ProxyCompass Knowledge Base

Proxy Geolocation Mismatch

A proxy geolocation mismatch occurs when different sources associate the same IP address with different countries, regions or cities. The first sign is often a country flag in your software: you bought proxies listed as being in Germany, added them to the settings and saw the USA instead.

You open two more IP lookup sites. One reports Germany, the other India. Three answers for the same address leave two questions: whether the supplied proxy meets the country selection in your order, and whether it works on the service you need. To resolve the disagreement, compare the data sources and test the intended action separately.

When choosing a proxy country, distinguish two questions: which data the provider used to select the IP address's country, and which country the website you need assigns to that same address. The provider's chosen source may list the country from the order for an address, while the target website identifies a different country for that address. Check the account's region settings separately, because they may not depend on the IP address.

Why can your software show another country?

An antidetect browser or another application may have a built-in proxy test. It may test the connection, identify the IP address from which the website receives requests, and look up that address’s country in a GeoIP database. A successful connection result concerns whether the proxy works. The country label reflects the data used for the lookup and may differ from the result on the target website.

That source may be an external lookup service or a downloaded GeoIP database. A copy may be stored in the application itself or on the server that performs the lookup. If that copy has not been updated, the program can keep reporting a previous country even after the geolocation supplier corrects its record. Updating the application itself does not establish that the database it uses has been updated too.

A free database is not necessarily outdated. MaxMind, for example, updates its free GeoLite databases. An application using an old copy does not mean the database supplier has stopped releasing updates. Different databases can also hold different information about the same IP address. If the application does not disclose its data source and update date, one unexpected result cannot establish whether its copy is outdated or the disagreement has another cause.

Another IP lookup website may show a different country even when you have not changed the proxy or its connection settings. This is how one working IP address can appear with different flags. The results show that the sources disagree about its country. However, a third-party lookup does not determine which country the website you intend to use will report.

Which result matters on the target website?

Check geolocation on the site you bought the proxy for. If your task is on Amazon, check the result on Amazon; if it concerns regional content on a social network, check it there. The site may use a commercial geolocation database, its own data or several sources together. An unrelated IP lookup site's result does not tell you which country your target service will identify.

In the opening example, suppose the website identifies Germany as the connection's country and lets you use the required regional content or feature. A US flag in your software does not mean the proxy is unsuitable for that work. There may be no reason to replace a suitable IP just to make unrelated flags match. If the order specified a particular database, however, check that criterion too: the result on the website does not confirm compliance with the order. Conversely, if the target website identifies another country and prevents the intended action, a German result on an unrelated lookup site does not solve the problem.

Establish what the website actually reports. If it shows the current connection's country, check that separately from the country saved in the account settings. A page's language, currency and access-denied message do not, by themselves, tell you which country the website identified from the IP address. If the site does not reveal that information, you can record that the intended action fails. Its documentation or support may be needed to establish whether geolocation is actually the cause.

Even when the target website works as needed, an incorrect country in the application can be worth investigating. Some applications use IP geolocation data to select a browser profile's time zone or other settings, and for checks before the profile starts. An incorrect country can therefore affect the application. Find out whether it only displays the lookup result or also uses it to change settings and allow the profile to start.

Do all checks use the same IP address?

First establish that all results refer to the same IP address. The proxy settings may contain the address of an intermediate server: the provider's gateway. It accepts your connection and sends requests through other proxies. The address in your settings can therefore differ from the IP address from which the website receives requests. To compare geolocation results, use the address the website sees.

The application's test and a website opened in the browser may use different connections. Saved proxy settings do not prove that the required browser profile actually uses them. With rotation, meaning automatic changes of IP address, requests may be sent from different addresses even though the proxy connection settings remain unchanged. Record the IP address shown in each check and the time of that check before attributing different countries to disagreements between databases.

A website that automatically detects your IP reports the address from which it received the request. That result does not confirm that a separate request to the target website was sent from the same address. If the target website shows the current connection's IP, compare it with the other checks. This helps distinguish a disagreement in geolocation data from a case where the application did not use the intended proxy or the address changed between requests.

Why can a datacenter IP keep its former country?

A datacenter IP range can change operators, be leased to another company or start being used in another country. A change of seller does not automatically update the information about those addresses in geolocation databases. They may retain the country previously associated with the range.

