Web geolocation

Ok, so I thought I'd give the Demo a try. So here I am, dialed in via 3G clicking the 'Where am I button' expecting it to tell me I'm sitting at MTN's HQ or at the SAT 3 landing station or somewhere as generic as that. What does it tell me?
Oops! An error occurred while trying to determine your position.
Click to expand...

FAIL.
 
Lawl - that's likely a Voda fail. I have been using mobile gmaps on Cell C for some time and it works to within 20m (triangulation - not GPS).

Ok, just given this a try... now this thing makes me wonder. I am connected to Web Africa via ADSL. My notebook is connected to my LAN via WiFi. It picked me up to within 20m - in fact, if you pinpoint the center of the circle, it's right at my house. Anyone care to explain HOW? Is it able to get my ADSL last mile connection or something? There is a Telkom manhole right outside my place... If they are going to do this, the least they can do is let me know exactly how it is done IMO.
 
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FUD

The firefox geo-location demo just does what any website since the dawn of time could always do, which is take the IP address you are connecting from and match it to the geo-location of your ISP. All it adds is that it can also send the IP's of wifi hotspots you are connected to to the website if you let it.
 
I don't know why this scares people so much. I understand the Big Brother phobia, but honestly, why should I care if Google or Mozilla or whoever know my location. In Google's case, if they serve up ads specific to my exact location, they may even be useful.
 
BIG BOSS

BruceA said:
I don't know why this scares people so much. I understand the Big Brother phobia, but honestly, why should I care if Google or Mozilla or whoever know my location. In Google's case, if they serve up ads specific to my exact location, they may even be useful.
Click to expand...

Because soon people willing to pay money will be able to get the datastream from "whoever" -- to keep tabs on their "workers" -- you know -- for "safety" reasons.

This will become enforced company policy

NO longer will you be able to sit in the "Sports-Bar" and tell the boss that you are at the "clients"


Remember -- as much as the Internet ( and all it's offshoots ) enable you to look at the World -- so it enables the World to look at YOU


Anyway this is a weaker version of what is known as WPS -- look it up --> SKYHOOK


MW
 
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Apparently Im in CT...
When I am actually 1000kms north east of that in Bloem
 
psichron said:
The firefox geo-location demo just does what any website since the dawn of time could always do, which is take the IP address you are connecting from and match it to the geo-location of your ISP. All it adds is that it can also send the IP's of wifi hotspots you are connected to to the website if you let it.
Click to expand...

Nope - it tracked me to my place - the center of the kol is my bedroom in my case (I use WebAfrica as an ISP)... I wonder if this service is different from person to person? A colleague in Kenya was down to 70m from his office... anyone else had 'success' with it?
 
HOW???

Ok, so Google employ wardrivers?
How do they know where my personal Wifi point is? I know I have done some wardriving for fun using free apps on the G1 Android - works great and outputs kml format showing all the points you passed along the way...

But how do Google get that info? At first I thought they might have access to the location of public Wifi points but it seems they actually know where my personal home wifi router is... here is how I came to that conclusion:

My LAN setup is simple:
http://mybroadband.co.za/photos/showphoto.php?photo=12062&cat=500

When I click 'where am I' on PC1, it shows me a very general map of the whole town and estimates I'm in town somewhere.
With PC2, Google pinpoints me to my house - 1m accuracy. If I connect PC2 to the CAT5 LAN and do the same, it shows the general location again. Back on Wifi it's the specific location.

PC2 uses the same ADSL router and LAN setup (double Nat'ed) except that it uses Wifi to connect to the LAN. My access point is not setup to broadcast the SSID but somewhere down the line, Google knows where I am...

For the record I am in the Eastern Cape and not Port Elizabeth, so it's not exactly JHB CT or DBN...

Anyone care to explain how??
 
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Lazy said:
I dunno, but I really recommend FF as a browser, it's unable to track me regardless if I use my 3G, Work LAN or ADSL at home.

(And yes, I do allow the 'share location')
Click to expand...

I'm surprised with the 3G thing cos it works on 3G here in the EC... but try any wifi point and let us know...
 
mbp said:
I'm surprised with the 3G thing cos it works on 3G here in the EC... but try any wifi point and let us know...
Click to expand...

Same, I'm on an MTN HSDPA connection at the moment. The only thing is, I'm using a Vodafone Mobile Connect card running the generic Huawei software. I highly doubt that it's causing a problem, but maybe someone else on 3G could check?
 
I was on Cell C when I tested. Have you tried the 'where am I' on google mobile maps? m.gmail.com from your phone's browser
 
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