps.
  • If you open Google Chrome or Safari, you'll only find your location on secure web pages. You'll find "https" in the address bar.

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Video Tutorials

This page demonstrates about IP Geolocation tutorial videos. We provide step-by-step guide tutorials which help in how to get started with using IP2Location databases and adding IP Geolocation API. If you are interested in watching our complete videos list, please visit the IP2Location YouTube Channel to view more tutorials and examples.

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February 14, 2024

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Incorrect geolocation - how do I get this changed?

Report abuse, replies (10) .

  • Microsoft Agent |

What we can do is check the Country or region settings on your computer.

  • Left click on the Clock then select Date and time settings.
  • Select Date & Time, choose the correct Time zone.
  • Under Formats, Click Change date and time formats and put the correct information.
  • Click Region & Language and put the correct country.
  • Re-boot your computer.

Let us know if you need further help.

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Have you checked the exact location settings.  Settings>Privacy>Location. You can also set from the maps app.

how to fix ip geolocation

3 people found this reply helpful

We suggest that you perform the steps below and check if it helps:

1. Go to Control Panel.

2. If you’re in the standard view, open Clock, Language, and Region and then click Region .

3. In Region , change the following settings:  

     a. Go to Formats tab and set format as your requirements.

     b. Go to Location tab and set as your requirements.

     c. Go to Administrative tab and set Current System Locale as your requirements.

4.   In Clock, Language, and Region , click Languages and set a primary language as your requirements. If you don’t have the language install, click on Add a language , search for language install it, and set it as your primary.

5. Re-boot your computer and you should now be able change the settings.

Hope these information helps.

We would just like to confirm few things here. Please answer the following:

  • When did you first encounter this issue?
  • What was your last activity when this issue happened?
  • Any changes that took place in your computer before this issue occurred?

We will be waiting for your response.

When did you first encounter this issue? - August of 2016, when I returned from one month in GA (the location that ALL the PCs in my household think I am right now.)

  • What was your last activity when this issue happened? - I was connected to the internet via Verizon Cell service.  I am now connected to the internet with WiFi.
  • Any changes that took place in your computer before this issue occurred? - no idea, but I have performed 3 Windows 10 re-images and this issue persists with a fresh Win 10 install. Again I must state - this does not appear to be related to a single PC issue as it effects all PCs on my home network; the issue is not there when on a different Wifi network.  Win 10 geolocation api/service is getting my home network's location incorrect.  It needs to be changed in wifi database location that services Win 10 with geolocations.  How do I get this updated?  No one can provide an answer to that.

For further assistance regarding this matter, we will be reaching out to you via private message.

Question Info

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Fixing IP Geolocation: An ISP Guide

November 3, 2022.

DISCLAIMER: I am currently working for Google. This post is published in my personal capacity, without using any knowledge I may have obtained from my employment with them. All the information provided here is coming from purely personal experience in dealing with this issue.

There are probably infinitely many reasons why one might want to know the approximate location of a device based on its IP address. However, this information is not part of any Internet protocol, therefore third party services are trying to determine, with the highest accuracy possible, where each address probably is. There are plenty of free and commercial offerings that can provide this to operators.

You will always run into incorrect data problems however. First of all, there’s no one true way to obtain this information. Everyone is using a mix of signals with various degrees of success. You can ping an address from various locations and triangulate, which doesn’t work well, you can look at whois records and hope for the best, you can monitor which country or language website visitors from these addresses pick on a website, collect GPS information from a cooperating (mobile) application, look at the ccTLD of reverse DNS, etc.

But it’s not always easy as, especially on IPv4, multiple devices can use one address. What about addresses rarely used? What about CGNAT, with up to hundreds of ISP subscribers behind a single address? What about a corporate VPN?

This problem (of bad data) is then amplified by decisions made with that data. What if a website only allows only IP addresses from a single country to visit it? What if it uses the information for a fraud check (e.g. on a payment)? What if it switches to a language you don’t speak? Or it limits its functionality as it’s only available in specific countries.

ISPs are typically on the other end of the support phone call or e-mail, receiving a report and then having to fix it. But how do you fix this problem as a network? How do you ensure it’s not coming back? I’ll try to provide some best practices for networks in this post, that can be used to address that problem.

The current state of IP geolocation is complicated. There are many databases that offer this service, and some provide a file to download e.g. every week, while others provide an HTTP API where they charge for all the queries. Finally, some other companies may have private / internal databases that are only accessible by them. All these don’t necessarily agree, have different update frequencies, different correction submission procedures, and there’s little standardization.

Some are more popular than others, so one could focus on the head, and not the long tail, but it’s still some work that has to be done.

Also, something important to keep in mind is that websites may not update their databases often. They may use one that’s several months or years old. Just because a published version exists, it does not guarantee adoption. They may also update it much less frequently than its release cycle.

We’ll first begin with figuring out there’s an issue. A lot of networks currently will just learn there’s a problem when they receive a user complaint. That’s not very good. Depending on how much these issues affect an ISP, perhaps they’d like to invest in proactive monitoring of key IP address blocks, to get ahead of their users. It’s not the highest priority, I know..

The easiest way is to collect some free databases, frequently download their latest version, depending on their release schedule, and check inside for their IP ranges. If there’s an incorrect country (or state, etc. – it depends on how much you care), it can raise a (low priority) issue to investigate and correct.

For API-only databases that typically charge per query, there’s little that can be done, but some offer a free quota. These are typically having a /49 and /25 level of accuracy, and a weekly update rate. Usually the free quota is enough if the requests are spread over a week. For important addresses, e.g. proxies or VPNs, specific queries could be configured.

