Spark SIM Card location data from dynamic IP

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › Spark SIM Card location data from dynamic IP

PDAMan

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#289011 6-Aug-2021 14:40

We have dozens of Spark SIM cards and the location of the address from the dynamic IP is miles out on most of them. Devices in Cambridge say they are coming from Tauranga sometimes and Christchurch ones say they are in Wellington. Is there an easy way to get semi-accurate data from a SIM in a laptop? A few km radius would be accurate enough.

Luigi
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gajan

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#2756202 6-Aug-2021 15:07

Are you able to share how you are deriving this location ? is this a internet based geo-ip based service or something else ?

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coffeebaron

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#2756203 6-Aug-2021 15:11

Typically location data for IP addresses is the ISP address or data centres etc. Not location of use.

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Oblivian

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#2756208 6-Aug-2021 15:23

You mean like this?

http://geoiplookup.net/ip/115.188.136.0

http://geoiplookup.net/ip/115.188.160.0

Both of which are ranges Spark hold. https://ipinfo.io/AS4771

Beleive they're either self managed, or auto done based on registered data, or 'seen near this known wifi access point'(?) and easily mixed up more if there are CG-NAT pools in use. If you want proper location. You need the device to report GPS, can't rely on IP

https://help.apnic.net/s/article/Geolocation

freitasm

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#2756212 6-Aug-2021 15:28

coffeebaron: Typically location data for IP addresses is the ISP address or data centres etc. Not location of use.

As above, IP address location is highly innacurate as IP ranges are registered against company's office, not actual location - the only accurate way is not from IP address but from a device location service (GPS, etc).

What most devices do is to use a combination of network and GPS data - for example when you go around with your Android device it logs GPS data and WiFi network data (MAC, SSID, etc). It then allows Google to accurately pinpoint where you are, even if on a laptop with no mobile data or GPS. This is also collected by Google Street View cars and other services.

However this can cause a problem - a friend who I sent an old router once told me his computer kept telling him it was located in Johnsonville when in fact he was in Napier. It took sometime for that data to be "refreshed".

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Oblivian

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#2756215 6-Aug-2021 15:34

freitasm:

However this can cause a problem - a friend who I sent an old router once told me his computer kept telling him it was located in Johnsonville when in fact he was in Napier. It took sometime for that data to be "refreshed".

Have struck this too. Only fix was to regularly connect to cell sites near first, and then wifi, eventually it puts 2+2. And putting _nomap at the end of the SSID is meant to opt out of them using it.

PDAMan

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#2756222 6-Aug-2021 16:00

Thanks everyone, we don't have GPS in the laptops. I was hoping the SIM might have location-based services built in, but maybe I'm expecting too much. @coffeebaron You're right the IP is a data centre. It's a nice to have if it was easy to get.

Luigi
Helping companies with location based problem solving, blogs and social media
SolomoConsulting
Find me on LinkedIn
Blog http://luigicappel.wordpress.com
Check out my songwriting