Internet browser Location issue

erdeed · 2022-08-19T17:13:58.436Z

I have GL-MV1000 setup as server and phisically located in the US, in the other hand I have a couple of mini smart routers setup as client and connected to this server and located phisically in antoher country. The IP address on the mini routers (MT300N-V2) is fine since they shows the IP of the server, however any internet browser I use with these mini routers show the location where the mini routers are located phisically. Actully if I connect a device with ethernet cable to the modem where the GL-MV1000 (server) is connected, the internet browsers also show the location where the mini routers are located phisically, if I disconnect the GL-MV1000 from my modem, this issue disappear.

Does anybody know why this happen please?

agnelli · 2022-08-19T18:10:13.782Z

Your writing isn’t very clear.

You may find it useful to know that geo-location is often done by more than just IP address. You’re likely being geo-located by Wifi signals and Bluetooth signals.

For example:

How Google uses Wi-Fi networks to figure out your exact location.
How does Apple (privately) find your offline devices? – A Few Thoughts on Cryptographic Engineering

Not to mention your browser’s cookies. The timezone of your devices.

asdffdsa1122 · 2022-08-19T18:12:45.221Z

erdeed:

setup as server

hi, what kind of server???

erdeed · 2022-08-20T12:33:25.290Z

@agnelli
Which part of my statement it’s not clear to you?
Thank you for the information provided, however as I said, even if I connect a device to the server which is located in the USA as the device I connect to it is. what I mean is, the server (brume router) and the device connected to this server are located in the same place (USA) and any internet browser I use, shows the location of another country.

@asdffdsa1122
I setup the MV1000 as a sever (wireguard server).

LupusE · 2022-08-20T12:44:53.849Z

For example, it is not clear what kind of end device is used. Or which browser. Which application/service is used.

As mentioned before, a mobile phone could have other location methods than the entry point of the internet.
So you could change settings in your mini router, but the end device will override these settings.
But all this are just speculations, based on a few given information.

There is no general answer to your question. It is depending on many factors.

The industry doesn’t want people to hide their location. People want to hide their location, anyway. So both are improving their methods.
Everything solved today could be outdated tomorrow.

erdeed · 2022-08-20T13:01:38.410Z

@LupusE thank you for that information. I don’t know other way to explain it, however I know the issue is the Brume router because once I disconnect it from my modem, the issues disappear. Again thank you for your response. I won’t give up, I will find the resolution of this issue in this GL-MV1000 router

erdeed · 2022-08-20T13:04:38.696Z

@LupusE by the way, the device I use is a desktop connected to the router with Ethernet cable. Also l use a laptop but the issue comes only when I connect it with Ethernet cable no wifi and I have this issue in any internet browser (Chrome, Edge, internet explore, etc)

agnelli · 2022-08-20T15:54:35.107Z

@erdeed Again, you’re not a clear writer . And as someone else pointed out, besides me, there’s many reasons this could go wrong.

You keep mentioning in a “brume router” and how you think this device is giving you away. Google may have already scanned and mapped that device: research how Google maps wifi devices for location services.

Change the MAC addresses and all other information you can think of, for example wifi name, on the router that you think is giving you so much trouble.

Maybe it’s not the mini routers you seem concerned about and rather something else. For example, turn off “location services” in OS X – or search for something similar in your operating system. The location of your computer could be identified via bluetooth via proximity to phones. Your laptop could be identified via wifi signals via proximity to other networks (but you mention an ethernet connection).

There’s probably many other ways to identify your location that I don’t know about. And your situation is unclear.

Try changing time zones of various devices. Maybe you’re operating from a work laptop with more sophisticated location tracking software in the background. Etc…

And the VPN is between which devices exactly? At what level? How is it configured? How many VPNs are you using? Maybe if you drew a chart it would help.

asdffdsa1122 · 2022-08-21T13:46:40.279Z

hi,

could be an issue with default routes.
on the clients, have you looked at traceroute output

with openvpn, there is a flag, that when enabled, forces all client traffic thru the vpn.

and my browser, firefox, i hardcode the proxy server to mullvad

erdeed · 2022-08-22T12:58:49.504Z

@asdffdsa1122
Thank you for the info provided. I have not checked tracerout output.
Would you mind to explain me what that is and how it should be on the router?
I am using Wireguard VPN.
Thanks in advance

LupusE · 2022-08-22T13:39:35.899Z

I don’t know how traceroute should help with ‘the routes’.

The command traceroute pings every hop from your system to the given destination. so you can see if the traffic goes though your VPN or not. But only for this particular host.

If we’ll assume an issue within the routes, a more proper command could be ip r

lupus@hope:~$ ip r
default via 192.168.xx.1 dev ens18
192.168.xx.0/24 dev ens18 proto kernel scope link src 192.168.xx.213

The default (alias for 0.0.0.0) is going to the router 192.168.xx.1 on interface ens18 …
The own subnet 192.168.xx.0/24 doesn’t need a router and can be addressed directly.

lupus@hope:~$ traceroute google.com
traceroute to google.com (142.250.186.110), 30 hops max, 60 byte packets
 1  myown.net (192.168.xx.1)  1.288 ms  1.506 ms  1.732 ms
 2  something-citynearby (yy.103.yy.123)  12.474 ms  12.457 ms  12.489 ms
 3  yy.103.yy.6 (yy.103.yy.6)  12.483 ms  12.499 ms  12.536 ms
 4  kel13.backbone.de (yy.178.yy.145)  12.871 ms  12.802 ms  12.539 ms
 5  ham8.backbone.de (yy.178.yy.233)  12.640 ms  12.657 ms  12.733 ms
[...]
13  142.250.214.191 (142.250.214.191)  14.318 ms  15.294 ms  15.496 ms
14  fra24s06-in-f14.1e100.net (142.250.186.110)  15.851 ms  13.015 ms  13.374 ms
lupus@hope:~$

The first part of the traceroute is important. How the package left your device and fly around to the provider.
My hopper (special entry point for ourside connection) is not behind my VPN. Else the route would have some internal addresses. and Maybe a 192.168.8.xxx address in the traceroute.

But be aware, that google (google.com (142.250.186.110)) is only take this route, because if the route (default via 192.168.xx.1 dev ens18), seen before. It could have gone another way, if there was another route at the device (192.168.xx.213) or the router (192.168.xx.1)

asdffdsa1122 · 2022-08-22T14:03:13.795Z

traceroute prints the path a packet takes from your machine.
quick easy way to see how a packet travels from your local machine to the destintation,
if the packet going over the vpn or not?