How does Google know my exact location just from my IP?

[Puupi]

Question in the title. Just wondering how Google is (legally) able to trace my location like that... and how are they getting location info from my ISP? When I open Google Maps it shows my exact location precisely. I'm talking about using my home ADSL internet, not mobile which is obviously easily tracked.

[Gaidax]

What phone do you have?

[Puupi]

What phone do you have?

No, not talking about phone. My computer.

[Jtbrig7390]

Question in the title. Just wondering how Google is (legally) able to trace my location like that... and how are they getting location info from my ISP? When I open Google Maps it shows my exact location precisely. I'm talking about using my home ADSL internet, not mobile which is obviously easily tracked.

You answered ur own question, It works the same way. You agree to it when u open Google Maps and use it. You can turn it off as well I do believe.

[Biernot]

Google (or everyone else with a connection to your computer) can do a traceroute, which shows them all (public) IP adresses and hostnames of the steps between you and them. I don't know if there is a register somewhere that lists geographical location of those nodes, but i assume google has access to such information.
But this only shows them up to the last node, which narrows the geolocation down to a neighborhood or part of a city.

It could be that when you are accessing google maps, that if you are logged in with the same google account as with your android phone, that they cross reference data and if your phone is in the same area as your landline internet they just assume that you are at your phone's location. But at least for me they seem not to do that. On my computer it shows my location in google maps as roughly 10km away from my physical location (i assume that is where the last visible node from my ISP is located).

[Puupi]

You answered ur own question, It works the same way. You agree to it when u open Google Maps and use it. You can turn it off as well I do believe.

The question was how they do it.

Google (or everyone else with a connection to your computer) can do a traceroute, which shows them all (public) IP adresses and hostnames of the steps between you and them. I don't know if there is a register somewhere that lists geographical location of those nodes, but i assume google has access to such information.
But this only shows them up to the last node, which narrows the geolocation down to a neighborhood or part of a city.

It could be that when you are accessing google maps, that if you are logged in with the same google account as with your android phone, that they cross reference data and if your phone is in the same area as your landline internet they just assume that you are at your phone's location. But at least for me they seem not to do that. On my computer it shows my location in google maps as roughly 10km away from my physical location (i assume that is where the last visible node from my ISP is located).

It could be that it's getting info from my phone, that sounds sensible.

[Lanfear1]

Roadrunner knows where you are

[Moddycss]

You can do the same thing using http://www.infosniper.net/. Your IP address is the same as a phone number. It is given to you by your ISP and is reserved for you.

[Puupi]

You can do the same thing using http://www.infosniper.net/. Your IP address is the same as a phone number. It is given to you by your ISP and is reserved for you.

But how does Google, or anyone else, get access to IP address locations from my ISP without hacking their systems?

[Gaidax]

But how does Google, or anyone else, get access to IP address locations from my ISP without hacking their systems?

They don't, that's why I asked you about your phone. I don't know how they do it, but if you have linked your google account to phone and PC, then it's quite plausible they can know where you are located.

Like your phone connected to your home WiFi, so same WAN IP and it has GPS. Looks pretty simple to me.

Maybe they have some more interesting technique like in article linked couple of posts ago, but I think this is the simplest explanation really - your phone connected to your home WiFi and has GPS running with google tracking geolocation.

[Zao]

They don't, that's why I asked you about your phone. I don't know how they do it, but if you have linked your google account to phone and PC, then it's quite plausible they can know where you are located.

Like your phone connected to your home WiFi, so same WAN IP and it has GPS. Looks pretty simple to me.

Maybe they have some more interesting technique like in article linked couple of posts ago, but I think this is the simplest explanation really - your phone connected to your home WiFi and has GPS running with google tracking geolocation.

Pretty much this. It's not really the IP. Although Geolocation is a thing and the accuracy of that can be fairly good depending on your provider. But in your case it's more likely the GPS.

[VooDsXo]

They don't, that's why I asked you about your phone. I don't know how they do it, but if you have linked your google account to phone and PC, then it's quite plausible they can know where you are located.

Like your phone connected to your home WiFi, so same WAN IP and it has GPS. Looks pretty simple to me.

Maybe they have some more interesting technique like in article linked couple of posts ago, but I think this is the simplest explanation really - your phone connected to your home WiFi and has GPS running with google tracking geolocation.

Your IP isn't some hidden special thing lol, literally anyone can find any IP quite easily, no hacking involved just googling in most cases. Monitoring your network connections is also not hacking, not illegal, nor immoral.

Effectively an IP address is an ADDRESS, with a location, and is public information. In the case of mobile IP's nothing changes in regard to being traced, all internet period uses satellites, as such your location can be triangulated to a fairly accurate degree. The accuracy is basically it will point to the structure your in and in some cases give fairly accurate elevation, otherwise it will give a 15 yard radius of the device(modem in terms of house pc).

[Priestiality]

ITT: OP doesn't know how IPs work and asks a forum instead of Google.