For proprietary databases that belong to certain companies, it’s unfortunately not easy to arrive in an automated solution, especially without the ability to send HTTP requests from the addresses themselves.

I’m not aware of any OSS software that provides this ability, and I had to create one for my own use. Perhaps it would make sense to release it as open source some time.

Submitting Correction Reports

If there’s a problem, actions need to be taken to inform the databases of what’s actually happening. I like to use these steps here proactively too: if there’s a change in an address block’s geolocation, or a new allocation is made, I’ve included in my procedures the submission of a correction report (if required) for the IP block.

Reports can be sent by anyone, and there are a lot of users doing it for malicious reasons, so companies tend to be careful when receiving them.

For MaxMind, a very popular database that’s also available in many Linux distributions, the form is available here . I have submitted this many times, and my requests were always accepted. They’ve been added to the database the next Tuesday after the approval e-mail I received. The form has to be used for every IP block, that can be of any size.

What I found is that their mechanisms to auto-detect the location typically work on a /49 & /25 level, so a mobile device whose GPS claims it is in Country A can set the all the addresses in that range to Country A. This form can be used to create more specific updates. I’ve also discovered that if you submit an address range as a collection of /50 or /26 ’s, then it’s very unlikely that its location will change automatically.

I am typically using a noc@ e-mail address when submitting here, on a domain that’s fairly easy to tie to the IP addresses in question (e.g. same as abuse e-mail). Maybe this helps.

The form seems to be this one. I don’t have nearly as much experience with this, so I don’t know of any useful tricks. According to the information in the form, updates may take over a month to fully propagate to all Google products and services.

Other databases

You can use iplocation.net to find many other databases and query them all in a single place for a specific address. You can then find links to all databases in this page, and all have a way to report incorrect data. The procedure is similar to MaxMind above. Here’s another list with some correction URLs that I am not updating or maintaining.

Proactive Information Sharing

Usually it’s best to never have to reach the correction phase. That means constantly and manually fixing issues like a game of Whac-A-Mole. It’s time consuming and for large ISPs it just doesn’t make much sense. Especially on some networks, it’s very easy for a (number of) user(s) to do something that will inaccurately classify a block of addresses.

It’s better if you help geolocation databases get it right in the first place, and this can be achieved with authoritative information that’s coming clearly from the network operator and cannot be easily spoofed. As there are networks that lie, not all of these work everywhere, but they can significantly reduce the mistakes and the changes made due to the passive or active information the databases collect.

inet{6,}num

The first place to start is the whois objects created by networks for their addresses. For the RIPE region these are the inet6num and inetnum objects, but other RIRs have equivalent types. Databases try to download frequent dumps of these objects and use them in their calculations.

For some whois services that don’t publish dumps in e.g. an FTP or web server, geolocation services have to query this information, so updates can be slower. Also, since whois is humanly readable according to its specification, it’s not always easy to parse. Thankfully, RIR databases are usually and mostly well structured.

What I am providing below works for IP addresses receiving these services from RIPE, which is likely the best. Expect less accuracy or features with other RIRs.

Here’s one of my objects:

The most common field that should be set is the country . This is being used in most services’ algorithms as an input in the final calculation, from what I can tell. It’s also one that’s fairly standardized across most whois databases.

I am also setting geoloc , which for RIPE includes the coordinates (to any accuracy) of the physical location of this IP address block. This is very fine grained information, impractical, and does not obviously scale. It can, however, be set to the country level too. Just make sure you pick the center of a lake, to avoid sending the FBI to a farm in Kansas . From private conversations with geolocation databases, this is very rarely used.

Finally, I set the language , which is the expected language that people behind this address may speak. As location does not equal language, this can be useful. However, most websites just rely on the location to set the language unfortunately. You can see here that this is a Swiss IP Range with Greek-speaking users. The countries don’t have to match. You may also have e.g. DE in some parts of CH , and FR , IT , etc. in others if you want. Anecdotal evidence suggests minor use of this, but higher than geoloc .

A lot of databases will check these objects before accepting correction requests submitted manually, to make sure they are legitimate.

It’s common for ISPs to have nested objects. They typically have one for their allocation, e.g. the /29 from RIPE, and then have a hierarchy of allocations or assignments within that. Some databases will include all entries (and you have to use the most specific when querying) while others will only include one entry per address. This behavior is not standardized. It’s best if you can set at least the country field for all objects.

Geolocation Feeds, standardized in RFC8805 , are CSV files that are published by ISPs that include the geolocation of their IP addresses. This is authoritative information, and generally trusted much more than whois objects, which is hopefully kept up to date.

You can find an example file here , but it looks something like this:

The file can have comments, starting with # , and data lines that contain the prefix, IPv6 or IPv4, the ISO 3166-1 alpha 2 of the administrative region this address is in (which is typically the country), the region / state within the country, with its ISO 3166-2 code (you can find this e.g. here ), and the city and postal code.

All fields except the prefix are optional (and can be missing with the way shown above), and the postal code SHOULD NOT be used for new feeds due to privacy concerns.

Due to some MAY s in the RFC, there are some edge cases here. For example, an anycast prefix has no real country, and one could use UN for that. For other blocks that span across Europe for example, one may want to use EU . The problem is that for some implementations, these are not valid country codes, and they can do anything from ignoring these lines to rejecting the processing of the entire file and discarding it. I haven’t found a published list of acceptable codes for every service, so it’s best to try and be conservative here. You don’t want the file to be discarded entirely because someone doesn’t support EU as a valid entry in the second field.

If a prefix is not used, it can have empty information (as the last line above), and this is interpreted differently by all the geolocation providers.

