Does IP Address Reveal My Physical Location

"Can someone track a user (name, home address, etc.) simply by having their email or IP address? The reason I ask is my kids play some games online, and these sites sometimes have a chat area, where the players can talk to each other while playing. Can my kids be tracked down in any way?"

Are You Invisible Online?

It's true that your IP address is no secret. It's a basic part of internet communication protocols to send your IP address whenever you connect to another site, request a web page, chat, play an online game, etc. Without your IP address, the computer on the other end wouldn't know where to send the reply.

But that doesn't mean that Evildoers can find your house if they know your IP address. Each time you go online (if you have dialup) or each time you start your computer (if you have cable or dsl) you will be assigned an IP address, randomly selected from a pool of IP's assigned to your Internet service provider (ISP). WHOIS Your ISP

So a person MIGHT be able to get a general idea of your geographic location, based on your IP address, by doing a lookup on the WHOIS database, but that will only tell them the physical location of your ISP -- not YOUR home address.

And if you use a large regional or nationwide ISP, the IP lookup probably reveals nothing of interest. For example, if you are an AOL subscriber, your IP address lookup will show the location as Dulles, Virginia -- regardless of where you live. When The Law Comes A Knockin'

Of course there is an exception to every rule. If Joe or Jane User calls your ISP and wants to know who was using a certain IP address last Tuesday, the ISP will tell them to go away. But if an officer of the law hands your ISP a court order to reveal that information, they must do so. Your ISP's logs will enable them to determine which customer was using a certain IP address on a certain date & time, and they must reveal that information if a court has found probable cause that a crime was committed by that person.

But for the truly paranoid (or the criminally inclined) there are ways to surf the web anonymously. The Anonymizer service will act as a proxy between you and your ISP, and they claim that your information cannot be subpoenaed because they do not store it. What About Email Addresses?

The same concepts apply to your email address. The part that follows the "@" sign is your ISP's domain name. And given the domain name, one can determine the ISP's physical location, but nothing personally identifying about the email user without a court order.

Web-based email accounts are not truly anonymous, either. Even if you don't provide your real name when signing up, they can capture your IP address and track you through your ISP if necessary. Other Considerations

It's much more likely that you or your children will reveal your physical location the old fashioned way -- by just blurting it out. Kids who chat or play online games should be reminded often that they should never reveal any personal information, including their last name, phone number or home address.

Oh, and if you have any spyware or viruses on your system, all bets are off. These things are designed to violate your privacy. If you need help with scanning your system for spyware, adware and other unwanted pests, see my articles How can I avoid computer viruses? and Spy, Counter-Spy (http://www.askbobrankin.com/spy_counter-spy.html) for details on how to protect yourself from those risks.

BOB RANKIN... is a tech writer and computer programmer who enjoys exploring the Internet and sharing the fruit of his experience with others. His work has appeared in ComputerWorld, NetGuide, and NY Newsday. Bob is publisher of the Internet TOURBUS newsletter, author of several computer books, and creator of the http://LowfatLinux.com website.

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The Link Between Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and Web Success

As a Web business owner, you probably realize the importance of your site's design and presentation. Your Internet business will not flourish all by itself. It takes hard work and dedication to build a great website. However, there's another important part of your online business that can be overlooked if you're not careful - your Internet Service Provider, or ISP. Your business may be losing money if you choose an Internet Service Provider that's not up to par in service or technology.

Time and Profits

You may ask, "What does my Internet Service Provider have to do with business profits?" For starters, your time is valuable. If you have to spend much time trying to get programs, images or software to load onto your computer, then you are actually wasting time. If you communicate often with instant messenger, a slow loading time can possibly result in losing a client!

Also, you are losing profits when your Internet Service Provider is not providing the best possible connection. To be profitable, your business must run smoothly. It should have as little downtime as possible. When you're down because of a poor Internet connection, your business is down as well. Can you afford to be out of work several times a day?

Remember, time wasted on a slow connection could be spent on promotions, customer service and improving your site or products.

Causes of Slow Internet Connections

A slow Internet connection could be caused by a number of things: older computers, slow dial-up connections, too many people online at once in a neighborhood or office, etc. Even if it costs a little more to sign on with a DSL high speed Internet service, it will be worth it. Here are two major benefits below.

Complete your Online Projects Sooner

With a dependable DSL connection, you'll be able to complete online projects sooner. Projects with deadlines are stressful enough without having to wait on slow connections or slow computers. It's great to be able to work without interruption. This is possible when choosing an Internet Service Provider that offers DSL services to fit your needs.

Combine your Internet Service Provider and Instant Messenger

Another way to save time and improve productivity is to choose an Internet Service Provider that offers combined services. You can have an Internet Service Provider and instant messenger all in one package. A high speed DSL connection with built-in instant messenger can help with customer communications and other online tasks because it all works together. Instead of working with several companies, you're only working with one.

Whether choosing just a DSL connection service or an Internet Service Provider and instant messenger combined package, you'll soon have more time than ever to work on your Internet business!

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web. Learn more about Internet Service Provider Success or Majon's Internet directory.

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How Much Bandwidth is Required for VoIP Phones

A long-standing question for potential VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) consumers is “How much bandwidth does a VoIP phone require to make quality telephone calls?”

First of all, Bandwidth is defined as the ability to transfer data (such as a VoIP telephone call) from one point to another in a fixed amount of time. The higher the bandwidth speed you have, the more data you can send over your Broadband Internet connection.

