Does PHP's GeoIP class's methods always come true?

Question

I want to implement a country-based web-page. If incoming request is from USA, I want my script to redirect the user to usa.html; if it is from Argentina, then to arg.html and so on. But I want it to be exact. For example, if a user that connects to internet from the boundary between France and Germany (he is connecting from France let's say), the script must not redirect him to germany.html because the user's ISP is in the boundaries of France. Does GeoIP give exact results in such cases?

Answer 1

It will never be 100% accurate.

I give you an example.I use prepaid mobile internet in my laptop from O2 Telefonica Slovakia. Their backbone is maintained in Czech republic by O2 Telefonica Czech.

It always said that my IP is in Czech republic, but I'm not hthere ;).I know, it mobile internet, not DSL or any broadband, but please note that IP block given to some ISP can be shared accors more countries, because it does not needs to be restricted by country border.Lot of ISP has shared IP blocks because ISP is providing same service in more countries around.

Hovever, if talking about static IP's, yes there are static and should be reported by GeoIP correctly.This is main reason why maxmind updating every month theirs database.

Answer 2

GeoIP is not exact, but not for the reason you think. There's nothing magical in the GeoIP or other similar services: it's just a database that links an IP address range with a country code. They don't know where the user is.

Answer 3

it depends on how much you pay for the GeoIP database.