This CSV file must be served over an HTTPS endpoint using UTF-8 encoding. For more dynamic setups, this file can be generated via e.g. PHP from a database (NetBox?) and ideally cached. It’s better to automate this than have to update it manually.

The problem that hinders the GeoFeed adoption is that there’s no formal mechanism to detect the URL under which it is served. Several mechanisms have developed to make this easy to find:

Some geolocation providers try to find a valid GeoFeed URL in whois objects. RIPE has a dedicated field, geofeed :

It seems to be respected by many databases, and you will start to receive a lot of traffic to this endpoint from various user agents, some identifying a database explicitly, while others being generic (e.g. Go, Python, NodeJS).

For other RIRs or non-RIR services, it has been reported that you can add the URL in a remarks (or equivalent) field and maybe the “Geofeed” word in front, and hope for the best, like this:

By doing some tests, for RIPE, I haven’t observed any additional crawlers with the remarks , so probably geofeed is enough.

This can be added in the top-level object only, and there’s no need to include it in every additional object. Typically databases will treat it as authoritative information for all addresses represented by this object.

To the best of my knowledge, and until recently at least, MaxMind does not make use of the geofeed field from whois . They have a section in their docs that asks you to e-mail them and request them to add your GeoFeed as a source. You’ll need to e-mail them every time you add or remove an IP range that this GeoFeed provides authoritative information for (but not for every file edit), e.g. if you acquire a new IPv6 block or you sell your old IPv4 block.

I have requested inclusion once, unsuccessfully, but it worked the second time, a few months apart. It probably helped that I included the geofeed object in my inet{6,}num objects so they could verify the legitimacy of the request.

Upon approval, you should expect them to start respecting it starting next Tuesday, in their next release.

I’ve asked them if there’s a problem with EU or UN , they said they’ll get back to me if there is something, but I haven’t heard back. It probably works.

For my network, AS210312 , I have access to Google’s ISP Portal . You can find out more here . If you meet their requirements , you can probably get access as well. Perhaps there’s some way to publish GeoFeeds to Google without it, but I haven’t looked it up.

Through this portal, you can submit the URL of your GeoFeed for your ASN. Within a few days, it will be crawled, and then used. All invalid lines will be ignored, and you’ll be informed about the errors that occurred, e.g.:

The provided geocode identifier was not recognized. Please check for typos. Problem value(s): EU,,, Problem line: 2a0d:3dc0::/48,EU,,,

The rest of the file will be used normally, and it’s best to fix these errors.

In conclusion

Hopefully the information above was helpful and will lead to correcting current problems, preventing them from happening in the future (at least as often as they do now), and allow for early detection.

None of this behavior is standardized (or published), and as databases compete for accuracy we’ll see more changes in their classification algorithms. This guide may need updates to keep up with the new requirements. There’s also a lot of trial and error, so I’ll try to incorporate new knowledge here when I manage to confirm it. Most of the actions databases take that’s presented here is empirical or anecdotal and not official, and may change.

Want all of the data behind our APIs? Our downloadable IP address databases deliver insights into millions of IPs

Incorrect IP Geolocation data update

Data accuracy is incredibly important to us. We spend a lot of time and effort on our data quality and deploy updates to our dataset daily. Our data isn't perfect, though. Errors and inaccuracies can happen.

If you'd like to report a one-off correction (i.e. when you notice that your home or business IP address is showing the wrong location), then please fill out the form below.

If you’re correcting multiple ranges with the same location, you can comma separate them. For ranges with different location, please submit separate correction by clicking on the “Add another correction” button below

Top10VPN is editorially independent. We may earn commissions if you buy a VPN via our links.

What Are VPN Leaks, and How Do You Fix Them?

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JP Jones is our CTO. He has over 25 years of software engineering and networking experience, and oversees all technical aspects of our VPN testing process.

Fact-checked by Simon Migliano

  • What Is a VPN?

VPN leaks can expose your IP address, DNS requests, and browsing activity to your ISP and anyone monitoring your internet connection. Unless you know how to check for VPN leaks, you may never realize they’re happening. In this article, we explain the different types of VPN leaks and exactly how to fix them.

Two characters trying to fix a leaking pipe.

Many VPN services that claim to protect your privacy are in fact leaking your IP address , DNS requests , and location without you even knowing it.

Your VPN connection may seem safe: there are no notifications or errors, your VPN service has a strict no-logging policy , and it’s headquartered in a privacy-friendly jurisdiction.

However, it’s still possible that your internet service provider (ISP), government authorities, and the websites you visit can see your IP address and browsing activity .

Our own investigation into free VPNs revealed that 25% of the most popular free Android VPN apps failed to protect users due to DNS and other leaks.

So how do you know if your VPN is leaking , and which VPNs can you actually trust to protect your data?

In this guide, we’ll explain the different types of VPN leaks, how to check for them, and how to fix them.

EXPERT TIP:

The easiest way to test for data leaks is to use our VPN leak testing tool . If you’ve tested your VPN and found IP, DNS, or WebRTC leaks, you can follow the instructions in this guide to fix them.

If you’re consistently experiencing data leaks with your current VPN provider, you should also consider subscribing to a better VPN service .

Our top recommendation for 2024 is ExpressVPN , which has never failed a leak test in over five years of testing .

What Are VPN Leaks?

A ‘VPN leak’ refers to a security flaw that allows your IP address, DNS requests, or other identifying information to be revealed to any third party monitoring your internet connection.

Four types of VPN Leak

Four different types of VPN leaks.

VPN software is primarily designed to hide your public IP address and encrypt your web traffic by rerouting it through a secure tunnel to a remote server. When your VPN leaks, some or all of this sensitive information passes outside the encrypted tunnel .

