Beginner ISP lookup help

Author
Omar Rahman Author
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3 days ago Asked
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27 Views
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2 Replies
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Hey everyone,

I just launched a very simple web tool called 'What is My ISP? - Find Your Internet Service Provider'. My main goal with this tool is to accurately show users their current Internet Service Provider. I'm completely new to this kind of development and while I'm really excited about the tool, I'm definitely running into some challenges.

  • The Problem:
    • I'm currently getting inconsistent or sometimes outright incorrect ISP results for some users.
    • This is particularly noticeable with mobile users, some residential connections, and obviously VPN users (where it accurately shows the VPN provider, not the underlying ISP).
    • Ultimately, I want to reliably identify the actual ISP name that a user is connected through.
  • What I've Tried So Far:
    • Initially, I've been using public IP geolocation APIs like ip-api.com and ipinfo.io.
    • I'm primarily looking at the 'ASN' (Autonomous System Number) and 'org' fields provided by these services.
    • I also attempted some reverse DNS lookups on the user's IP address, hoping for more specific data.
  • Observations & What's Not Working Well:
    • Often, the 'org' or ASN data points to a major cloud provider (e.g., AWS, Google Cloud) if the user is coming through a corporate network or specific setups, rather than their residential ISP.
    • For mobile users, it sometimes correctly identifies the mobile carrier, but other times it's very generic or points to an infrastructure provider.
    • Reverse DNS usually gives generic network names or data center names, not specific ISP brands like "Comcast" or "Vodafone".
    • My current approach for ISP lookup isn't yielding the consistent, consumer-friendly ISP names I'm hoping for.
  • My Questions (Seeking Your Expertise!):
    • What is the most accurate and reliable method or API for performing an ISP lookup for a public-facing web tool like mine?
    • Are there specific data points or other techniques I should be using beyond just ASN and 'org' fields that could improve accuracy?
    • How do larger, more established tools handle these edge cases (mobile, corporate networks, proxies) to get a true ISP name for better ISP identification?
    • Any general tips or best practices for a beginner trying to improve the accuracy of ISP identification?
isp lookup Network Geolocation beginner

2 Answers

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Amara Ndiaye
Answered 2 days ago
Hey Omar Rahman,
"I'm currently getting inconsistent or sometimes outright incorrect ISP results for some users."
I've definitely been there; it's like trying to nail jelly to a wall with some of these network setups. To reliably identify the actual ISP for better **network identification**, you'll need to move beyond basic public APIs. Services like MaxMind GeoIP2 ISP or IP2Location provide more granular **IP geolocation data** by using proprietary datasets, routing analysis, and heuristics to differentiate consumer ISPs from cloud providers or VPNs. What kind of user volume are you currently seeing with your tool?
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Omar Rahman
Answered 2 days ago

Yeah, MaxMind and IP2Location definitely sound like the way to go for better accuracy, thanks for pointing those out. But thinking about the user volume you mentioned, I'm getting a bit worried about the potential costs of those premium services as the tool scales.

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