Oftentimes, users cannot understand why their targeted ads and services they’re looking for in search engines show results from random places they’ve never been to. This might confuse anyone, considering that pretty much everyone knows that IP-addresses tend to be located in the same physical location of a user. However, there are a few simple explanations provided in this article that will cover everything you need to know on the topic. Buckle up.
What is IP address?
IP address (Internet Protocol address) is a unique number that serves as the virtual address identifying the device on the network (worldwide web or local network). Essentially, IP address is an equivalent of your physical address but in digital realm. With your IP address, one can acquire several pieces of important information, such as your approximate location (within a city limits), your Internet provider and your online activity. Also, unpleasant people like hackers and advertisers can use your IP address against you, so it’s important to stay protected and use a secure VPN service at all times. More on that in Conclusion.
Why is my IP address location wrong?
There are a few common causes of your location being incorrect. You can access our free “What is your IP address” tool by this link or alternatively look up a website like Whatismyipaddress and a few more where you can see whether your IP address and your approximate location within a city are publicly visible. If you’re not using a VPN service or a Proxy, your IP address should be displayed correctly. Aside from that, you’ll see whether your physical location is represented correctly, as these websites provide a geo-location info. If your IP address location or your physical location is represented incorrectly, these are the most common issues that may cause it:
- Dynamic IP address
Most Internet service providers provide users with a dynamic IP address in order to cut cost, since dynamic IP addresses can be assigned to different devices. You may have noticed that your IP address changes from time to time – that happens when your ISP provides you with a dynamic IP address. If a user wants his IP address to stay the same, usually it costs extra and these IP addresses are called static. With dynamic IPs, your geo-location may change quite a while, as well as the numeric expression of your IP address. - Outdated information in search engines
If you’re looking up for certain establishments or businesses in Google, and get results from another city or country, this might be an issue on said search engine’s side. The thing is that most IP addresses already exist in database and are assigned with approximate location in Google and other search engines. Google may wrongly detect your location and provide you with search results that are meant for someone from another city or country. What you can do in this situation is to report the problem if the search engine has the form for updating IP addresses. For example, you can use this form to report the issue to Google. Keep in mind that these reports take very long to process, and it may take months or even more. - Usage of proxy or VPN
Proxies and VPN services can also cause this confusion, as upon assigning you with a different IP address, your geo-location will change within the Internet as well. These services are usually used to unlock certain content or websites, and in order to do that, one would need an IP address located in another country. Hence, why your geo-location is shown incorrectly. - MAC address issues
MAC address serves as a unique identifier for your network interface, and unfortunately, it can cause some issues with your geo-location. This happens a lot if the firmware on your router is outdated. In order to prevent interference with location data, update your router’s firmware to the latest version. As simple as that.
What can I do?
Funny enough, the best two options is either pay for a static IP address from your ISP, or get a reliable VPN service that will assign you with an IP address in whichever location you need. For example, ZoogVPN can offer IP servers in dozens locations around the world with instant access, which can be extremely useful for accessing media such as streaming services and social media apps. For example, if you’re located in Warsaw, but your location shows another Polish city or a city outside the country, you can use our VPN to assign you with a permanent Warsaw IP.
Conclusion
With a rapid expansion of the Internet, it’s getting more and more complicated to keep everything clean and precise, and these small issues occur from day to day. If you need a static IP address with a location in your area for a better browsing experience, then try to find out if your Internet service provider offers this option for an extra fee. Alternatively, you can always rely on a VPN service to get a necessary location at any time.
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- alexandra sokolovskaya
