Anyone finding the IP address as reported by Invision totally unreliable?

[Emediate]

For a while now we have found the IP addresses of new members and posters practically unusable and inaccurate.

They're simply not reporting the correct information. 

For example,

One just now, reports in Invision as:

Mount Hawthorn, Western Australia, 6016, Australia

However, when I check the same IP in https://nordvpn.com/ip-lookup/

Which is absolutely accurate and Western Australia is a LONG way from Victoria.

Similarly, my own IP is reported by Invision as just being "Australia".

But if I check it in nord, its more accurately reported as:

We use this to vet new member introductions, and more often than not we crosscheck their IP against their stated location in their profile, but the unreliability of Invision's IP reporting is making this an impossible task now. 

Anyone else experiencing this, and/or know of any alternative plugins or integrations to improve the accuracy over the default functionality?

[Marc]

Please could you PM me that IP?

[Marc]

I have taken a look at this. The issue here is that mapbox is simply nowhere near as accurate at IP locations as google. If you look at the site here which appears to use mapbox, you will see its returning different locations for different providers of IP data. Some of them being the areas you mention. This isnt something we are able to resolve, as its what we are being returned. The only option would be to switch to using google

 

https://www.iplocation.net/ip-lookup

[Emediate]

OK, how do we switch to using Google?

I only turned on mapbox today - the results were exactly the same as the default IP system in Invision.

3 minutes ago, Emediate said:

OK, how do we switch to using Google?

 

Found it, thanks.

Edited March 10, 2022 by Emediate

[Marc]

No problem. Hopefully you should get better results from them

[Marc]

I have just been informed we actually use maxmind geolocation, so it may not actually make any difference which you choose there unfortunately

[Emediate]

Yep, 24 hours later, implementing the Google Maps option was no better at all.

Odd though, that using NordVPN's IP Lookup is accurate when all others are not?

[Jim M]

9 hours ago, Emediate said:

Odd though, that using NordVPN's IP Lookup is accurate when all others are not?

Like anything, your data may vary depending on where you get it from. IP address location is not typically 100% reliable but often close enough to provide an idea, especially factoring things like mobile devices. It could also vary IP address to IP address. If you have any suggestions to improve it, say add in another service you personally like or find more reliable, please make a suggestion in our Feature Suggestion forum.

[Emediate]

On 3/10/2022 at 9:44 PM, Marc Stridgen said:

The only option would be to switch to using google

How can we determine if this is working correctly? I've gone through all the steps to implement Google via the admin panel. Yet, the results are no more accurate than they were before changing.

Yet, as a matter of interest this morning I checked another registration. Invision(/Google) reports the user in USA. Yet, if I take that same IP address and check it here with Google, https://gsuite.tools/ip-location (one would assume it's using the same engine), it reports the user correctly as in Sydney, Australia.

Can we be confident the Google Maps integration in Invision is actually functioning correctly?

7 hours ago, Jim M said:

but often close enough to provide an idea

This is the thing. Presently, it's not even close.

[Jim M]

On 3/10/2022 at 6:19 AM, Marc Stridgen said:

I have just been informed we actually use maxmind geolocation, so it may not actually make any difference which you choose there unfortunately

Looks like you may have missed the above post by my colleague. Max mind is currently the geolocation service we use here and would be responsible for this information.

 

7 hours ago, Jim M said:

If you have any suggestions to improve it, say add in another service you personally like or find more reliable, please make a suggestion in our Feature Suggestion forum.

 

[Emediate]

Thanks @Jim M- to clarify, you're suggesting that even if implementing Google as suggested (and as per the Integrations page), that Maxmind is still responsible for the IP info? If so, then that makes sense and explains it. Thanks.

[Jim M]

1 minute ago, Emediate said:

Thanks @Jim M- to clarify, you're suggesting that even if implementing Google as suggested (and as per the Integrations page), that Maxmind is still responsible for the IP info? If so, then that makes sense and explains it. Thanks.

Correct. Maxmind is the geolocation service. 

[Emediate]

On 3/10/2022 at 10:19 PM, Marc Stridgen said:

I have just been informed we actually use maxmind geolocation, so it may not actually make any difference which you choose there unfortunately

Sorry to harp on about this, but something is not right within Invision.

I went back and did some checking again on this today. Invision is reporting a member's location as Western Australia (they are in VIC). But I take that same IP address and check it directly at Maxmind, which as you say is what Invision uses, it is correctly reported as Victoria.

There's something wrong somewhere in the Invision implementation.

Edited March 17, 2022 by Emediate

[Marc]

It would be the free version of maxmind that we use, which would not as accurate as their paid version, which of course they would be using

[Emediate]

Well that sucks then. And with that, I'll leave it alone and leave my custom request out there in the wild for the taking 🙂