What Is an IP Address Lookup?
An IP address lookup (also called IP geolocation) is the process of finding the real-world location, internet service provider (ISP) and other details associated with an IP address. Every device connected to the internet has a unique IP address, and each address can be traced back to an approximate geographic region.
What Information Can You Get from an IP Lookup?
A comprehensive IP lookup tool reveals:
- Country, region and city — accurate to city level in 70-80% of cases
- ISP and organisation — the company that owns the IP block
- Hostname — the reverse DNS entry for the IP
- AS number and name — the autonomous system that routes the IP
- Timezone — the timezone of the IP's registered location
- VPN/Proxy detection — whether the IP belongs to a VPN, proxy, Tor exit node or datacentre
How Accurate Is IP Geolocation?
IP geolocation is accurate to the country level in approximately 99% of cases. City-level accuracy ranges from 70-80% depending on the ISP and country. There are several reasons why an IP might show an inaccurate location:
- ISPs register IP blocks in a central location rather than where they are actually used
- Mobile networks route traffic through regional gateways
- VPN users appear to be in the VPN server's location
Use Cases for IP Lookup
IP address lookups are used for a wide range of legitimate purposes including fraud prevention, content geolocation, cybersecurity investigation, spam filtering and network troubleshooting.
Try Our Free IP Lookup Tool
Our IP Address Lookup tool shows geolocation, ISP, AS number, VPN/proxy detection and displays the location on an interactive OpenStreetMap. Supports both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses.