[Wingerie]

If you're on cord, they'll be able to figure it out by your IP, but loosely. For example for me it shows geometrical center of my district. If you're using wi-fi, they know precisely where your router is, with quite small margin of error, withing few meters. They know it cause they have Android Location Services, which combines wi-fi SSID with GPS/Cell-ID geotracks from Android phones nearby.

[Extremity]

Your exact location can't be determined just from your IP address. For an exact location, you've enabled some form of "location services". If you use a Mac, the Operating System will offer location services as a part of iCloud. On a Windows machine, Google (as is happening with you) will utilize location services for its products, such as google maps. You had to initially agree to this. If you want, you can disable it within your google preferences.

You should be able to resolve this issue here:
https://myaccount.google.com/activitycontrols

[Exeris]

Pretty much this. It's not really the IP. Although Geolocation is a thing and the accuracy of that can be fairly good depending on your provider. But in your case it's more likely the GPS.

The accuracy has changed over time for me, first I was living 50+ meters outside my house in a field, then at my neighbors house and now at my own house according to google maps looking at my computer.

[Gaidax]

Your IP isn't some hidden special thing lol, literally anyone can find any IP quite easily, no hacking involved just googling in most cases. Monitoring your network connections is also not hacking, not illegal, nor immoral.

Effectively an IP address is an ADDRESS, with a location, and is public information. In the case of mobile IP's nothing changes in regard to being traced, all internet period uses satellites, as such your location can be triangulated to a fairly accurate degree. The accuracy is basically it will point to the structure your in and in some cases give fairly accurate elevation, otherwise it will give a 15 yard radius of the device(modem in terms of house pc).

We're not talking about that...

Of course your IP is readily available, thing that is being asked is how that IP is being tied to specifically your address in the city down to the block level by Google.

Usually all you can know from IP is service provider and country, maybe city at best - not where your frikkin' house is down to the street number.

And in my opinion, it's simply because you have that little spy device in your pocket called smartphone that can link your WAN address to actual geolocation with GPS and then siphon that info to Google. Honestly, it's most plausible and simple explanation.


Also all internet uses satellites? lulz... Do you even know what cellular network is? Hint - not based on satellites.

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The accuracy has changed over time for me, first I was living 50+ meters outside my house in a field, then at my neighbors house and now at my own house according to google maps looking at my computer.

Is your IP dynamic or static?

[Exeris]

Is your IP dynamic or static?

It is dynamic and have localization turned on, both on computer and phone. Not sure if related but got a second router(my own computer is connected to this one) to extend wifi around the same time google maps told me I'm in my own house.

[Deleted]

I don't know if there is a register somewhere that lists geographical location of those nodes, but i assume google has access to such information.

They do. Its not complete, and in some areas can be inaccurate, but nevertheless lot of nodes have very accurate geo-locations.
That's all Google (and others!) need to be able to guess your current location.

IP addresses aren't that random; and they cannot be as internet nodes use your IP address in order to figure out in which 'direction' to transmit packages. IPv6 is even more fine-grained.

[VooDsXo]

We're not talking about that...

Of course your IP is readily available, thing that is being asked is how that IP is being tied to specifically your address in the city down to the block level by Google.

Usually all you can know from IP is service provider and country, maybe city at best - not where your frikkin' house is down to the street number.

And in my opinion, it's simply because you have that little spy device in your pocket called smartphone that can link your WAN address to actual geolocation with GPS and then siphon that info to Google. Honestly, it's most plausible and simple explanation.


Also all internet uses satellites? lulz... Do you even know what cellular network is? Hint - not based on satellites.

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Is your IP dynamic or static?

Not based on satellites rofl? Do you know what GPS is? Furthermore yes your ip in your home links to YOUR HOME geographically like honestly...you really think we have wifi and wires going across the oceans? AHAHAHAHAHAH seriously no continue giving people advice you know it all. The fact you guys are even debating this is sad, why the hell do you think VPN's exist? WTF are all these privacy items? Seriously just stop, now if you meant that your phone doesn't directly connect to a sat yea thats true, but towers don't transmit worldwide, and they are used to amplify, transmit, and offload the cellular networks. The simple fact you can call ANYWHERE let's you know 100% w/o fail satellites are involved.

A primary source for IP address data is the Regional Internet Registries. These are large, official organizations responsible for managing and distributing IP addresses in specific regions of the world. You can read more about RIRs here. The RIR for North America is called the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN).

like I said before, it is YOUR address online, it exists to locate you period. The moment you signed up you were added to a registry, turn off GPS, another point of interest is real time data is NOT readily available. While 100% yes you can be tracked within feet of your current location, real time data is not available to the public but exists.

Still the IP you're logged into has a known location, and when it comes to cellphones you're emitting a constant gps signal. Home IP is easily tracked straight to the node you're connected to, and is public knowledge. The reality here is only a handful of homes/businesses will be on any given node in a neighborhood, all of which are given an IP that points directly to the building it was given to. Now this is where it stops, at the point the net reaches your house, if you have no gps enabled they wouldn't have a clue where YOUR pc is in relation to the building, they know its in that building. A cell phone however gps on or off is giving off a signal, this is why burner phones are used by criminals as they have no other metadata on them, no owner name, no home address, and no economic data of yours, they can still be tracked.