Using the IP Address Locator extension, GEO my WP can use its auto-locator feature to retrieve the user's current location based on his/her IP address rather than using the browser's geolocation feature.
GEO my WP's auto-locator feature takes place in 2 scenarios:
- When a user first visits the site and GEO my WP tries to retrieve his/her current location automatically.
- When the user clicks the locator button of the different elements of GEO my WP, such as the search forms.
You can set the IP Address Locator extension to use the IP address instead of the browser's geolocation in both scenarios mentioned above or only in one of them.
IP Address Providers
The IP Address Locator extension relies on a 3rd-party IP address lookup provider when retrieving the user's location.
There are different IP address providers out there, and at the moment, the IP Address Locator extension supports four different IP address providers that you could choose from.
Listed below are the IP Address Lookup providers that are currently supported by the IP Address Locator extension:
Additional providers might be added in the future.
Please note that each provider offers different plans ( free and/or paid ), might require you to register on their site and/or generate a token/API key, and the accuracy of the location might differ between the different providers.
Please visit the site of each provider for more information before purchasing the extension.
Should I use the IP Address Locator Extension?
One advantage you might find in using the IP address Locator is that it does not require the user's permission when retrieving his current location. Unlike the browser's geolocation feature that asks for the user's permission before it can retrieve his/her location.
On the other hand, the location retrieved by the IP Address Locator might be less accurate than the location retrieved by the browser's geolocation. The accuracy depends solely on the IP Address providers, and the plugin has no control over it.
Moreover, depends on the provider that you choose to use, you might need to sign-up and/or pay for its services.