If you still think IP locations are circles, think again.
51Degrees has reinvented IP location solutions for the internet as it exists today, not as it was in 2000.
Back when our competitors designed their models, network operators were focusing on growth, not efficiency. IP addresses often related to a single location. Legacy models are limited to a single geographic coordinate and a radius to provide a possible circle indicating where the device might be located.
Not so with 51Degrees.
IP addresses are rotated regularly for residential users. Cellular users are increasingly using access points that cover very large areas.
A new data model is needed, with a transition path from the legacy world.
Simple Areas
Here’s an IPV4 address used by Comcast in the US.
At the time of writing (it might have moved when you read this) the most probable location is northwest of Atlanta at latitude -84.817 and longitude 34.18.
Based on analysis of recent events, 51Degrees is highly confident that the geographic location falls somewhere within the following polygon.
It’s likely the address is part of a range of dynamic IP addresses Comcast currently uses to service the northwest Atlanta area.
A circle centered on the most likely geographic point encompassing this area will include locations that are not relevant. See the following overlay.
If a smaller circle is chosen, then possible locations will be missed. See the following overlay.
To avoid evaluating unlikely or incomplete locations, 51Degrees recommends using the area geometries returned in the Areas property from IP Intelligence. The resulting WKT string can be used with popular geospatial libraries for easy analysis.
Migration
To help teams migrating from legacy solutions with data models built around a single latitude and longitude co-ordinate and an accuracy radius, both the small and large circular areas are returned. These properties are called AccuracyRadiusMin and AccuracyRadiusMax with the center indicated by the properties Latitude and Longitude.
Complex Areas
Let’s take another IP address, also operated by Comcast, for residential customers.
We’ve observed this IP address being used both in the wider Atlanta area and in Philadelphia. See the following map with the possible locations shown in yellow overlays.
It would simply not be possible to express these locations as a single circle!
Cellular
Mobile network operators now use IP addresses across entire countries. Take the following IP address operated by Verizon in the United States.
We’ve observed this IP address being used recently in locations that cover the entire continental United States. See the following map and overlaid areas.
As network operators use technologies like Carrier Grade Network Address Translation (CGNAT) this pattern becomes more likely.
It’s worth remembering that network operators are primarily focused on optimizing for efficiency and, in some cases, gaining an advantage in adjacent markets. They have no interest in helping you or us turn IP addresses into precise locations. That’s unlikely to change anytime soon.
Conclusion
If you still operate a model that assumes an IP address can relate to a single location, then you’re going to need to a) accept that it will become increasingly inaccurate; or b) start the process of upgrading.
We choose b.
51Degrees provides you with the tools to make this journey easy. With a migration path from legacy circles to modern geographic areas there’s never been a better time to get started.
It’s easier than you think.