If your real IP address or DNS requests are leaking, your ISP can still see your browsing activity and any websites you visit can see your real IP address. Your privacy is not protected, and your identity is exposed, making the VPN service useless .

To find out if your VPN is working as it should, you can run your own test at home using our VPN and torrent IP leak testing tool . It requires very little technical knowledge and takes just a matter of minutes.

You can also conduct a basic manual test for IP leaks using our What Is My IP checker tool. Simply check your IP address before and after connecting to a VPN server – if your IP address doesn’t change, your VPN isn’t working.

Here is a summary of the three main types of VPN leak:

IP Address Leaks

IP address leaks occur when your VPN service fails to mask your public IP address with one of its own. This is a significant privacy risk as any websites you visit will be able to see your real identity and geographic location .

If your IP address is leaking, your VPN is simply not doing its job. Your online privacy is not protected, and streaming services will be able to detect your true location.

IPv4 leaks are rare, but IPv6 leaks are quite common – especially amongst low-quality VPN services. Only VPNs specifically developed to reroute or block IPv6 traffic will offset this problem .

Surfshark Kill Switch Test

Surfshark’s kill switch does not stop IP address leaks when changing servers on macOS.

Premium VPNs should include a kill switch to protect your IP address in the event of a connection loss. However, our VPN kill switch testing revealed that many top services still leak your IP address if you change VPN servers while connected.

DNS leaks occur when your DNS requests are revealed to your ISP’s DNS servers even when connected to a VPN server.

DNS requests are essentially records of the websites you visit when browsing the internet. Normally, this process is carried out by your ISP’s DNS servers, which often log the requests along with your IP address.

SuperVPN's leak test results

In our tests, SuperVPN leaked our DNS requests.

A VPN is supposed to encrypt your DNS queries and route them to its own private DNS servers . This prevents your ISP from monitoring the websites you visit. If your VPN fails to reroute your DNS requests and routes them to your ISP’s default DNS servers instead, it’s called a DNS leak.

To find out which servers your device is using, you can test your DNS servers using our tool.

WebRTC leaks

WebRTC is a browser-based technology that allows audio and video communications to work inside web pages. It’s enabled by default in popular browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, and Opera.

Websites can use your browser’s WebRTC functionality to discover your true IP address, even when you’re using a VPN. If this happens and your true IP address is not blocked by your VPN, it’s known as a WebRTC leak.

Which VPN Services Leak Data?

We’ve reviewed over 65 VPNs and tested every individual service for IP, DNS, and WebRTC leaks.

Our testing revealed that some of the most-downloaded VPNs on the Apple and Google app stores leak some kind of user data through DNS or WebRTC. In the table below, you can see some of the most popular culprits.

For an in-depth analysis of over 150 free Android VPNs and their security tests, read our Free VPN Risk Index .

*Leaks detected during testing of Chrome extension.

How to Fix VPN Leaks (IP, DNS, WebRTC, and More)

Investing in a reliable and secure VPN is the simplest and most important decision you can make if you’re concerned about your privacy online.

If you’ve tested your VPN for leaks and found any issues, you can follow the instructions in this section to fix them and stop your VPN from leaking.

If you’re consistently experiencing data leaks with your current VPN service, you should also consider subscribing to a more secure VPN provider .

How to Fix IP Address Leaks

Fixing an IP leak will depend on the type of IP address you’ve been assigned. Generally speaking, the only way to prevent IPv4 leaks is to use a high-quality VPN. By contrast, IPv6 leaks can usually be resolved in your device’s settings.

Screenshot of ExpressVPN's macOS Advanced Settings, highlighting its IPv6 Leak Protection.

ExpressVPN offers IPv6 Leak Protection in its Advanced Settings.

Here’s how to prevent IPv4 and IPv6 leaks:

How to Fix IPv4 Leaks

  • Disconnect and reconnect to your VPN. Make sure the VPN is turned on.
  • Ensure your web browser isn’t being split-tunneled by your VPN .
  • Open a new browser window and check your IP address.
  • If your real IPv4 address is still showing, your VPN simply does not work. You’ll need to find a better VPN service that works to spoof your IP address.

How to Fix IPv6 Leaks

If you’ve been assigned an IPv4 address, and you do not have an IPv6 address, you don’t need to worry about IPv6 leaks.

However, if you do have an IPv6 address that’s being leaked by your VPN, follow these steps:

  • Make sure that your VPN is turned on.
  • Ensure your web browser isn’t being split-tunneled by your VPN.
  • Check your VPN’s settings menu for ‘IPv6 Leak Protection’ and ensure that it is enabled.
  • Open up a new browser window and check your IP address.
  • If your real IPv6 address is still showing, you have two choices: find a new VPN or disable IPv6 on your computer.

How to Disable IPv6 on Different Devices

Unless your VPN supports or actively blocks IPv6 traffic, your personal IPv6 address will be exposed if you’re on an IPv6-enabled network.

The majority of VPNs will have no provisions for IPv6 at all and will therefore always leak IPv6 traffic. In this case, you can fix IPv6 leaks by disabling IPv6 on your device altogether and using IPv4 instead.

How to Disable IPv6 on Windows 10

  • Right-click on the ‘Network’ or ‘WiFi’ icon in your system tray.
  • Click ‘Open Network & Internet settings’.
  • Select ‘Change adapter options’.
  • You will be presented with a list of all your computer’s adapters. Find the one that you’re currently using to connect to the internet. Right-click on it, then click ‘Properties’.
  • A new window will open with a tab named ‘Network’. Scroll down until you see an option labeled Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6).
  • Uncheck the box next to it, click OK, and then restart your computer.
  • Once your computer has rebooted, check to ensure IPv6 isn’t leaking anymore.

