Question 1

How accurate is IP geolocation?

Accepted Answer

IP geolocation is typically accurate to the country level over 99% of the time and to the city level around 70-80% of the time. Accuracy depends on the data sources used and how frequently they are updated. Iploc fuses multiple free geolocation databases to improve accuracy beyond what any single source can provide.

Question 2

Can IP geolocation determine my exact address?

Accepted Answer

No, IP geolocation cannot determine your exact street address or physical location. It estimates your location based on how ISPs allocate IP address blocks to geographic regions, which typically resolves to a city or metropolitan area. Only your ISP can map your IP address to your precise subscriber location, and they are legally restricted from sharing that information without proper authority.

Question 3

How does IP geolocation work?

Accepted Answer

IP geolocation works by mapping IP address ranges to geographic locations using data from Regional Internet Registries (RIRs), ISP records, BGP routing tables, and user-submitted corrections. Multiple databases are combined and cross-referenced to determine the most likely location for each IP range. Network measurements such as latency analysis and traceroutes can further refine the accuracy of these mappings.

Question 4

Why does my IP show the wrong location?

Accepted Answer

IP geolocation can show incorrect locations for several reasons. Your ISP may route your traffic through a hub in a different city, especially with mobile carriers that centralize traffic through regional gateways. VPN or proxy usage will show the server's location instead of yours. Some IP address blocks are reassigned between regions, and geolocation databases may not reflect recent changes immediately. Corporate networks and satellite internet connections often show headquarter or gateway locations rather than the user's actual position. Accuracy also varies by database provider, which is why Iploc fuses multiple sources to reduce errors.

Question 5

What is an ISP and what does it reveal about an IP?

Accepted Answer

An ISP (Internet Service Provider) is the company that provides your internet connection. When you look up an IP address, the ISP field reveals which organization owns and operates the network that IP belongs to. This can be a residential provider (like Comcast, AT&T, or Orange), a mobile carrier (like T-Mobile or Vodafone), a cloud hosting provider (like AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure), or an enterprise with its own IP allocations. The ISP information is useful for distinguishing residential users from datacenter traffic, identifying potential VPN or proxy usage, and understanding the type of network connection.

Question 6

What is an ASN and why is it shown in IP lookups?

Accepted Answer

An ASN (Autonomous System Number) is a unique identifier assigned to a network that controls a specific set of IP address ranges and participates in internet routing via BGP (Border Gateway Protocol). ASN information is shown in IP lookups because it identifies the organization responsible for that IP address at the network level. Each ASN maps to a company, ISP, university, or government entity. Knowing the ASN helps with network troubleshooting, abuse reporting, and understanding the ownership chain of internet resources. For example, AS15169 belongs to Google and AS16509 belongs to Amazon.

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