A
Antonio M Salazar
Guest
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)]I’m trying to better understand how my Windows laptop knows my precise location. [/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)]I learnt that if, for example, I open the Microsoft Maps app in my Windows laptop, it can pinpoint my exact location by checking online on a database Microsoft has, that tracks nearby WIFI Access Points MAC addresses to the GPS location that had been previously reported by GPS able devices such as smartphones nearby.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)]This is really contrived and smart way to help non-GPS able computers know their location.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)]My doubt is: Do Google, Microsoft, Apple, etc, share this database?, or do they keep their databases independently, which would seem like a wasted effort.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)]I say this because, the way I understand this works (please correct me if I’m wrong), is that most Android phones report this WAP-to-GPS location to Google (I can’t see any Microsoft service or app reporting this in my Android phone settings), while Apple phones I guess report this to Apple.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)]So, how may a Windows 10 laptop pinpoint the location of nearby WAPs if there’re aren’t any phones updating their database? Aren’t these vendors just sharing these databases?[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)]Any clarification much appreciated. [/COLOR]
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[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)]I learnt that if, for example, I open the Microsoft Maps app in my Windows laptop, it can pinpoint my exact location by checking online on a database Microsoft has, that tracks nearby WIFI Access Points MAC addresses to the GPS location that had been previously reported by GPS able devices such as smartphones nearby.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)]This is really contrived and smart way to help non-GPS able computers know their location.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)]My doubt is: Do Google, Microsoft, Apple, etc, share this database?, or do they keep their databases independently, which would seem like a wasted effort.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)]I say this because, the way I understand this works (please correct me if I’m wrong), is that most Android phones report this WAP-to-GPS location to Google (I can’t see any Microsoft service or app reporting this in my Android phone settings), while Apple phones I guess report this to Apple.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)]So, how may a Windows 10 laptop pinpoint the location of nearby WAPs if there’re aren’t any phones updating their database? Aren’t these vendors just sharing these databases?[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)]Any clarification much appreciated. [/COLOR]
Continue reading...