How to Disable IPv6 on macOS

  • Open ‘Finder’ and select ‘Applications’ from the left-hand menu. Open the ‘Utilities’ folder and then open the ‘Terminal’ application.
  • If you are connected via WiFi, enter this: networksetup -setv6off Wi-Fi , then press Enter.
  • If you are connected via Ethernet, enter this: networksetup -setv6off Ethernet , then press Enter.
  • You can then close Terminal and check for IPv6 leaks to make sure the issue is resolved.

How to Disable IPv6 on iOS or Android

You cannot disable IPv6 on iPhone, iPad, or Android devices at the system level. If your VPN app isn’t preventing IPv6 leaks on these devices, you should consider switching to a more secure VPN.

How to Fix DNS Leaks

Your VPN could be leaking DNS requests for a number of reasons. Luckily, there are a few simple ways to fix the most common issues.

Firstly, if you have manually set your device’s DNS to a third-party service like Google’s, then you can ignore any DNS leaks. To double check, use our DNS server test to make sure your device is using the servers you’ve chosen.

If you haven’t manually changed your device’s DNS and your device is still using your ISP’s default servers – even when using a VPN – then your VPN is leaking your DNS requests.

The most effective way to fix these DNS leaks is to switch to a VPN service that maintains its own zero-log DNS servers.

If you don’t want to switch VPN services, you’ll need to follow the instructions below to fix your DNS leaks.

Change Your DNS Settings

If your VPN doesn’t automatically connect to a private DNS server, you’ll have to manually connect to a third-party DNS server. To do this, you will need to change the DNS settings on your device.

We recommend choosing a third-party DNS server that does not reveal your true location, such as Google Public DNS or OpenDNS . Here’s how to do it:

How to Change Your DNS Settings on Windows 10

  • Right-click on the Network or WiFi icon in your system tray and click Open Network & Internet settings.
  • Select Change adapter options .
  • You will be presented with a list of all your computer’s adapters. Find the one you’re currently using to connect to the internet, right-click on it, then click Properties .
  • The new window will open on the Network tab. There will be one option labeled Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and another labeled Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6). Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) then click Properties.
  • You will see two checkboxes towards the bottom of the window, one labeled Obtain DNS server automatically and one labeled Use the following DNS server addresses . Click on the second option.
  • The two previously grayed-out text fields should now be white. In the Preferred DNS server field enter 8.8.8.8. In the Alternative DNS server field enter 8.8.4.4. This will set your DNS to Google’s.
  • If your router is also IPv6 compatible, repeat steps 4-6 but for the Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) option.
  • Check your DNS address with your VPN on to make sure the issue is resolved.

How to Change Your DNS Settings on macOS

  • Open System Preferences then select Network .
  • A list of network adapters will appear on the left-hand side of the window. The one which is currently in use will have a green dot by it. Select it, then click on Advanced .
  • Click on the DNS tab. The left-hand side of the window will now show a list of your DNS servers. Click the + icon in the bottom-left-hand corner.
  • Enter 8.8.8.8 and press the Enter key. This should now have replaced the greyed-out default DNS server that was previously at the top of the list (or the only item in it).
  • Click the + icon again and enter 8.8.4.4 , then press the Enter key. Your DNS will now be changed to Google’s.

How to Change Your DNS Settings on iOS Devices

  • Open the Settings app.
  • Tap on Wi-Fi , then tap on the ‘i’ symbol next to the network you’re connected to.
  • Scroll down to the DNS section and tap on Configure DNS . By default, this will be set to Automatic. Tap Manual > Add Server then enter 8.8.8.8 , 8.8.4.4 and tap Save .
  • Check your DNS address to make sure the changes are working properly.

How to Change Your DNS Settings Android Devices

  • Tap on Connections > More connection settings > Private DNS .
  • Check the box next to ‘Private DNS provider hostname’ . In the field below, type in dns.google and tap Save .

Update Your OpenVPN Version

Some ISPs use a transparent DNS proxy – a ‘middleman’ that captures and redirects web traffic – to make sure your requests are sent to their own servers.

Transparent DNS proxies effectively ‘force’ a DNS leak without notifying the user. Luckily, most leak detection websites and online tools will be able to identify a transparent DNS proxy in the same way as a normal DNS leak.

The latest versions of the OpenVPN protocol have a simple method to tackle this problem:

  • Find the .ovpn or .conf file for the server you’re trying to connect to. These files will be stored in folders on your machine, usually in C:\Program Files\OpenVPN\ . For more information, read the OpenVPN manual .
  • Once you’ve found it, open the file in an editing program like Notepad. Add: block-outside-dns to the bottom.
  • Rerun a DNS leak test to check the leak is resolved and find any additional issues.

If you haven’t already, update to the latest version of OpenVPN. If your VPN service doesn’t support this or is using an older version of the protocol, it’s worth looking for a different VPN service .

Fortunately, most premium VPN services have their own solutions for tackling transparent proxies. For more details, contact your provider’s customer support service.

Disable Teredo

Teredo is a built-in feature of Windows operating systems. It’s designed to help IPv4 and IPv6 coexist by allowing IPv6 addresses to be transmitted and understood on IPv4 connections.

However, because Teredo is a tunneling protocol, it can sometimes take priority over your VPN’s encrypted tunnel, causing a DNS leak.

Here’s how to disable Teredo on Windows devices:

  • Open Command Prompt and type netsh interface teredo set state disabled
  • Press the Enter key to disable Teredo.

You might experience occasional issues with certain websites or servers when Teredo is disabled. That said, it is a much more secure choice for VPN users.