For example, a company leases a range previously used in the USA and starts using its IP addresses on proxy servers in Germany. The network operator reports the new country of use, but geolocation suppliers update their records at different times: one already lists Germany, while another still lists the USA. Even after a supplier corrects its record, an application may continue to show the former country. In the illustration, the GeoIP supplier has changed the USA to Germany, but the antidetect browser reads an old local database copy. That copy still lists the USA, so its built-in proxy check reports the USA too. Once the copy is updated, the application can use the corrected record.

Distinguish the country in an IP address's registration information from the country in a geolocation database. For example, a country entry in RIPE or another registry does not, by itself, establish the proxy server's physical location. If a provider selects addresses by registered country, another country in a GeoIP database may reflect a difference between these records rather than an update delay. The provider should therefore state which information it uses to identify the country of the IP addresses it offers.

This is why waiting for database updates does not always help. Waiting makes sense if the relevant record is being corrected and the website you use will adopt the new data. However, the geolocation supplier may reject the correction, or the website may use a different source. If you need to continue working now, ask the provider whether it has IP addresses that the required website already identifies in the selected country.

When do a replacement and a data correction help?

If the target website identifies the proxy IP in an unsuitable country, test another available address on that same website. Several addresses from one range may share the same location record, so a test from another range or network can be more useful than repeated changes within the same set. It still needs to be checked: a different range does not guarantee the required country. Buying from another seller does not necessarily change the network either, because sellers can supply addresses from the same network.

Another approach is to correct the record in the geolocation database. The provider or network operator can send the database supplier evidence of where the range is used. The supplier reviews that information and decides whether to change the record. Services using the database then need to start using the updated data. Submitting a correction request does not mean the new country immediately appears on the website you need. While the request is being considered, you can test other available IP addresses separately.

Sometimes the provider has no IP addresses that the target website identifies in the required country. Repeated replacements from the available set will then not solve the problem: you will need to test proxies from another network or provider. If the site already identifies the IP address's country correctly, investigate why it still restricts access before making another purchase.

When should you consider residential or mobile proxies?

If IP addresses from several datacenter ranges are not identified in the required country on the target website, consider testing residential or mobile proxies from that country. The aim is to test addresses used by subscribers of local internet providers and mobile operators.

A residential service that uses users' devices may send requests through a household internet connection in the selected country. A mobile proxy sends requests through a mobile operator's network. The website receives them from IP addresses used on those networks and may identify their country differently from that of datacenter addresses. Changing the proxy type can therefore help where replacing addresses in the previous set did not.

Test the location at the level of accuracy your task requires. A connection through a local internet provider or mobile operator does not guarantee that all websites identify the same country. If the city matters too, check it separately. A mobile operator may use IP addresses across a large area, so the city in an IP lookup result may differ from the city where the phone is located. Using a mobile proxy does not, by itself, send the device's GPS coordinates to the website.

Even if the website correctly identifies a residential or mobile IP address's country, it can restrict access for other reasons. During the test, check both the country and the intended action: for example, whether the required page opens or regional content is available. If the country is correct but the task still fails, investigate the reason for refusal separately.

Do you need one fixed IP address?

Moving to another proxy type may change how often the IP address changes. A residential service, for example, can keep providing addresses from the selected country while changing the address itself. The device sending the requests may disconnect or receive a new IP from its internet provider. A sticky session is intended to keep requests on the same IP address for a limited time. It does not make that address permanent. Mobile connections can also change IP addresses.

For regional content checks, it may be enough that all IP addresses used are identified in the required country. If the work requires one unchanged address over a long period, check the terms under which it is provided. Static ISP proxies may suit that task if the target website identifies their IP addresses in the country you need. The ISP label alone does not guarantee the required geolocation result, and the word residential does not mean that the IP address will remain unchanged.

Compare the charging models too. A static datacenter proxy package may be priced by the number of IP addresses and period of use, while residential proxies may be priced by traffic volume. A small geolocation test does not show how much a workload with large downloads will cost. Before switching, estimate the expense for your usual traffic volume, and check the required country and how long the IP address is kept.

What helps support investigate the mismatch?

In a support request, name the country and geolocation source selected when ordering, the application or lookup site showing a different result, its data source if known, and what happens on the target website. Record the IP shown in each check and the time with its time zone. A screenshot should show the tool's name and enough context to establish whether the country refers to the IP, account settings or browser profile. This lets support compare the same address and the same country criterion.

This information helps support establish where the disagreement occurs: in third-party software, in the data the provider used to select the country, or on the target website. If the required website works as intended, the application's lookup result can be investigated separately. If the task fails, the next action depends on the cause: check the connection settings, try an address from another range, request a geolocation correction, or ask the website how it determines the region.