Speedtest location

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ottenpat

64 posts

Master Geek

Topic # 113212 9-Jan-2013 19:34
Hi I am with Slingshot/Callplus. I have recently noticed that when I run speedtest.net it seems to think I live in the Marlborough Sounds and my nearest server it Wellington-citylink. I live in Meadowbank Auckland and when I google "where is my IP actually" is it comes up with Takapuna which to me is close enough as at least it is in the same city! Can someone help me understand why Speedtest seems to think I am in the top of the South and pinging and speed testing to Wellington? For years it has alway automatically detected me in Auckland. I am not running any VPN's or IP changing programs. I look forward to finding out what is happening. Patrick

BDFL
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Reply # 742467 9-Jan-2013 19:40
Most websites use IP geolocation to determine where you are. This is based on looking up your IP address in a table to find what country/city it is *supposed* to be. In reality these tables have no relationship with actual location. Most ISPs will buy blocks of IP addresses and just put their business head office as the "location". Anything besides country is a guess - and sometimes ISPs will buy IP addresses from other ISPs in other countries bu the companies distributing IP geolocation datasets might not update this information for months. Don't worry about this. It doesn't change your service at all. Mauricio Freitas (Geekzone Admin, Devil's Advocate, my blog, technology disclosure, my tweets, Web Performance Optimization) Geekzone Price comparison \| Amazon Kindle order page \| How to get the best out of Geekzone \| New Zealand IT Jobs \| Geekzone News \| Jinglebugs

64 posts

Master Geek

Reply # 742479 9-Jan-2013 19:52
Thanks Mauricio for the super fast response. Yes I have not noticed any change in performance just the change in location on the map as per Speedtest. If I understand correctly if my modem/router resets itself sometime(and my dynamic IP changes) I may find myself back in Auckland(or somewhere else). I will take to expert advice and ignore the map from now on. Patrick

BDFL
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Reply # 742485 9-Jan-2013 20:05
There are other ways of finding location, not relying on IP addresses, but requires a compatible browser, WiFi networks, and other stuff. This is not common but it works... Obviously not what the majority of websites use. Mauricio Freitas (Geekzone Admin, Devil's Advocate, my blog, technology disclosure, my tweets, Web Performance Optimization) Geekzone Price comparison \| Amazon Kindle order page \| How to get the best out of Geekzone \| New Zealand IT Jobs \| Geekzone News \| Jinglebugs