How accurate is IP geolocation?
IP geolocation is approximate. It estimates where an IP address is likely located based on registry data, ISP allocations and network signals. Country accuracy is typically very high, while city-level precision varies by provider, network type and whether you use VPNs or mobile data. This guide explains how it works, why it’s sometimes wrong, and how to test and improve your results.
How IP geolocation works (in plain language)
Geolocation providers combine multiple inputs to infer location:
- IP allocations & registries: regional internet registries (like RIPE or ARIN) and ISP records indicate which organization owns an IP block and its service area.
- Routing signals: BGP paths and ASN relationships suggest countries/regions where traffic enters and exits.
- Network measurements: latency and path data hint at proximity to known network hubs.
- User & provider feedback: correction reports, enterprise inputs and periodic database refreshes refine results over time.
None of these signals pinpoints a street address; at best, they converge on a city or metropolitan area. That’s why IP geolocation should not be used for personal identity or precise physical tracking.
Typical accuracy ranges
| Level | Typical accuracy | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Country | 95–99% | Usually correct unless traffic exits via another country (VPN/proxy). |
| Region / State | 80–90% | Better near population centers; weaker for cross-border carriers. |
| City / Metro | 60–80% | Often maps to ISP’s hub city, not the subscriber’s neighborhood. |
| Postal / ZIP | 10–30% | Rare and unreliable; sometimes resolves to data center or billing office. |
| Mobile networks | Variable | May show carrier core locations far from the device. |
Why results can be wrong
- VPNs and proxies: your traffic appears to originate from the exit server’s city/country.
- Carrier-grade NAT (CGNAT): many users share one public IP that maps to the ISP gateway, not each home.
- Mobile routing: carriers may tunnel traffic through centralized gateways in another city or region.
- Enterprise networks: corporate egress points (data centers) mask branch office locations.
- Data freshness: IP blocks get reassigned; databases lag behind if not updated frequently.
- Hosting & cloud IPs: often pinned to the provider’s facility, not the app’s end users.
How to check your IP location (quick test)
- Open What is my IP to see your public IP and reported country/city.
- Run DNS Lookup to view resolvers (ISP vs. custom/VPN) and confirm consistency.
- If you use a browser-based VPN or collaboration tools, also try WebRTC Leak Test to ensure the browser doesn’t reveal local/public IPs unexpectedly.
- Compare results on home Wi-Fi vs. mobile data; save screenshots for reference.
How to improve geolocation accuracy
- Avoid intermediaries during tests: disable VPN/proxy and private relay features.
- Stabilize your setup: keep the same router/connection for a few days so databases can converge.
- Enable IPv6 if your ISP supports it; dual-stack paths can improve signal quality.
- Check with your ISP: if your IP maps to the wrong city, ask whether your address block can be corrected in major databases.
- For websites/apps: don’t rely on IP alone for critical flows; combine with user-granted GPS or billing/shipping info.
Frequently asked questions
1) Can IP geolocation identify my street address?
No. It estimates a general area (often a city or ISP facility). Personal addresses require user-granted data like GPS.
2) Why does my IP point to a different city every day?
Your ISP may use dynamic addressing, CGNAT or route changes; mobile networks also shift traffic among gateway locations.
3) My result is clearly wrong — how do I fix it?
Test without VPN/proxy, collect evidence (screenshots from different tools) and contact your ISP to request database updates.
Try it now: check your IP on What is my IP, then verify DNS Lookup and WebRTC to see exactly what your connection exposes.