[masraum]

Originally Posted by KC911

Sorry guys, but I believe that both of these theories would be a "static" view (stored in a db) that wouldn't relocate the user as they moved around. oleE is closer to the truth (with a decent subnet mask on the ISP side to pinpoint location), but I don't know how they are seeing location moves on the "private" side of a WAP/router (as VaSteve is talking about inside his house) Then I would suspect smartphones, etc. Just my .02 worth...

Hmm, the problem is that I don't think most ISPs provide geographical<>IP based information (or even have that information).

So, what used to be Southwest Bell and is now ATT has a huge bunch of IPs that covered several states. In Houston and it's suburbs, there are probably a ton of local offices (100, more?) that end users connect to. ATT probably has a document someplace that says "these 3 class C subnets are hosted out of this office, these 10 are hosted out of this office over here." I'm pretty sure there is no reason for ATT to publish this information anywhere. Not only that, but that's only going to narrow you down to a specific office, which means that you could be within an area a mile wide around that office. Since the IPs are dynamic, I don't think they have any way to determine what address or even within a few hundred feet each individual IP is located. Frankly, I don't think they don't care. There are websites that will show you where you are based on your IP. The IP on the router at my house puts me in Houston which is 20-25 miles off.
Try it, how close is this to you based on your IP
http://www.infosniper.net/
http://www.geobytes.com/IpLocator.htm




Wifi Positioning System info
Wardriving
Skyhook: How It Works > Overview
Wi-Fi positioning system - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Google Gears enhances geolocation with WiFi positioning