How to Fix WebRTC Leaks

WebRTC leaks are primarily a browser issue. For that reason, fixing WebRTC leaks isn’t always as simple as just subscribing to a good VPN.

If your VPN does offer a ‘Disable WebRTC’ feature, be sure to enable it. Remember that most WebRTC blocking features are found in VPN browser extensions rather than desktop applications.

If you are detecting WebRTC leaks and your VPN doesn’t offer an option to block it, you will need to disable WebRTC in your browser settings .

Here’s how to disable WebRTC in some of the most popular web browsers:

Disabling WebRTC in Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge

You cannot disable WebRTC directly within Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge . In this case, we advise that you either use one of our recommended private browsers or install an extension that does it for you.

Our favorites are WebRTC Leak Prevent and uBlock Origin.

These extensions aren’t always 100% effective, so using a browser that allows you to disable WebRTC is recommended. Here’s how to do it:

How to Disable WebRTC in Mozilla Firefox

  • Type about:config into your address bar and press Enter . Click the Show All button.
  • Toggle media.peerconnection.enabled to false .
  • To disable media devices, toggle media.navigator.enabled to false .
  • Retest for WebRTC leaks to make sure the issue is resolved.

How to Disable WebRTC in Safari

  • Open Safari’s settings menu.
  • Click on the Advanced tab, then check the box labeled ‘ show Develop menu in menu bar ’.
  • Click on Develop in the menu bar. Under the WebRTC dropdown option, uncheck Enable Legacy WebRTC API . If this option is grayed out, you don’t need to change anything.

How to Disable WebRTC in Opera

  • Type about:config into your address bar and press Enter.
  • Go to Settings > Advanced > Privacy & security . Scroll down until you see WebRTC.
  • Check Disable non-proxied UDP and save your changes.

How to Disable WebRTC in Brave

  • Open the Brave menu and click Settings > Shields > Fingerprinting Blocking .
  • Select ‘ Strict, may break sites ’. If you find that sites you use regularly are adversely affected, you can revert this to the Standard setting.
  • In the left-hand menu, click Additional Settings > Privacy and security .
  • Change the dropdown menu option next to ‘ WebRTC IP Handling Policy ’ to ‘ Disable Non-Proxied UDP ’.Retest for WebRTC leaks to make sure the issue is resolved.

How to Fix HTML5 Geolocation Leaks

If you’ve tested for leaks and your real location is still visible on the map, there are two possibilities. One is that your public IPv4 or IPv6 address is still leaking . To fix this, follow the steps outlined above.

If the problem persists, it’s likely that HTML5 geolocation is revealing your true location . This technology determines your location using techniques that can’t be protected by a VPN. For example, it can detect WiFi hotspots near you, or use cellular data to triangulate your longitude and latitude.

To fix these location leaks you need to disable HTML5 geolocation in your browser . You can also use the ExpressVPN browser extension, which has built-in HTML5 leak protection.

Here’s how to do it in the most popular web browsers. Once you’ve followed these steps, make sure you clear your browser’s cache, cookies, and history.

How to Disable HTML5 Geolocation in Google Chrome

  • Open the Chrome menu, then click Settings .
  • Scroll down to the Privacy and security section and click Site settings .
  • Scroll down to Permissions and click on Location .
  • Ensure that Ask before accessing (recommended) is toggled on.

This won’t disable HTML5 geolocation entirely, but it will give you the choice of enabling or disabling the technology for each individual website you visit.

How to Disable HTML5 Geolocation in Mozilla Firefox

  • Open Firefox and type about:config into the address bar and press Enter. Click the button labeled Show All .
  • Type geo.enabled into the search bar and press Enter.
  • A bar will appear labeled geo.enabled. Double-click it so that it now says false .

How to Disable HTML5 Geolocation in Safari

  • Click the Safari menu button in the top left-hand corner, then click Preferences .
  • Click on the Privacy tab, then next to Website Tracking check the box labeled Prevent Cross-site tracking .

How to Disable HTML5 Geolocation in Microsoft Edge

  • On your Windows PC press Win + A . This will open up the Action Center on the right-hand side of your screen
  • Right click on Location and then click Go to Settings .
  • Scroll down to the Allow apps to access your location section and change the slider to the Off position.
  • Scroll down further to the Location history section and click Clear .

How to Disable HTML5 Geolocation in Opera

  • Open Opera and type about:config into the address bar and press Enter .
  • Click Advanced in the left-hand menu, then click Privacy & security .
  • Click Site Settings then Location .
  • Toggle the slider next to Ask before accessing (recommended) to Off .

How to Disable Flash

Flash is outdated and a security risk. It will soon be completely removed from all popular browsers. If our test has told you that Flash is still enabled in your browser, follow these steps to disable it.

To Disable Flash in Google Chrome

  • Open the Chrome menu, then navigate to Settings > Privacy and security > Flash .
  • Check that the toggle is in the left-hand position: Block sites from running Flash .

To Disable Flash in Mozilla Firefox

  • Open the Firefox menu and select Add-ons > Plugins .
  • Look for Shockwave Flash and select Options .
  • At the bottom of the next screen, check the box next to Enable Adobe Flash protected mode .

If you have only recently installed the browser for the first time, then Shockwave Flash may not actually be listed as a plugin. In this case, you have nothing to worry about and can ignore steps two and three.

To Disable Flash in Microsoft Edge

  • Open the Edge menu and click Settings , then click Cookies and site permissions .
  • Click on the option labeled Adobe Flash .
  • Toggle the switch under Use Adobe Flash Player to the Off position.

To Disable Flash in Safari

Flash is now disabled by default in Safari. You don’t need to do anything.

  • Copy and paste opera://settings/content/flash?search=flash into the search bar, then hit Enter .
  • Make sure that the toggle next to Allow sites to run Flash is set to Off .

