Tracing my pc location
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2006
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From: Lemonia. Best Greek in the world
Tracing my pc location
On my desktop pc, (Win 7) whenever I go to some websites, whether with IE or Firefox, some tracing activity takes place and locates my nearest town. (Slough).
So I want to look up, say, Carphone Warehouse, on Google, and a map of its nearest locations turns up on the google results page.
I use BT, with fibre to the cabinet.
Afaik, this did not happen before I went on to BT's FTC system. I thought that BT just gave out some generic info, placing me in the South east.
Have the tracing activities of Google et al become better? Does BT let out more info?
On Firefox, I have ticked the "do not track" box. For the proxy stuff, I use "auto detect proxy settings"
How can i find out what info they are getting, and how can I reduce the info, should I want to? ..............without getting tooooo complicated.
So I want to look up, say, Carphone Warehouse, on Google, and a map of its nearest locations turns up on the google results page.
I use BT, with fibre to the cabinet.
Afaik, this did not happen before I went on to BT's FTC system. I thought that BT just gave out some generic info, placing me in the South east.
Have the tracing activities of Google et al become better? Does BT let out more info?
On Firefox, I have ticked the "do not track" box. For the proxy stuff, I use "auto detect proxy settings"
How can i find out what info they are getting, and how can I reduce the info, should I want to? ..............without getting tooooo complicated.
Administrator
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From: Twickenham, home of rugby
They are using geo-location, based on the IP address of your current internet connection.
This usually provides your location to approximately the same level of detail as your post town. It's not always very accurate - for example, one lookup of my IP address puts me in Woking, Surrey and another in Richmond - the latter is closer, but still wrong - while a third correctly places me in Twickenham.
It depends for accuracy on what secondary information the lookup service is using, as the primary source (IP address only) will just give the location of the organisation that registered the address (or block of addresses), in my case, the ISP.
Here's a useful site: IP Location Finder - Geolocation
If you want to prevent this geolocation, you would need to use some form of IP address proxy or anonymizer. Even a VPN session into a work system would (almost certainly) produce different results.
SD
This usually provides your location to approximately the same level of detail as your post town. It's not always very accurate - for example, one lookup of my IP address puts me in Woking, Surrey and another in Richmond - the latter is closer, but still wrong - while a third correctly places me in Twickenham.
It depends for accuracy on what secondary information the lookup service is using, as the primary source (IP address only) will just give the location of the organisation that registered the address (or block of addresses), in my case, the ISP.
Here's a useful site: IP Location Finder - Geolocation
If you want to prevent this geolocation, you would need to use some form of IP address proxy or anonymizer. Even a VPN session into a work system would (almost certainly) produce different results.
SD
Joined: Jun 2009
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From: Canada
Gotta love these 'user-friendly' features when they go horribly wrong.
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2006
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From: Lemonia. Best Greek in the world
Thanks, all.
That site gave me 4 geolocation providers. Only 1 was accurate. The other 3 were miles out.
I still believe that BT used to give out a "location" for my IP address as somewhere else. It now appears to be - unnecessarily - accurate.
That site gave me 4 geolocation providers. Only 1 was accurate. The other 3 were miles out.
I still believe that BT used to give out a "location" for my IP address as somewhere else. It now appears to be - unnecessarily - accurate.
Last edited by Ancient Observer; 3rd August 2013 at 22:14.
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From: Uk
Fairly close, in terms of interstellar measurement.
Whilst I'm here, (I very rarely post), this site I'm sure will entertain. Fun, economical and itelligent U ukike myself). xkcd: The Mother of All Suspicious Files
Whilst I'm here, (I very rarely post), this site I'm sure will entertain. Fun, economical and itelligent U ukike myself). xkcd: The Mother of All Suspicious Files
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From: Surrey, England
Not much use if you are with Plusnet, and do not live in Sheffield
3 of the 4 say I am in Sheffield wheres I am S of London!
The fourth simply says I am in the UK.
2 of those saying Sheffield give a Lat and Long Fix - but one (both?) do not know exactly where Sheffield is -- 53.37 v 51.5 -1.5 v -0.13.
(Plusnet is a small UK ISP based in Yorkshire, actually owned by British Telecom. I assume Plusnet has registered all its dynamic IPs to Sheffield )
The fourth simply says I am in the UK.
2 of those saying Sheffield give a Lat and Long Fix - but one (both?) do not know exactly where Sheffield is -- 53.37 v 51.5 -1.5 v -0.13.
(Plusnet is a small UK ISP based in Yorkshire, actually owned by British Telecom. I assume Plusnet has registered all its dynamic IPs to Sheffield )
Joined: Feb 2001
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From: In transit
For once, IP Location Finder - Geolocation is accurate and places me within 2 miles of where I am, but then I am in a place that only has one ISP and I'm probably just about on top of its main node.
Gnome de PPRuNe
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From: Too close to Croydon for comfort
I got Redditch, Lancaster, Tamworth and Wolverhampton - although I am currently enjoying a vista overlooking the vestigial remains of Croydon Airport, I'm on a VPN with an Internet gateway in one of those locations!
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2006
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From: Lemonia. Best Greek in the world
These are all very interesting, but does anyone have any idea why my recent searches on Google are producing much more accurate location identification than they used to?
I much preferred it when Google thought I lived in St Albans, or in Crawley.
Identifying Slough is just too close.
BT's allocation of IP addresses is either becoming more specific or they are giving out more info to Google et al.
I much preferred it when Google thought I lived in St Albans, or in Crawley.
Identifying Slough is just too close.
BT's allocation of IP addresses is either becoming more specific or they are giving out more info to Google et al.
Administrator
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From: Twickenham, home of rugby
AO, I suggest that you read up on geolocation - wikipedia will give you some ideas about what secondary information sources are used.
BT is not "giving out" any additional information beyond the IP address, it's probably just that the secondary information is more accurate.
It's also possible that BT have changed your IP address range recently to one that has previously been located closer to where you live.
When they can pinpoint your street and house number is the time to worry.
SD
BT is not "giving out" any additional information beyond the IP address, it's probably just that the secondary information is more accurate.
It's also possible that BT have changed your IP address range recently to one that has previously been located closer to where you live.
When they can pinpoint your street and house number is the time to worry.
SD
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,761
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From: Lemonia. Best Greek in the world
Saab,
I think that in the switch to FTC, the IP address range has changed, and whatever geolocation stuff Google uses knows more about the new bunch of IP addresses than the old one. Or, even if the IP adresses did not change, quite simply FTC helps them locate the local town so much better.
Capetonian
You're not trying hard enough. In the early 2000s, the Co that I worked for managed all its Telecomms out of SFO, with "rented" big, quick pipes to everywhere. (Nearly everywhere....but that's just corporate politics). Wherever I was in the world, the Internet thought I was in SFO.
I think that in the switch to FTC, the IP address range has changed, and whatever geolocation stuff Google uses knows more about the new bunch of IP addresses than the old one. Or, even if the IP adresses did not change, quite simply FTC helps them locate the local town so much better.
Capetonian
You're not trying hard enough. In the early 2000s, the Co that I worked for managed all its Telecomms out of SFO, with "rented" big, quick pipes to everywhere. (Nearly everywhere....but that's just corporate politics). Wherever I was in the world, the Internet thought I was in SFO.