AlexFl
Well-Known Member
An apology upfront: this post became much longer than anticipated but I've tried to explain my issue (and my failed attempts at resolving it) as comprehensively as I can.
From logging into my Facebook account and receiving their subsequent emails reporting new 'unusual' Facebook logins near Soweto, to Windy.com insisting that I'm located in Arcadia, Pretoria - I've apparently had the full gambit of travel throughout Gauteng and beyond. The devices that I'm using when learning this absolute drivel, are with me some 35+ kilometers from these incorrectly stated locations.
This geolocation error presents itself on websites that have a location dependency, or websites that automatically send a recent/new login alert email (eg. Facebook's email ".... Was this you? .... Near Soweto, South Africa"). It happens irrespective of whether I log into such websites using Google ("Continue with..." pick a Google account), Facebook or where I've gone through the motions of setting up an email/username & password login.
Even clicking on the 'Your Location' icon in Google Maps (signed into any of my few Google accounts) zooms me far out from the default/opening/standard Google Maps view to a view that's appr. 88km (across / west to east) x 46km (high) centred on.... Moletsane, a place in Soweto that I don't think I'd previously even heard of!
On my Android phone, sitting right next to the aforementioned deviant laptops, Google Maps reflects my correct geographic location without a hitch (simultaneously, signed into the same Google account).
(I can't recall, and thus can't presently confirm, but I think that the Windows laptop reports Google Maps 'Your Location' geolocation correctly when I'm at my workplace using Chrome browser and the workplace internet access).
I think that I've been experiencing this geolocation error for at least 2 years now. Sometimes I can live with it, other times I can't. I haven't found a way to fix it.
My somewhat sporadic attempts at trying to resolve this since haven't been uber scientific, but they've cost me hours in aimless tinkering and much (previously) brown hair
.
Over the years, from the same geographic location, I've tried...
I don't know why this is happening!
To illustrate: At one time, whilst subscribed to a dating website and only seeing 'prospects' from (insert from a list of entirely unknown suburbs), that are apparently within (insert distance I specified to known, neighbouring suburbs from my location), this problem drove me to near distraction.
I then followed a 'trick' gleaned online whereby (now how does a non technical person describe this other than with keywords?): Chrome, Chrome profile logged into Google account, log out of (insert whichever currently 'offending' website), clear cookies of and permissions for said 'offending' website, right click on Google.com site -> Inspect -> Sensors -> Location -> Manage -> Add Location -> insert geographic co-ordinates of my physical location (search my Jo'burg street address on Google Maps, right click position marker on map, copy/paste these GPS co-ords from Google Maps) and then 'forced' that as my defacto physical geographic location.
That had (sometimes?) momentarily helped on the 'offending' websites and then the same #@!$ would arise again within seconds (?), minutes (?), hours (?) or days (?). My sense is that the 'work around' worked inconsistently and randomly.
In conclusion: I've tried tinkering with all of the variables that I can think of (using different web access points - router vs hot-spot/s, different computers with different operating systems, different browsers, different Google accounts, clearing website cookies and/or permissions, logging out of all other devices that my Google account may be logged into, logging out and back in to the problematic websites, sequences of any/all of the aforementioned, etc.). From memory, neither laptop/operating system seems to have a location setting. The Android cellphone is set to it's most accurate locations setting.
I'm just an intermediate user with enough tech 'insight' to be dangerous
who's nearing the end of his tether and is consequently on the verge of going analogue again (through utter &@$*ing frustration 
)!
Can anyone help me, please?
From logging into my Facebook account and receiving their subsequent emails reporting new 'unusual' Facebook logins near Soweto, to Windy.com insisting that I'm located in Arcadia, Pretoria - I've apparently had the full gambit of travel throughout Gauteng and beyond. The devices that I'm using when learning this absolute drivel, are with me some 35+ kilometers from these incorrectly stated locations.
This geolocation error presents itself on websites that have a location dependency, or websites that automatically send a recent/new login alert email (eg. Facebook's email ".... Was this you? .... Near Soweto, South Africa"). It happens irrespective of whether I log into such websites using Google ("Continue with..." pick a Google account), Facebook or where I've gone through the motions of setting up an email/username & password login.
Even clicking on the 'Your Location' icon in Google Maps (signed into any of my few Google accounts) zooms me far out from the default/opening/standard Google Maps view to a view that's appr. 88km (across / west to east) x 46km (high) centred on.... Moletsane, a place in Soweto that I don't think I'd previously even heard of!
On my Android phone, sitting right next to the aforementioned deviant laptops, Google Maps reflects my correct geographic location without a hitch (simultaneously, signed into the same Google account).
(I can't recall, and thus can't presently confirm, but I think that the Windows laptop reports Google Maps 'Your Location' geolocation correctly when I'm at my workplace using Chrome browser and the workplace internet access).
I think that I've been experiencing this geolocation error for at least 2 years now. Sometimes I can live with it, other times I can't. I haven't found a way to fix it.
My somewhat sporadic attempts at trying to resolve this since haven't been uber scientific, but they've cost me hours in aimless tinkering and much (previously) brown hair
.Over the years, from the same geographic location, I've tried...
An old laptop on Linux and a newer laptop on Windows
Accessing the web from my LTE router vs. hot spotting from 2 different Android phones
About 3 different Google accounts
Different browsers (definitely: Chrome & Firefox, possibly: Brave & Opera)
I don't know why this is happening!
To illustrate: At one time, whilst subscribed to a dating website and only seeing 'prospects' from (insert from a list of entirely unknown suburbs), that are apparently within (insert distance I specified to known, neighbouring suburbs from my location), this problem drove me to near distraction.
I then followed a 'trick' gleaned online whereby (now how does a non technical person describe this other than with keywords?): Chrome, Chrome profile logged into Google account, log out of (insert whichever currently 'offending' website), clear cookies of and permissions for said 'offending' website, right click on Google.com site -> Inspect -> Sensors -> Location -> Manage -> Add Location -> insert geographic co-ordinates of my physical location (search my Jo'burg street address on Google Maps, right click position marker on map, copy/paste these GPS co-ords from Google Maps) and then 'forced' that as my defacto physical geographic location.
That had (sometimes?) momentarily helped on the 'offending' websites and then the same #@!$ would arise again within seconds (?), minutes (?), hours (?) or days (?). My sense is that the 'work around' worked inconsistently and randomly.
In conclusion: I've tried tinkering with all of the variables that I can think of (using different web access points - router vs hot-spot/s, different computers with different operating systems, different browsers, different Google accounts, clearing website cookies and/or permissions, logging out of all other devices that my Google account may be logged into, logging out and back in to the problematic websites, sequences of any/all of the aforementioned, etc.). From memory, neither laptop/operating system seems to have a location setting. The Android cellphone is set to it's most accurate locations setting.
I'm just an intermediate user with enough tech 'insight' to be dangerous
who's nearing the end of his tether and is consequently on the verge of going analogue again (through utter &@$*ing frustration )!Can anyone help me, please?
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