VPN Change my Location: You might already be familiar with virtual private networks and their applications. They can completely mask your real IP address, which helps maintain personal privacy and ensure security while being connected to open WiFi.
Not only does masking the IP address add an extra layer of security to your network connection, but it also changes location of the user. This allows the user to access even geo-restricted content as the server may not know where you are connected from.
However, there are cases where a VPN will not change your location. As a result, you might be thinking, why is my location not changing even after getting connected to VPN. In this article, we will see some of the limitations of VPN and understand why it is not changing the location.
How Does VPN Work?
VPN works by encrypting all data that passes through its network. The encryption process changes the source IP address of the data packets sent over the internet. By doing so, the encrypted data packets appear to come from another IP address.
This means that when you connect to a VPN service provider, they will assign you a new IP address that belongs to them. This new IP address can be any one of their servers located around the world.
Changing the IP address also results in changing the location of the connection because an IP address also represents the location of the user. This is why whenever you activate a VPN, you can access geo-restricted content such as Netflix, Facebook, etc.
Why is It not Changing My Location Then?
Masking IP addresses does change your location, but if you look at your current location after connecting to a VPN in Google Maps, you will not see any difference. This might make you think that your VPN is not working at all.
However, there is another story behind this subject. When surfing the internet, your location is calculated from the IP address assigned to your network. However, in the case of Google Maps, your location is calculated using the GPS sensor on your phone.
In modern phones, the GPS-based position is even fused with cell towers and the built-in IMU module on the phone. Due to this, even if you are connected to a VPN network, your location on maps will be the same.
Is it a Bad Sign?
Now you must be wondering if a VPN can’t change your actual location, then is that a bad sign? Am I in trouble? The answer to this question is not. Almost all of your online activities involve IP address-based location.
Unless there is a highly sophisticated connection that uses AI-based algorithms to check GPS-based user position, you will remain safe with a VPN. If you are still interested in changing your true location, try using a VPN that provides built-in GPS spoofing capability, which is not very common.
What Happens If You Use a VPN That Does Not Change Your Location?
If you use a VPN that doesn’t change your location, you will have no issues accessing geo-restricted sites like Netflix or Hulu. However, if you want to do something else while browsing the web, you will need to use a proxy server instead.
Proxy servers work by acting as middlemen between you and the websites you visit. They reroute your traffic to different locations based on your requests.
Using a proxy server allows you to browse the internet without being tracked. The downside is that you cannot access geo-restricted content unless you find a good proxy server. Some of these proxies are free, and others charge for their services.
Final Words
A VPN uses the IP masking method to change your location and make you appear as though you are somewhere else. In most cases, this method works well, and you won’t notice anything wrong.
However, you should keep in mind that your actual location remains unchanged, and you can’t change it with the help of a VPN because it is being calculated from satellites using the built-in GNSS sensors on the phone.
We hope you have learned something interesting and useful from this article. Please don’t forget to share it with your friends and family if you found it helpful. Also, if you have any questions about VPNs, feel free to ask them in the comments section below. We would love to hear from you!
Also Read – Is Your Smartphone Listening To You?