Tracking IP Address With IP Tracker

Tracking your Internet Protocol, or IP, address can be done with an IP tracker. IP trackers locate an IP address' country and Internet Service Provider. These are frequently used by businesses and market researchers to figure out generally where customers are geographically located.

That helps them improve their experience and makes customers more likely to return to a site. Though the information an IP tracker gives out generally isn't enough to put you in danger, there is a risk for hackers to get access to that information, potentially leading to other cybercrimes.

Why Does My IP Address Show Me at the Wrong Location?

If you have ever put your IP address into a free IP Lookup Tool, you may have noticed that it assigned you to an incorrect location. This doesn't mean that you've been hacked or that the IP Lookup is faulty. What happens is this: you connect to the Internet through an Internet Service Provider (ISP). 

You are given an IP address that essentially identifies you on the Internet. When you do connect to the Internet through an ISP, whether via cable, DSL, or satellite, your connection must first go through a chain of servers in order to reach a destination.

The first few hops in the chain of servers should belong to your ISP. The trace usually varies depending on which IP tracker you use. One could be relatively close to you, while another could show you in the wrong city, state, or even country.

Your Internet Service Provider is responsible for reporting and updating the IP location information with the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). Thus, due to the vast number of servers offering traces on IP addresses, there's no complete guarantee that the information they are using is accurate.

If this is the case, it can cause you to receive misleading IP geolocation results when you run a trace through a tracker. The trace information you receive would point to a server belonging to your ISP, not to you.

Does my ISP have to report my IP information?

Yes, it does. The reason your ISP is responsible for updating this information with the IANA is because it's necessary to maintain the Domain Name System (DNS) and associated servers. The IANA allocates IP addresses and is also responsible for root zone management of those DNS servers.

They designate the rules of the Internet, in a sense. They also determine whether or not the DNS servers that you are using are trusted sources. These IP resources are critical; it allows us to safely surf the web. Because all IP information is reported, we can locate sites and servers.

With any static IP address, for both IPv4 addresses and IPv6 addresses, the IANA must report on it.

Protecting Your IP Address From IP Tracking

If you're uncomfortable with the idea of potentially being on the receiving end of IP tracking, there are steps you can take to change your IP address. You can try the free tools available on the Internet or invest in paid services with more features.

One great option is to use a VPN. VPNs encrypt data from your connection point to the connecting server via a tunneling protocol. As devices connect, all Internet traffic, whether it be websites, mail services, game servers, or chatrooms, is encrypted when you connect to the network.

If you don't want to use a VPN, a proxy service serves a similar purpose. Web proxy servers act as gateways between users and the Internet, changing your IP address when you log online. With an anonymous web proxy, you get the same Internet access and website results in real time, but your IP is masked; sites see the proxy's IP instead.

Using a dynamic IP address can also give you better protection. A dynamic IP automatically changes from your ISP, as it is only assigned to your computer temporarily. This makes it more difficult to be tracked from your IP address.

Summary

In short, even with the best IP address tracking tools, a trace on your IP will only lead a person to your ISP's network.  This would not lead to you or put you in any sort of danger.

Your ISP does keep track of the origination, which could be your home or office address. However, the ISP generally will not release this information without a court order. Unless you commit a crime of some sort, your information is safe with your ISP.

If you personally are seeking to use IP address tracker software, there are many solid programs to suit your needs. Solarwinds' IP Address Manager provides automated IP address tracking and integrated DHCP, DNS, and IP address management, as well as a host of other tools. You can start a free trial for thirty days to see if you like the program before investing fully. Alternatively, you can just use their interactive demo to try it out.