How to Fix a Data Center IP

If your IP address has been identified as belonging to a data center, that almost certainly means that your VPN is running. This type of leak won’t necessarily expose your identity, but it will reveal the fact you’re using a VPN.

IP addresses can be identified by the type of connection they’re used for. Your standard home or mobile connection will be labeled as a residential IP address, as you’re a normal person using a normal amount of data.

IP addresses belonging to data centers are easy to identify due to the huge amounts of data that flow to and from them at all times of day. Most VPN IP addresses will fall into this category.

To fix this, simply turn off your VPN or proxy .

How to Fix Torrent IP Leaks (TCP & UDP)

If you use a VPN while torrenting then you need to make sure that your BitTorrent client isn’t leaking your IP address. This is something that can happen even if your VPN is working as intended with other apps and web browsing.

A torrent IP leak can occur from two sources: TCP and UDP. These are the two protocols used when you download a file via torrent, and they can each be fixed in their own unique way.

How to Fix a Torrent TCP IP Leak

Solution 1: restart your bittorrent client and re-add the magnet file.

One of the most common causes of IP leaks when torrenting is beginning the torrent before connecting to a VPN server. Remove any torrents, close your BitTorrent client, and connect to a VPN server. Re-add the magnet files and retake our test once the VPN is connected and running.

Solution 2: Disable IPv6 or enable IPv6 protection

Some VPNs may only protect IPv4. In this instance, if you have an IPv6 address it can leak.

If your VPN has an option named something like ‘IPv6 Protection’, enable it. Similarly, if it has an option named ‘Disable IPv6’, try that. This will block all IPv6 connections, preventing any possible leaks.

Solution 3: Deactivate any proxy settings in the BitTorrent client

If your BitTorrent client is set to proxy via another device on your local network and that machine isn’t protected by your VPN then there is a chance that your IP address could leak.

Disable the proxy and retake our test – you can usually find proxy settings within your BitTorrent client’s connection settings menu.

How to Fix a Torrent UDP IP Leak

UDP leaks are highly uncommon, and all the solutions above for a TCP IP address torrenting leak can also be applied to fixing UDP IP address torrenting leaks.

While unlikely, there is one other scenario in which your VPN could be leaking your IP address via UDP: if your VPN does not support it. In this instance there is nothing you can do other than change to a better VPN for torrenting .

How to Fix Torrent DNS Leaks

If you experience a DNS leak while torrenting using a VPN, there is an easy solution you can try to fix it.

Before you attempt this solution, make sure that your VPN is running and connected to a server before you open up your BitTorrent client and before you add any torrent magnet files. It’s possible that your client could still use your ISP’s DNS if not.

You should also check that, if it has the option, your VPN is set to use first-party DNS servers. Once you’ve done so, you can attempt to fix the leak by changing your device’s DNS settings.

How to change your default DNS server to a public DNS server

By default, your device will use your ISP’s DNS servers to resolve DNS requests (even those coming from your BitTorrent client). This can result in your ISP identifying the torrent you are downloading. By switching to a public DNS server you can prevent this – we explain how further up the page.

It’s also vital that you still use your VPN while torrenting, even if you follow the above steps.

Preventing VPN Leaks

Once you’ve tested your VPN and fixed any leaks you may have found, it’s worthwhile taking some steps to minimize your chances of leaking data in the future.

To begin with, make sure that you’ve followed any relevant steps outlined above. This includes making sure your VPN blocks or supports IPv6 traffic, disabling Teredo, and if necessary, changing your settings to an independent DNS server.

Afterwards, consider the following steps to reduce your chances of VPN leaks:

1. Block Non-VPN traffic

Some VPN clients include a feature to automatically block any traffic traveling outside the VPN tunnel — often called IP-binding . If your provider has this option, make sure to enable it.

Alternatively, you can configure your firewall to only allow traffic sent and received via your VPN.

2. Invest In VPN Monitoring Software

VPN monitoring software allows you to inspect your network traffic in real time. This means you can check for suspicious traffic and see if a DNS request is sent to the wrong server. Some variations also offer tools for automatically solving DNS leaks.

This software is rarely free, so will add an extra expense on top of your existing VPN subscription. Examples of VPN monitoring software include PRTG Network Monitor and Opsview Monitor .

3. Use a Different VPN

The best VPNs will have IPv6 compatibility, DNS and WebRTC leak protection, the latest version of OpenVPN and the ability to bypass transparent DNS proxies.

A VPN kill-switch is another critical part of your VPN client. It will continuously monitor your network connection and make sure that your true IP address is never exposed in the event of a dropped connection.

If you’re repeatedly suffering from data leaks with your existing provider, it’s probably time to invest in a new VPN service.

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COMMENTS

  1. IP Address Location Incorrect

    To update your IP geolocation information, the first step is to go to the IP Lookup page and search your IP address in the IP Lookup Tool. This tool shows the geolocation data provided by various third-party IP address databases. To update the IP address information, contact each third party database directly.

  2. Why IP Geolocation Can Go Wrong: Causes & Fixes

    IP geolocation is a compelling technology that has the potential to be extremely helpful for an e-commerce page or other websites, simply by sourcing a user's IP address location. This can span everything from preventing fraud to offering more relevant content experiences for customers.

  3. What Is IP Address Geolocation and How to Change It?

    The easiest way to do it is to use free online tools like iplocation.net (google ip geolocation tools ). Paste the IP address in the IP Location Finder text box and press the IP Lookup button. In this case, the result you get is this:

  4. Why Is My IP Address Wrong Location

    1. Outdated IP Geolocation Databases: Geolocation databases are continuously updated, but they may not always have the most recent information. Changes in IP address assignments and the addition of new IP ranges can result in outdated data, leading to incorrect geolocation results. 2.

