ATT Mobley IP address and VPN ??

[TenOC]

I have the grandfather AT&T Mobley unlimited $20.00 per month internet service. I love it.

I have noticed that when I am parked for 2 to 6 weeks at the same campground the mobley assigns a "random" IP address that may be 400 to 600 miles away. No problem except when I am looking for a local place to eat or shop I have to enter my correct zip code.

Today I am parked outside Nashville, but my IP is 107.77.236.33 some place in Kansas.

Since I do not have a stable IP address, do I need a VPN?

[MrWizard]

As a mobile data device it might not
As it is not FCC required
But the cell tower and AT&T know your Mobleys geographic location, if not the street address,
If location services are turned on, on the device that is using the mobley WiFi
Then Google know which city you are in or near

[Dutch_12078]

I don't recall the Mobley supporting a GPS feature...

[MrWizard]

pconroy328 wrote:
My Android phone thinks it's in Dallas too. And I'm in Denver. A VPN won't fix that. In fact, my VPN server is in Dallas, so the best I'd do is break-even. 🙂

Do you have location services turned on ?

Emg 911 location is always on
I mean Google location services on the phone
If this is on your IP address should reflect your proximity to the cell tower

If turned on off, location will show as whatever Telco server is connecting you to the internet

(When I turn off locating on my phone, location ip will show me many many miles from where I am at)

TenOc
Try logging into your Mobley, and your AT&T account
Look for the option to turn on gps location in the Mobley settings

On most mobile devices the gps is part of the main processor chip
And also includes the BT transmitter and the wifi transmitter and the GPU aka the graphics processor
The whole want phone or tablet is on one chip
The Mobley is a cellular/phone device without the programming to make calls and optimized for data thru put

[Dutch_12078]

Moving the Mobley SIM to another hotspot can give you the advantage of reception on more frequency bands as well as a better internal antenna and the option of using external antennas. Plus, the transplant hotspot will likely allow more device connections than the Mobley and is not subject to the timeout limits of the Mobley. Oh, and the built in rechargeable battery adds more portability.

What are the drawbacks you see?

[TenOC]

Bill.Satellite wrote:
I have my Mobley SIM in a Netgear MiFi with the GPS location turned on. It takes a bit of time but the router will pick up my location and give me the correct search results.

I never understood the advantage of moving a Mobley SIM to a different router. My Mobley gives me WIFI to everyplace in my 30 foot TT plus I can quickly move it to my TV when I leave the TT at the campground.

I do have a old MiFi that I could use for GPS location.

What are the other advantages of moving the SIM? I can see a number of drawbacks.

[Bill_Satellite]

I have my Mobley SIM in a Netgear MiFi with the GPS location turned on. It takes a bit of time but the router will pick up my location and give me the correct search results.

[pconroy328]

My Android phone thinks it's in Dallas too. And I'm in Denver. A VPN won't fix that. In fact, my VPN server is in Dallas, so the best I'd do is break-even. 🙂

[Dutch_12078]

ralphnjoann wrote:

Dutch_12078 wrote:
Depending on the device you're using, there may be add-ons or apps that you can use to "fake" your location. I use "Location Guard" with Chrome and Firefox on my laptop, and "Fake GPS" on my Android phone when I want a different location from where the device thinks I am.

Location Guard won't work if the website uses your IP address to determine your location. My Mobely IP address is in Dallas, TX and that's where I usually wind up, when for example, I'm shopping online.

Note that I said, "there may be add-ons or apps...", not that there absolutely is. Locast.org for instance, uses the IP address as one factor in it's geo-fencing algorithm, but Location Guard or Fake GPS easily fool it into seeing you as someplace else entirely. I'm currently in upstate NY and my Connected Car Plan IP puts me in NYC, yet Locast thinks I'm in San Francisco using Location Guard or Fake GPS. The Locast app on my Firestick though, thinks I'm in NYC per the IP address. I've read that a VPN will work on the Firestick, but I have not had a need to try it yet.

[ralphnjoann]

Dutch_12078 wrote:
Depending on the device you're using, there may be add-ons or apps that you can use to "fake" your location. I use "Location Guard" with Chrome and Firefox on my laptop, and "Fake GPS" on my Android phone when I want a different location from where the device thinks I am.

Location Guard won't work if the website uses your IP address to determine your location. My Mobely IP address is in Dallas, TX and that's where I usually wind up, when for example, I'm shopping online.

[naturist]

What do you expect a vpn to do for you?

If you want a local IP address, a vpn wil not help at all. If you want to secure banking transactions, or shield your Internet travels from prying eyes, or escape other people’s net nannies, a vpn is helpful.

[Dutch_12078]

Depending on the device you're using, there may be add-ons or apps that you can use to "fake" your location. I use "Location Guard" with Chrome and Firefox on my laptop, and "Fake GPS" on my Android phone when I want a different location from where the device thinks I am.

[LittleBill]

vpn will give you the same issue, by only suggesting locations where the vpn server is physically located