Some sites think I live in Canada now. How to fix?

[coffeecup25]

Some sites I connect to started thinking I live in Toronto, Canada, rather than the Midwest USA where I have always lived. Not all. Some that appear to make an effort to geolocate me get my actual location right.

I think I am using Unbound / AdGuard Home for my DNS. Ipconfig on Windows shows my router as the DNS server. I followed instructions for Adguard Home that claim I am using Unbound for DNS.

This Canada thing is an annoyance. Is there any way to fix it? I suppose I could write down a list of external DNS servers on my KEA DNS page. But, after a debate a few months ago, I like things this way now.

[meyergru]

You cannot fix that on your end. It might be that your ISP inherited an IP netblock that once was located in Canada.

Different geolocation services may yield different results, so depending on which are used by the sites you visit, some may think you are in Canada and some may already know the correct location. You can check your WAN IP against some publicly available services like ipinfo.io (https://ipinfo.io/) or Maxmind (https://www.maxmind.com/en/geoip-demo). Note, however, that there are other services as well.

Probably, you can ask your ISP to ask those service suppliers to correct their data. The only other way of fixing it would be to use a VPN service that can put you in the USA when you select an appropriate exit node.

This has nothing to do with how OpnSense does the geolocation - it does not matter to external sites. BTW: You can choose between Maxmind (https://docs.opnsense.org/manual/how-tos/maxmind_geo_ip.html) and IPinfo (https://docs.opnsense.org/manual/how-tos/ipinfo_geo_ip.html) there, with IPinfo usually being more accurate - but it does not fix the problem on the sites you visit.

[OPNenthu]

I don't know if this applies to you but if you used a VPN (assuming it set your exit node to e.g. Canada), then your browser may have cookies and DNS caches still hanging around and causing sites to misplace you in that region long after you've disconnected from the VPN.  This used to happen to me sometimes when I used VPN apps on my client.  It's probably a good idea to do VPN browsing in a private or incognito browser window.

CDNs might also cause some troubles, I guess.

[coffeecup25]

Thanks for the replies.

I suspected it was not something I could control. I won't experiment with DNS servers any longer. BTW, definitely using Unbound. Now that I have experience with it I agree it simplifies life a lot.

My ISP is newish to me. I formerly used Comcast but they got too expensive. A fiber company installed in my neighborhood last year. No data caps and much better prices. Igb symmetrical for $65, with even better pricing for new customers who lock in. I'm sure they are expanding rapidly vs Comcast.

[OPNenthu]

I'm sure they are expanding rapidly vs Comcast.

They are a little late to the party, but coincidentally I just got an email today that they'll be working in my neighborhood next week to expand their multigig (symmetrical) service here.  That's a huge deal as the 30-40Mbps upload cap is no longer viable, and they recognize it, but I don't expect the pricing to be competitive with lesser-known fiber ISPs.

[coffeecup25]

I'm sure they are expanding rapidly vs Comcast.

They are a little late to the party, but coincidentally I just got an email today that they'll be working in my neighborhood next week to expand their multigig (symmetrical) service here.  That's a huge deal as the 30-40Mbps upload cap is no longer viable, and they recognize it, but I don't expect the pricing to be competitive with lesser-known fiber ISPs.

Take a look at what they offer as soon as they are open for business in your area. My new company is very easy to work with. I'm using their free ont and my own router (obviously). No charge for home visit to install from the outdoor hookups. They came to bury the cable when they said they would. No drama of any kind.

Comcast was ok by me until they stopped negotiating better pricing at contract renewals. I tried t_mobile wifi, It offers well over 1 gb wireless at my house. I live very close to a tower. But the modem didn't have a bridge mode and it became very erratic when plugged into the WAN port. I had to send it back. They also had data caps for highest speed data.

Comcast is today offering 1 gb for $50 with a 5 year lock and no data caps. If they still have it in a few months, without typical Comcast drama, I will take a look at going back.

[reincoder]

Opnsense primarily uses IPinfo's data, and I work for IPinfo. I am obligated to help the community in any way possible.

The other users have already provided great guidance. Please check your IP address at ipinfo.io/me. If there is an issue, reach out to our support team. They will instruct you on how to fix your location. However, if the sites you access do not use our data, providing accurately located data to you will not help much.

— Abdullah | DevRel, IPinfo