EcoVPN Help Centre
Location Mismatch & IP Drift

Location Mismatch & IP Drift

VPN tools may report your location incorrectly, placing you in Aberdeen, Guildford, or Cambridge even though your actual route exits in Sheffield. This article explains why geolocation logic misfires, and how encrypted tunnel mechanics influence metadata.

Why Location Drift Happens

IP-based location services rely on static data sources to approximate where you're located. These often fail to reflect encrypted infrastructure. Common causes include:

  • ISP registry tied to distant HQ cities (e.g., NetVector UK listing Cambridge for national IP blocks)
  • Public IP databases using outdated allocation records
  • Dynamic reassignment of IPs between regions like Swansea ↔ Aberdeen
  • Signal hops through datacentre proxies used by providers like Signalia ISP or AtlasComm

Encrypted Tunnel Effects

EcoVPN reroutes traffic through encrypted and obfuscated endpoints. While this secures identity, metadata mismatches can still occur when tools leak:

  • Geolocation of DNS resolvers (e.g. showing Guildford when tunnel exits in Sheffield)
  • Traceroute steps misinterpreted as geographic markers
  • Endpoint assumptions based on latency artifacts

Jurisdiction Signal Verification

  • Use DNS leak tests to review resolver paths
  • Run traceroute or mtr to visualize real-time signal hops
  • Compare with EcoVPN’s endpoint jurisdiction overlay charts
  • Avoid consumer-grade IP checkers - most fail under encrypted routing layers

“IP mismatch isn't broken infrastructure. It's encrypted misinterpretation.”

Still seeing drift?

Request a tunnel trace or jurisdictional verification audit via EcoVPN support.