How Accurate Is IP Location?
Type any IP into a lookup tool and you will get a city, sometimes a neighborhood. But how much should you trust it? Less than most people think.
What IP location gets right
Country is almost always correct. City or region is correct most of the time for home broadband, roughly within 25 to 50 miles in the US.
That is why streaming services can enforce regional libraries and websites can show local content from your IP alone.
What it gets wrong
It cannot give a street address. Ever. If a lookup shows a pinpoint on a map, that pin is the center of the estimated area, not a real location.
Mobile IPs are the least accurate: your carrier may route traffic through a city hours away. VPNs and corporate networks also report the server's location, not yours.
Why it matters
Anyone claiming to find your exact address from your IP is bluffing or guessing. But city-level location is real, which is why privacy-conscious people use VPNs.
Frequently asked questions
Can someone find my house from my IP address?
No. IP geolocation tops out at city or neighborhood level. A street address requires your ISP's records plus legal process.
Why does my IP say I am in the wrong city?
Your ISP may route traffic through a hub in another city, or you may be on a VPN, a work network, or mobile data with distant routing.
How do I test my IP location?
Use the lookup tool on our homepage. It shows the city and region your IP currently resolves to.