There are two types of bandwidth at your location: upload bandwidth and download bandwidth. The Upload Bandwidth is the amount of data you can send to the Internet and download bandwidth is the amount of data you can receive from the Internet. The more Internet bandwidth you have from your ISP (Internet Service Provider) the better.

In most cases, the normal VoIP telephone call will use up 90 Kbps (kilobits per second). If you have a Broadband Internet service provider that doesn’t offer much bandwidth then most VoIP providers give you the option to lower the VoIP voice quality by lowering the bandwidth used for VoIP calls to 60 Kbps or, to really conserve your bandwidth, 30 Kbps. Most people can't tell the difference between the three settings. We suggest you use the high sound quality setting (90 Kpbs in most cases), if bandwidth is not an issue. High VoIP voice quality is generally the default setting but if you are running into a situation where your bandwidth is limited then you can adjust your VoIP bandwidth to one of the lower settings. Some consumers with 128 Kbps upload connections can receive less VoIP service quality due to a poor quality ISP (Internet Service Provider). By selecting a lower quality VoIP bandwidth setting, this problem can be avoided.

If you plan on using a VoIP service provider, should you get a DSL or a Cable Internet access provider? In general, DSL upload bandwidth starts at 128k where as Cable Internet upload bandwidth starts at around 600k. Cable Internet is a little bit more expensive, but it is also about 4-5 times faster than residential DSL and a bit friendlier to a VoIP telephone call. Having said that, both DSL and cable modem high-speed services provide sufficient broadband Internet access bandwidth to support any of the top VoIP service providers. If you are experiencing low Broadband Internet Service provider bandwidth, we suggest you try Packet8 VoIP. Packet8 VoIP boasts an advanced compression technology in which each active voice line uses approximately only 23Kbps of total data throughput, upstream and downstream.

The amount of bandwidth that a VoIP provider requires to make a quality telephone call is only one thing to consider when choosing a VoIP service provider. In fact, there are many things to consider when choosing a VoIP provider. An educated consumer generally results in a satisfied consumer.

Please see VoIP things to consider article (http://www.voipchoices.com/voip-considerations.html) to find a list of more things to consider when choosing a VoIP provider. You can also compare VoIP providers side-by-side by price and features at www.VoIPChoices.com

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Choosing the Right ISP

With an increased number of players in the ISP (Internet Service Provider) market, choosing the right ISP is a mind-boggling task. Various ISP services are offered at competitive prices. The consumer can identify which ISP would suit the most, depending on the requirement and nature of work.

The various ISP mediums are satellite, cable broadband, ISDN (International Subscriber Dialing Network), ASDN (Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Lines), DSL service (Digital Subscriber Line), Dial up (and also free dial up). A satellite connection would require the use of a satellite dish and therefore is relatively expensive. A cable broadband ISP would provide fast downloads. A cable ISP usually provides reliable tech-support and services like a spam filter. Connectivity from an ISDN connection is possible, even if the telephone exchange is far away.

DSL Internet service does not tie up the phone-line and is not very expensive. Dial-up is the easiest to set up, available almost everywhere but has the slowest speed. For many, free dial-up offers are very attractive if the requirement is restricted to check mails and surf occasionally. The appropriate service can be ascertained depending on the usage and services required.

There are a number of questions that need to be answered when choosing an ISP. Several bargains are offered on a number of free services like web hosting, and e-mail accounts or various discount packages. The customer should be aware of the cost of additional services added to the package.

The choice of the company may depend on its reliability. A company that has been in the market for a considerable time may have developed better expertise and offer a wider variety of choices to offer. A company, which specializes in Internet services and provides spam along with virus protection, could offer better services. A comprehensive technical support package could be an added advantage with the deal.

ISPs provides detailed information on ISPs, Cheap ISPs, Dsl ISPs, Global ISPs and more. ISPs is affiliated with High Speed Internet Access Providers.

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Where is Satellite Internet Available

If you are interested in upgrading your internet access then you may want to consider satellite internet. However, this newer internet technology is not available nationwide by all satellite internet providers. This fact may incline you to ask, “Where is Satellite Internet Available?” The answer is everywhere, but you need to know what provider serves your area.

In the contingent states of the U.S. satellite internet service is generally available nationwide. However, if you live in an area that has heavy weather patterns that include a lot of precipitation throughout the year then satellite internet service may be too expensive for the type of transmission quality you will be able to get. This is because the Ku frequency that many satellite internet providers utilize is dramatically impaired by rain and other forms of precipitation. Also if your property has a lot of tall trees that block a satellite dish’s ability to send and receive signals to the south then you will either need to find another type of internet service or you will need to clear some trees to get a clear signal.

In remote areas of the country like Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico the answer to where is satellite internet available is a little spottier. These areas are typically not served by satellite internet companies. However, there are a few options that residents of these areas can use. One of these options is SKYFX. This company combines a telecommunication modem with satellite technology to offer satellite internet to anyone that has a phone line. This not only allows people in remote areas to get broadband access to the internet, but it solves a lot of the signal accessibility issues caused by tall trees, position angles, and other obstructions.

In the market for a satellite internet provider? Nationwide Satellite Solutions is your provider of HughesNet internet services as well a great resource that will answer any questions you have. Find out if it available in your area. For more on satellite technology visit the online resource directory.

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