Put differently, I will not be able to track computer.ipaddress.2 in an online study, because many computers do not have a 2nd active NIC device. Thus, in practice I will not be able to capture computer.ipaddress.2. Is this right?
Yes, that is correct. Note that the IP address property is of limited value for tracking purposes anyway.
There is no guarantee that an interface (even the one establishing the internet connection) is assigned a *public* (i.e., globally routable) address. Many, if not most, people will be behind a NAT and their interfaces will be assigned *private* addresses (10.x.x.x; 192.168.x.x) which are *not globally unique* and unsuitable for tracking or geolocation.
Even if the assigned IP is a public one, IPs are often assigned dynamically. I.e. the next time the interface connects it may be assigned a different IP from the ISP's available block. IP address thus is also unsuitable for tracking double-responders. Even geolocation for public addresses is coarse and imperfect.
Bottom line: If some form of respondent tracking is desired, you may be better off using the 1st NIC's macaddress (computer.macaddress.1), which is (with minor exceptions and disregarding spoofability) that interface's globally unique identifier.
HTH,
~Dave
Thank you - this was helpful!
Best,
Erik
Hi Erik,
Also note that Inquisit now offers automatic tracking through your Millisecond account. On millisecond.com, select the My Account menu, then Participants. Or just follow this link: https://www.millisecond.com/myaccount/reporting/rptscripts.aspx
You'll then see a list of your scripts for which data has been collected, and you can click Activity Log to see participant activity for the script.
This feature is automatic and doesn't require any programming or setup.
Regards,Sean
Hi Sean,
thanks for the hint. Is it possible to track the Ip-Adress and Mac-Adress via this participants reporting?This would be quite useful!!
Best,Erik