Wrong IP-based location - services think I'm in Croydon (I'm not!)

[rsherhod]

Any IP-based location services think I'm in Croydon, when I'm not. Thankfully I am in the UK, so it shouldn't impact content services. However, it's definitely a problem because Google Maps puts me no where near my home by default.

I'm a new Vodafone Full Fibre customer, connecting from a desktop PC (so no GPS) over wifi to my Ultra Hub. I am NOT using a VPN connection.

I've seen discussions on here about this issue, and it seems to be down to Vodafone's IP addresses and whatever databases location services are using for lookup. That's not much of an answer though, since it's clearly Vodafone's problem - even if it wasn't, try telling that to Google!

So, can anyone help with this?

[rsherhod]

Yes, that's how I'm connected to my Ultra Hub. At some point I'll get an ethernet cable to it, but it means some drilling and cutting.

[Jayach]

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@rsherhod wrote:

Yes, that's how I'm connected to my Ultra Hub. At some point I'll get an ethernet cable to it, but it means some drilling and cutting.

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In that case I'm surprised Google doesn't get a better location for you. It can use the SSID's of routers close to you to estimate your location. It collected that data when the Google map cars were driving around.

[Cynric]

@Jayach Other times it gets the location from the ISP gateway, which is why it thinks I'm in the north of England.

[Ripshod]

Hence the request for the traceroute.

[rsherhod]

I posted one as a reply to your request.

[Ripshod]

What problems is this causing, if any? 

[rsherhod]

I would have though it was pretty obvious why having a misreported location is a problem... especially when I said why in my original post. But anyway, location services don't work properly and this messes with all sorts of normal operations. For example, if I want to plan a route on Google Maps I can't use "your location" as a starting point. Weather forecast sites pick the wrong location by default. Any site that uses location information gets it wrong.

Yes, I can usually override the location, but it should just work. I've never been with an ISP where this was a problem

[Cynric]

@rsherhod Rather strangely, I've never had an ISP get my location right and that's a good thirty years.

[Jayach]

Vodafone I.P. addresses are never correct on the various databased, but I've been here 4 years and it's never caused me any problems.

Google knows exactly where I am at any time (or at least where my phone is) but it doesn't use the IP address.

[rsherhod]

Well, I don't know what to tell you. I click "Your location" in Google Maps and it thinks I'm in Norwich. I have never ever had that on any other network. My phone doesn't have issues, but it can use GPS, phone towers etc. However, it's my desktop PC that I'm talking about here. On Virgin Media, which we had in our old place, it was exactly correct.