Block IP address from google analytics

September 10, 2012 5:09 AM

How do I exclude my IP address from Google Analytics once and for all?

I'm traveling at the moment and I use a mac. I won't be staying in one place for too long for the next year and will continually use new internet sources pretty much every day or every other day.

I just started using Google Analytics. I'm confused because, well, for one I guess I don't understand what an IP address is. But I'm guessing that if I'm continually on the move and switching to new wifi every day or every other day...my IP address changes, is that right?

So I just looked up my IP address yesterday when I realized GAnalytics was recording my data and created a filter for it...but when I go under Networks to find the IP address vs. whatismyip.com, I get two different numbers! Can anyone explain this?

Also, I did read that I could make my IP address static, but I tried and it conflicts with the router...basically it just won't let me or I'm doing it wrong.

I don't want to have to look up my IP address (or my two IP addresses??) every time I get connected to a new internet source so that I can block myself from getting recorded into gAnalytics. Does anyone have a solution?

Thanks

posted by bluelight to technology (9 answers total)

But I'm guessing that if I'm continually on the move and switching to new wifi every day or every other day...my IP address changes, is that right?

Yes.

So I just looked up my IP address yesterday when I realized GAnalytics was recording my data and created a filter for it...but when I go under Networks to find the IP address vs. whatismyip.com, I get two different numbers! Can anyone explain this?

You might be comparing your local IP (the IP address that the wifi router assigns your computer) with your external IP (the IP that the wifi router has when it connects to the internet). For the purposes of using GA, I would use the IP that whatismyip.com shows you, as this will be your external IP and the one that GA sees.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 5:19 AM on September 10, 2012

I don't want to have to look up my IP address (or my two IP addresses??) every time I get connected to a new internet source so that I can block myself from getting recorded into gAnalytics. Does anyone have a solution?

The easiest way would be to make sure your access to the site(s) in question is always coming from the same location. Probably the easiest way to do this would be to set up a proxy in the web browsers that you use, assuming you have a reliable proxy to use. A VPN service with a static IP or SSH tunneling would also work.
posted by reptile at 5:27 AM on September 10, 2012

You can have two different types of IP addresses... static and dynamic:

Static IPs are configured by the client. But you have to know several things in order for that static IP to work correctly:

- What subnet you're in (eg. your local IP could be 192.168.1.x where x can be 1 - 254)
- What subnet mask is needed (255.255.255.0 is common for small networks, but it changes for much larger ones)
- What gateway your network uses to get to the outside world (eg. 192.168.1.1 could be your gateway, which means it is reserved and should not also be used as your local address)

Dynamic IPs however take a lot of the guesswork, as all of the above parameters are served to you via a service called DHCP. DHCP will assign you an IP address along with other data to connect you to the network. That assignment only lasts for a period however called a lease. Once the lease expires, your computer will request a new lease...if no other device took over your old IP, you'll typically get to keep it. However on busy networks, IP addresses will play musical chairs quite often.

For every network you connect to, you'll be communicating with a different DHCP server. These servers are only aware of the IP tables they manage, so they will assign you a brand new IP regardless of what you had on a different network.

At home, you will typically have a DHCP server built into your modem/router. This gives you typically a 192.168.x.x or 10.10.x.x address. These are considered private IPs, and are not addressable from the larger internet.

With that being said...your modem/router is also typically a DHCP client. This means that it too requests an IP from your internet service provider. This IP will typically be internet addressable, meaning you could ping it or see it from anywhere in the world.
posted by samsara at 5:33 AM on September 10, 2012

typos a plenty: *Dynamic IPs however take *out* a lot of the guesswork
posted by samsara at 5:35 AM on September 10, 2012

On other products, such as Piwik, you can exclude admins based on cookies. Maybe Google Analytics has that feature too?
posted by devnull at 6:45 AM on September 10, 2012

forget the IP address. you mentioned you use a mac. just install ghostery, tell it to block google analytics next time your browser accesses a site using it and you won't show up in any stats. simple as that.
posted by krautland at 7:47 AM on September 10, 2012

1. Get an ad blocker (Adblock Plus for Chrome or Firefox; Glimmerblocker for Safari)
2. Tell it to block "google-analytics.com/ga.js"
3. Google Analytics won't know you exist. This will apply to all Web sites, not just your own.

If you're on a Mac you might want to just use GlimmerBlocker for this if you use more than one Web browser, or Safari (Safari doesn't have Adblock).

(On preview, using Ghostery would do the same thing.)
posted by neckro23 at 7:50 AM on September 10, 2012

I think you want the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
posted by jjwiseman at 8:31 AM on September 10, 2012

jjwiseman has it.
posted by devnull at 1:46 AM on September 13, 2012