IP addresses not UK - Can customers please report any problems here

[#1]

as my son often can't get his mac to connect to internet and it hasn't worked or changed anything

Ah MACs - what version of OS?

Is the IPv6 comms stack enabled on the MAC?

[#2]

Hi
Recently I have been redirected to Netherlands website. I didn’t understand why and when I check on some IP location website it’s saying that I’m in Belgium or Netherlands whereas I’m nearby London. IP are 195.213.200.* range. Any of my devices are reporting the same.

[#3]

I had the same problem with that block of IP addresses when started using Plusnet 18 months ago. The only fix then was to purchase a static IP address for a one off £10.

If you wish to investigate further check the geo location of your IP address here: https://www.iplocation.net/ip-lookup

There's still a couple of geo location data bases showing these IP addresses in Netherlands or Belgium.

[#4]

I thought the charge for a static IP address was £5 ?

[#5]

I don’t understand why would I pay whereas plusnet should give IP adresses registered in UK. And they should be the one fixing it.
I’m with plusnet for 3 years and problem only happened since last week.

[#6]

@yocha The IPs Plusnet use are UK registered - it is the geo-location companies or their users databases which have not caught up with the reallocation.

[#7]

An plus.net can’t contact them to update their database as I’m guessing plus.net own this IP range ? I’m automatically redirected to Netherlands website for a week. I won’t pay to fix it that’s ridiculous.

[#8]

It isn't PN's responsibility - it it is the responsibility of the geo-location companies and their users to ensure their databases are correct. Some are more lax than others at the job.

[#9]

This is a two step issue.

1. The providers of geo-location data need to ensure that there data is up to date and make it available to users

2. The users of geo-location data need to ensure that they keep up to date with changes

Both of these have laxity and fixing that is not the responsibility of the IP range holders. I suspect that if you do a search on the IP addresses you will see different locations from different data providers.

It is no different to PAF data. It takes the post office time to update changes to address data, especially building names. However after that users of PAF data need to adopt updates, for which there are costs which businesses tend to avoid. It’s much like updating (or not) map data in old GOS devices.

[#10]

So who is responsible for this?

1) Is it the ISP who need more IP addresses, there's no new ones any more, the only ones available are second hand ones previously registered in another country?

2) Is it the geo location database companies failing to keep up with changes in registered addresses?

3) Is it the website admin saving money by not updating their geo location database? 

4) Is it the web developers who incorporate a somewhat unreliable geo location system in to their websites? And why do they need to know where we live anyway!

5) Or is the problem with us users who expect the internet to just work?

IMO it's a broken system, give Plusnet £5 for a static IP address to fix the issue and move on.

[#11]

If some geolocation data providers get it right whilst others do not, one has to presume that (1) has been done correctly. Therefore any websites still presuming an incorrect location (as for some previous user) must be caused by one of the other very valid issues.

[#12]

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@npr wrote:

1) Is it the ISP who need more IP addresses, there's no new ones any more, the only ones available are second hand ones previously registered in another country?

Not strictly true.  There is always IPv6 with a significantly extended range.  The IPv4 ranges for sale are not always non UK, but then you don't get the same problem?  Even migrating to IPv6 just moves the goalposts a bit with a different set of technical challenges.

4) Is it the web developers who incorporate a somewhat unreliable geo location system in to their websites? And why do they need to know where we live anyway!

in answer to the first part, yes.  But then IP addresses were not designed as a geo location service, it's a kludge using available data.

[#13]

Unfortunately I think Plusnet is a IPv6 free zone. 🤔

[#14]

I agree with @MauriceC 

Sadly, companies make the false misguided assumption that GeoIP is 100% perfect. It isn't.

If IT worked perfectly (in a dream world) then there would be lots of people out of jobs.

I've said before that PlusNet should move on with the IPv6. I don't give advice anymore, as I know that people never take advice, but if I did, I would say "Move on otherwise your competitors will overtake you and you will lose customers". It is already happening.

[#15]

@yocha Send over your username in a PM please!