IP location API, so confused

hey everyone, total noob here with IP location API stuff. i've been reading the recent thread about geolocation accuracy and it got me thinking about my own app. i'm trying to implement a simple IP API in my app to show user location, just a basic feature for now.

but man, the data i'm getting is super inconsistent. i'm using a free IP location API, and sometimes it's spot on, like right where i am. other times, it's totally wild, showing me in a completely different city, or even continent! it's kinda frustraiting when i'm trying to build something reliable.

here's a fake console output of what i sometimes see:

{
  "ip": "192.168.1.1",
  "country": "United States",
  "city": "Mountain View",
  "latitude": 37.3861,
  "longitude": -122.0839
}
// ... then a few minutes later, same IP (local dev for example) ...
{
  "ip": "192.168.1.1",
  "country": "Germany",
  "city": "Berlin",
  "latitude": 52.5200,
  "longitude": 13.4050
}

so, am i doing something wrong in how i'm calling this IP location API, or is this just normal for free, IP-based geolocation services? any advice for a beginner like me to get more reliable data, or should i just accept this variability? like, are there specific types of IP API services i should look for?

thanks in advance!