Off-shore IP addresses

Frequently, an IP address’s geolocation will inaccurately display a location far from where the hosting server is physically housed. A website may be hosted on a server in Amsterdam, but the server’s IP address is showing a US geolocation. How is that possible?

What is geolocation?

Geolocation is the mapping of an IP address or MAC address to the real-world geographic location of an Internet-connected computing or a mobile device. It is not the actual physical address of the hosting server.

Geolocation Inaccuracy

Server IP addresses at A2 Hosting often show different geolocation than their actual physical location. There is not an infinite amount of IP addresses. IP addresses are often leased upon availability. If a company (e.g. A2 Hosting) leases IP addresses from a US provider, those IP addresses will then have a US geolocation (even if the server is physically sitting in another country.) 

Is there any way to find an IP’s exact location?

There is no completely foolproof way to determine an IP address’s exact location, short of a warrant (or some sort of legal document) to determine the location from an internet service provider (ISP.)

Traceroute

If you would like to see the path packets take to the actual physical location of the server, you can utilize the traceroute (or tracert) program. This method allows you to see the journey a site takes from being housed on a server until it appears in front of you on a screen. The process shows the different IP addresses that a site will use before showing its’ final IP address (and thus, why a server housed in a different geographical location may show an IP address that appears to be from an entirely different country.) The last three entries of a trace (using traceroute or tracert) will show the carrier (internet provider) of the data center your server is housed.

Any Issues?

If you have any questions regarding offshore IP addresses and their geolocations, A2 Hosting’s customer support team will be more than happy to assist you. The support team can assist via LiveChat, by submitting a support ticket, or by phone.