  5. Is it possible to correct my GeoIP location

    9. Yes, it's possible to correct your GeoIP location. Read on. There are numerous providers of "Geo IP" data. You first need to figure out which provider the service in question is using, and then file a report/correction with that provider. I see my location reported incorrectly every time my router gets a new IP.

  6. Update Your IP Address Location

    Update Your IP Address Location This page requires you to approve the usage of browser location services. You should see a pop-up requesting authorization to share your physical location. Please select Share/Allow to continue. Please wait while we attempt to determine your location using the browser's W3C services - this may take a few seconds.

  7. IP Geolocation: The Good, The Bad, & The Frustrating [Archived]

    The good: IP geolocation at the country level is fairly reliable within the US. The bad: It's less reliable outside the US and not at all reliable at the city level. The frustrating: IP geolocation is inherently a guessing game. It'll never be perfect; the only question is how often it'll be wrong. That being the case, we encourage ...

  8. Why Is My Location Wrong?

    Request a location correction You can submit a request to have a geolocation provider make an update. Here are some tips to get you started. Ask your content provider which geolocation provider they use and how to contact them. Contact the geolocation provider or submit a correction request. Here are some examples: Maxmind Ipligence Neustar Google

  9. Why is my IP address showing the wrong location?

    If a website or service doesn't use official information about your IP address to figure out where you are, then it's possible you'll appear in a different location on that site than your VPN says you're browsing from. It's sadly unavoidable, and there's not a whole lot you can do about it, but it's not the VPN's fault.

  10. Update Your IP Address Location

    Update Your IP Address Location Update Your IP Address Location This page requires you to approve the usage of browser location services. This page performs a comparison of several geolocation service providers: W3C Geolocation, Quova, Maxmind, and IP2Location.

  11. IP Address Lookup

    IP-based Geolocation is the mapping of an IP address or MAC address to the real-world geographic location of an Internet-connected computing or a mobile device. Geolocation involves mapping IP addresses to the country, region (city), latitude/longitude, ISP, and domain name among other useful things. 2.

  12. Report IP problems

    If no updates are made, your report won't be stored. We won't follow up with you individually but we'll do our best to resolve the issue. Ready to get started? IP addresses can contain...

  13. Geolocation

    If you find that a geolocation provider has incorrect location details of your IP address range, you can contact them and request they update the location of the range. You may update your IP information in third party GEOIP databases such as: MaxMind Google support IP2 Location IPligence Ipregistry ipgeolocation.io ipdata.co ipwhois.io

  14. Correct a GeoIP Location

    Correct a GeoIP Location GeoIP Data Correction Request Submit GeoIP Data Corrections Correct a GeoIP Location Correct a GeoIP ISP or Organization Use this form to update the location associated with an IP or IP range. In some cases, we accept batch corrections if you have multiple corrections you would like to submit. Required *

  15. Find & improve your location's accuracy

    Get started with Google Maps Google Maps may have trouble finding your location. If the GPS location of your blue dot on the map is inaccurate or missing, you can take steps to help fix the...

  16. Video Tutorials of IP Geolocation Solution

    Video Tutorials. This page demonstrates about IP Geolocation tutorial videos. We provide step-by-step guide tutorials which help in how to get started with using IP2Location databases and adding IP Geolocation API. If you are interested in watching our complete videos list, please visit the IP2Location YouTube Channel to view more tutorials and ...

  17. IP address location incorrect

    That IP address is allocated from a pool of IP addresses that is assigned to the ISP. Most often, the "geolocation" of an IP address is based on the business address of the ISP to which that IP address has been assigned. Thus, the location reported for your IP address will always be different from your own physical location.

  18. Incorrect geolocation

    izenmike Created on January 27, 2017 Incorrect geolocation - how do I get this changed? I have 2 windows PCs on my network that are convinced my location is 600 miles away (in a location that I spent a month at last summer.) One PC has been reimaged twice and the other is a two days new.

  19. Fixing IP Geolocation: An ISP Guide

    The current state of IP geolocation is complicated. There are many databases that offer this service, and some provide a file to download e.g. every week, while others provide an HTTP API where they charge for all the queries. ... The rest of the file will be used normally, and it's best to fix these errors. In conclusion.

  20. Incorrect IP Geolocation data update

    We spend a lot of time and effort on our data quality and deploy updates to our dataset daily. Our data isn't perfect, though. Errors and inaccuracies can happen. Individual IP corrections. Bulk corrections via Geofeeds. If you'd like to report a one-off correction (i.e. when you notice that your home or business IP address is showing the wrong ...

  21. VPN Leaks Explained: How to Fix IP, DNS, & WebRTC Leaks

    1. Block Non-VPN traffic. Some VPN clients include a feature to automatically block any traffic traveling outside the VPN tunnel — often called IP-binding. If your provider has this option, make sure to enable it. Alternatively, you can configure your firewall to only allow traffic sent and received via your VPN.

  22. IP Address from Starlink puts me in the wrong location

    NelsonMinar • 2 yr. ago Yup, that's expected. The fix really has to come from the streaming services, they need a better way to figure out where you live than IP address.

  23. ISP IP geolocation issues. Question for ISP people. : r/networking

    AWESOME-_X_-. ISP IP geolocation issues. Question for ISP people. Troubleshooting. I work for a small provider. I recently asked for our ISP to split up two unused DHCP /24 pools into 8 /26 pools. They are for example 1x3.215.123.x and 1x3.215.124.x. After I started utilizing these pools for our customers I found out that streaming services ...