topic Re: Location reported by WiFi is wildly wrong. in Everything else

Location reported by WiFi is wildly wrong.

MartinConnolly — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 21:09:50 GMT

If my mobile devices can't get a decent GPS fix, and use WiFi instead to get location, it's often reported as Hartlepool. I live in Cheshire. This only started happening this week. Can anyone suggest why?

Thanks.

Re: Location reported by WiFi is wildly wrong.

corringham — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 09:39:22 GMT

The geographic location attributed to a particular IP address isn't determined by GPS or map coordinates, it is a best guess based on what other observations have been made about that address. For instance Google record WiFi SIDs as they map areas with their cars, and then associate those with the physical location they were recorded. By cross referencing lots of sources of data, they can often get quite accurate - although at other times even the country is wrong (usually by using old data).

In the case of your IP being in Hartlepool, I imagine that is where the block of addresses containing yours has been recorded - probably a datacentre where your connection joins the internet.

Re: Location reported by WiFi is wildly wrong.

Baldrick1 — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 13:03:26 GMT

@MartinConnolly

As an example of how accurate IP location data is, using different lookup services I am located in:

Garboldisham and/or

Telford and/or

Enfield and/or

London and/or

Maldon

I am located nowhere near any of them!

Just to be clear, this is nothing to do with your Plusnet service or Plusnet hub.

Re: Location reported by WiFi is wildly wrong.

Baldrick1 — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 13:06:32 GMT

Moderator's note:
Thread moved from Broadband to Everything Else