Tracking someone’s location through their IP is not always complicated if you know how to use the right tools. But even if you have useful software and sites, there are cases where finding people’s addresses with their IP is not valid for many reasons. So, always try these methods first, and you’ll have an idea about how they work and their limitations.
Tracking someone’s address from IP
Here is how you can use someone’s IP address to find their location. First, make sure that the IP you got from that person is really their own address and not a server one. Gmail, for example, includes the IP of the email server and not the person behind it in most cases. The only exception here is when you get the IP from someone’s custom email server, which is not always accurate. Anyway, start with these IP reverse lookup tools:
InfoTracer
This tool has a great IP reverse search system that can tell you more about people. All you need is one of the IP addresses they’re using. Preferably, it should be the IP of a home network and not a random one that changes frequently. Next, type that IP in the search box, validate, and wait for the results. Finally, you may get the exact location behind that person’s IP, including the Internet service provider, location on the Map, full name, and even contact numbers if available.
In addition to the above details, you can find the social media profiles of someone by their IP, which is great these days. Suppose someone sends you spam emails or messages on Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp, etc… So, when you need to identify that mysterious user, you can search for his IP and learn more about him online. Next, when you collect some details like the name, you should be able to find the real identity of that user.
Finding someone’s name from their IP is not always complicated. This tool can help to discover the first plus last names of users and show their social media accounts. However, you should compare the search results and also verify whether the profiles you find are real or fake ones.
Online IP Lookup
Many websites offer this free service. However, the tools show inaccurate IP locations on the Map, which may not be helpful for many users. In fact, by typing the IP address of someone you received an email from or a message on social media, you can only see the region rather than the exact address.
Suppose you typed a given IP address and found New York rather than a precise location. That’s how this works. It’s different from GPS, which can show you the exact street, city, state, and county. So, using online IP geolocation sites can help only determine what region that IP comes from, which is not accurate.
Here are some solutions:
What Is My IP Address: This website provides details about the country and region where an IP is located. It extracts the information from the servers, so it may help in finding the users behind it. But again, it’s not a magic solution. IP changes with users and devices are not as accurate as GPS.
Iplocation.net: This site works the same as the other option, it lets you type the IP, and it finds the city, state, and location if available. So, expect this site to show you something like Los Angeles, California, and not the exact location with the street name, building, apartment number etc…
Iplocation.com: This site is cleaner in design, and it has a Map that shows the location of the IP without the need to browse navigation menus and clicking options. Just type an IP and see it on the Map. Unlike other sites, this one provides an accurate location with Longitude and Latitude, which can show the exact location on the Map of the servers someone is using and sending messages from. In addition, you may find the name of the Internet service provider which can help to fight spam and report fraud.
Is that accurate?
This is the challenge of locating people’s addresses on the Map by IP. It’s inaccurate and may be completely wrong. Here’s why:
First, I’ve talked about that in the first section. The IP is a general way to show the servers where someone is logging in or using the Internet. So, other people can use that same IP as that changes randomly by the Internet Service Provider. That means if you got someone’s IP an hour ago and want to use a reverse lookup tool to find the location, that can show you the new person who uses that same IP now. Also, it doesn’t matter if people use an IP through a smartphone or laptop; it’s the same thing.
Second, there are many VPN tools that millions of people use to protect their privacy online and avoid Internet trackers. That VPN changes the actual IP of the user and gives them a fake one in a different country or continent with one click of a button. Even more, that IP belongs to a server that’s used in a data center.
In other words, the people behind that IP are hidden and unknown to any online IP lookup tool. Once you search for somebody’s IP, you may see the location of the data centers and not the people who used it at a specific time. That person could be traveling or living in a country that’s too far away.
Conclusion
As you can see, tracing someone’s exact address on the Map through their IP is not always accurate. But you have the option to learn more about that anonymous person through an IP. That could show you some, if not all, of their social media accounts, photos, and other details you may be looking for. If you have other tricks for geolocating an IP with other tools, tell us about them, so we can try these techniques and then share them here.
