You can try using something like this: https://whatismyipaddress.com/location-feedback

Bear in mind though, if your friend has a dynamic ip address, the location of a newly allocated address will show at the last known location of the address for a few days.

I find the geo "accuracy" of the various PPPoE ISPs can vary quite a bit. A lot of IP geolocation sources will actually be getting their data from companies such as Maxmind - you can try your own IP on their site: https://www.maxmind.com/en/geoip2-precision-demo

My home IP on BT FTTC is dynamic and can be from quite a wide variety of BTs IP ranges, yet Maxmind always puts me in a town about 10 miles away. My mobile on EE odly can also give some 'localish' locations at times and at other times vary.

Some previous ISPs would always stick me in Warrington, Newbury, Sheffield etc (Spot the ISPs!!)

I would love an insight into some of the additional data sources that Maxmind obtain to enhance their geo, funnily enough they keep that close to their chests.

But safe to say from IP it's never that accurate to know exactly where you are, just good enough to serve you those lovely "Want to meet mythical unicorns in Blah Town" adverts and try an make some money out of you!

In reply to a post by adrenalize_:

A lot of IP geolocation sources will actually be getting their data from companies such as Maxmind - you can try your own IP on their site: https://www.maxmind.com/en/geoip2-precision-demo

Geolocation is not an exact science, but a product of companies as you say like Maxmind, or Google, or companies like Skyhook wireless whom had a database of SSID to location long before Google did it (and got into the press).

Edited by jchamier (Tue 09-Jun-20 22:15:31)

Maxmind put my fixed IPv4 address in Lewisham and my IPv6 address in Aylesbury - neither anywhere near where I live.

I don't like Google's spying and take care to clear memory/cookies whenever Google reports my location's somewhere close. Right now it thinks I'm 400 miles away from my actual location. However, it must be useful for those seeking local services etc.

In fairness I used its satnav on my phone to drive from Ayrshire to Oxford, about 17Mb downloaded with traffic info and clear guidance. As always there's a price for Big G's excellent service and it's your privacy.

Hi all. It's an odd issue as my Google Maps location changes with the browser I'm using. Chrome, Firefox and Opera all show my in the right location but Brave puts me in Aylesbury currently. It was Abingdon for some months before that so maybe it's just working its way slowly to my right location in Hook Norton! I've not changed the router or laptop so it can only be the browser doing this?

Google recently has said I'm in two completely different parts of the country when checking on my phone or PC. I'm not logged in to Google on either of them, and have been using In Private sessions so no cookies/history.

Yet if I ask a Google speaker in the same house (registered and logged in to another user) it doesn't say that location and says the right one.

I think it's just a Google thing, rather than the router. For reference I've got a static IP so it's not like I've got someone else's IP from those areas.