diff --git a/backend/getIP.php b/backend/getIP.php
index 55ac99b7c..675224acf 100755
--- a/backend/getIP.php
+++ b/backend/getIP.php
@@ -134,13 +134,14 @@ function getIspInfo_ipinfoApi($ip){
     ]);
 }
 
-require_once("geoip2.phar");
-use MaxMind\Db\Reader;
+if (PHP_MAJOR_VERSION >= 8){
+    require_once("geoip2.phar");
+}
 function getIspInfo_ipinfoOfflineDb($ip){
     if (!file_exists(OFFLINE_IPINFO_DB_FILE) || !is_readable(OFFLINE_IPINFO_DB_FILE)){
         return null;
     }
-    $reader = new Reader(OFFLINE_IPINFO_DB_FILE);
+    $reader = new MaxMind\Db\Reader(OFFLINE_IPINFO_DB_FILE);
     $data = $reader->get($ip);
     if(!is_array($data)){
         return null;
@@ -180,16 +181,21 @@ function formatResponse_simple($ip,$ispName=null){
     if (is_string($localIpInfo)) {
         echo formatResponse_simple($ip,$localIpInfo);
     }else{
-        $r=getIspInfo_ipinfoApi($ip);
-        if(!is_null($r)){
-            echo $r;
-        }else{
-            $r=getIspInfo_ipinfoOfflineDb($ip);
+        //ipinfo API and offline db require PHP 8 or newer
+        if (PHP_MAJOR_VERSION >= 8){
+            $r=getIspInfo_ipinfoApi($ip);
             if(!is_null($r)){
                 echo $r;
             }else{
-                echo formatResponse_simple($ip);
+                $r=getIspInfo_ipinfoOfflineDb($ip);
+                if(!is_null($r)){
+                    echo $r;
+                }else{
+                    echo formatResponse_simple($ip);
+                }
             }
+        }else{
+            echo formatResponse_simple($ip);
         }
     }
 }else{
diff --git a/doc.md b/doc.md
index 21ca721e3..352192846 100755
--- a/doc.md
+++ b/doc.md
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ More guides will be added later
 Server side, you'll need:
 
 * Apache 2 (nginx and IIS also supported). A fast internet connection is required (possibly gigabit), and the web server must accept large POST requests (up to 20MB)
-* PHP 5.4 or newer, a 64-bit version is strongly recommended
+* PHP 5.4 or newer (8.0 required for ISP and distance detection), a 64-bit version is strongly recommended
 * OpenSSL and its PHP module (this is usually installed automatically by most distros)
 * If you want to store test results (telemetry), one of the following:
   * MySQL/MariaDB and its PHP PDO module
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ This is the server that your users will first connect to. It hosts the UI, the J
 Requirements:
 
 * Apache 2 (nginx and IIS also supported). A fast connection is not mandatory, but is still recommended
-* PHP 5.4 or newer
+* PHP 5.4 or newer, a 64-bit version is strongly recommended
 * If you want to store test results (telemetry), one of the following:
   * MySQL/MariaDB and its PHP PDO module
   * PostgreSQL and its PHP PDO module
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ These are the servers that will actually be used to perform the test.
 Requirements:
 
 * Apache 2 (nginx and IIS also supported). A fast internet connection is required (possibly gigabit), and the web server must accept large POST requests (up to 20MB)
-* PHP 5.4 or newer
+* PHP 5.4 or newer (8.0 required for ISP and distance detection)
 * OpenSSL and its PHP module (this is usually installed automatically by most distros)
 
 To install a backend, simply copy all the files in the `backend` folder to your backend server.