How accurate is IP geolocation?¶
title: "How accurate is IP geolocation?" card_id: "IP-070" status: "complete" source_document: "https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GZOBaiPomeaUWKOBJMWSU_I1KQRUESR6BgIbMfnLjBY/edit?usp=drivesdk"
How accurate is IP geolocation?¶
An IP lookup may place an address in a country, city or even at a precise point on a map.
That can look far more certain than it really is.
IP addresses don't contain built-in latitude and longitude information.
Geolocation providers estimate locations using combinations of address-registration data, routing information, network measurements, provider information and observations gathered from devices or services.
Different databases use different sources and methods.
They can therefore return different locations for the same address.
A country-level result may provide a useful indication, but city-level results are often much less certain.
The displayed map pin may represent the centre of a city, the provider’s office, a network gateway or simply a default point chosen for the surrounding area.
Mobile networks create particular difficulties.
A handset may be in one place while its internet traffic leaves the mobile network through a gateway somewhere else.
VPNs, proxies and Tor can make the visible address appear in the location of the intermediary rather than the user.
Cloud and hosting addresses commonly locate the data centre, not the person controlling the server.
Even an ordinary broadband address may be associated with the provider’s network structure rather than the customer’s exact premises.
Geolocation data also changes over time.
Providers acquire and transfer address ranges, alter their networks and reassign addresses. A result obtained today may not accurately represent the position associated with an earlier event.
An IP geolocation result can still be useful as an intelligence pointer.
It may support a broad assessment of the likely country or region, identify an unexpected location or help distinguish residential infrastructure from a foreign data centre.
But it shouldn't be described as proof that a device—or a person—was physically present at the displayed coordinates.
The result should be considered alongside the source of the estimate, the date it was obtained and other available evidence.
IP geolocation provides an estimated location for network infrastructure.
It doesn't normally establish the precise location of the device, user or person responsible.