Why can a scan location show a different city?

The location shown in E-lemento reports is approximate. It is estimated from the IP address of the connection used to access the QR Code and may differ from where the person actually was.

If you scanned a QR Code inside your store and another city appeared, the network could explain that difference. Here is how to interpret the estimate.

What this guide covers

How the estimate is produced
IP versus device location
Error margins and reasons for discrepancies
Using reports and reporting a problem

How does E-lemento estimate location?

The device connects through a network, such as Wi-Fi or mobile internet. We look up that connection’s public IP address in a geolocation database to obtain information such as country, region and city.

An IP address does not contain a GPS coordinate. Databases associate network addresses with areas using information such as carrier data, records and internet infrastructure measurements. These associations need to keep up with network changes and may contain errors. The report therefore estimates the connection’s location rather than directly measuring the device’s position.

How does IP location differ from device location?

IP location, used in our reports, looks up information associated with the internet connection. It does not request GPS access and can indicate a different area from where the person is.

Device location requires permission. The browser or operating system may combine GPS, Wi-Fi signals, mobile networks and other sources. It may provide a closer estimate, but depends on the device, conditions and permission granted. It can also be inaccurate.

E-lemento’s current statistics method does not request device location to determine scan cities. An external page opened by a QR Code may request location permission under its own operation; that depends on the destination’s operator.

What is the margin of error?

There is no single margin that applies to every IP. One estimate may be close to the real location, while another may point to a distant city. It would therefore be misleading to claim that every scan is accurate to a fixed number of metres or kilometres.

Three distinctions matter:

Country, region and city are different levels. A correct country does not imply a correct municipality.
Distance and municipality are different measures. A nearby point can be across a city boundary; a more distant point can still lie within a large municipality.
A city being present in a report means that an estimate was available, rather than confirming the person was there.

Current E-lemento reports do not provide an individual error margin in kilometres for each scan. We do not claim an overall accuracy percentage of our own, since this has not been measured on a representative sample of our scans.

What does an accuracy radius mean?

Some services return coordinates with an estimated radius. This represents a likely area according to that provider’s method, rather than a guaranteed distance to the person.

For example, a point accompanied by a 50 km radius should be read as an estimated area around that coordinate. It does not mean the device is at the centre, the city is correct or the actual location always falls inside the circle. This example is illustrative and is not the error margin of E-lemento scans.

Why can another city, region or country appear?

Mobile internet: the carrier can route traffic through an exit point in another city. People in different locations may also share one public IP, making it difficult to associate the address with a single position.

VPNs, proxies and corporate networks: the visible address may belong to the network’s exit point, including one in another region or country.

IP and infrastructure changes: addresses can be reassigned before the database reflects the change.

Wi-Fi does not guarantee the correct city either. The estimate still depends on the provider and how the network reaches the internet. Connecting to Wi-Fi does not provide the establishment’s physical position.

Does an unexpected location mean the QR Code failed?

Not necessarily. The destination working correctly and the geographic estimate are separate matters. An unexpected city alone does not prove QR failure, fraud or unauthorized access.

Someone may also share a locally distributed QR image or link with a person elsewhere. This is a possibility to investigate, rather than an automatic explanation for every discrepancy.

How should I use location reports?

Use them to observe trends and compare the regional distribution of traffic over time. Avoid deciding where a person was from a single scan.

Separate QR Codes for different distribution points can help identify which material was accessed without relying only on the estimated city. This still does not prove physical presence, since a QR Code can be shared.

Location reports should not be used as proof of address, check-in, event attendance or an access control mechanism.

How can I report a discrepancy?

Open a support ticket with the QR Code, approximate scan date and time, displayed city and expected city. If known, include whether the connection used Wi-Fi, mobile internet or a VPN. Do not send passwords or a home’s exact location. These details help investigate the difference, but do not guarantee identification of the actual location or retrospective correction of the history.