Speedtest.net Location Detection

Holodene · Mar 08, 2011, 21:08:08

Hi all,

Has anyone tried the new Speedtest.net location detection? You will need to make an account to see it.

The location detection is incredibly accurate. I'm struggling to work out how they know about my location as my browser isn't set to reveal my location and my IP address only shows IDNet info.

Cheers.

EDIT:

Quote
Your location is determined based on your IP address. Speedtest.net then uses GeoIP data from MaxMind to determine your approximate location. We have recently added Location-Aware browsing such as this one from Firefox all of which require explicit acceptance by you to better refine your location. All of these services are utilized to better serve you, most importantly determining the optimal testing server from among the hundreds we have available. Learn more about the MaxMind GeoIP data.

MaxMind is damn accurate. $:-\$

Glenn · Mar 08, 2011, 21:23:17

It's so accurate that it has me 250 miles west of my current location.

It has me in Helston, somewhere this laptop hasn't been since xmas.

.Griff. · Mar 08, 2011, 21:56:11

It has me as living in the London Eye

pctech · Mar 08, 2011, 22:18:27

Signed up, still selects Manchester although traffic is backhauled to London by BT and Zen have 10 Gig links to Leeds and Manchester apparently.

You can manually refine your location if you want to apparently.

SSK · Mar 19, 2011, 11:04:22

It shows me as being near Manchester, though in fact I'm near the East coast.
Presumably the IDNet customer who had this IP address before it was assigned to me lived near Manchester.

The speedtest.net site says that the GeoIP database is updated monthly, but I've had this IP address for several months now and it's till not updated. Where do GeoIP get the information from?

Sean

pctech · Mar 19, 2011, 11:15:47

As your router connects to IDNet's edge router through a tunnel it would be hard for it to give an exact location.

SSK · Mar 19, 2011, 11:42:34

Quote from: pctech on Mar 19, 2011, 11:15:47
As your router connects to IDNet's edge router through a tunnel it would be hard for it to give an exact location.

Thanks for replying.
I've no idea what that means, but I'll take your word for it!

Sean

Rik · Mar 19, 2011, 11:46:14

Essentially, the location is guesswork, Sean, don't worry about it.