macos maps doesn't know location when wifi is off.

pjgrandinetti wrote:

Can you explain the logic behind this design choice? I'm not asking to "fake" my location.

Your own motivations aside, you’re asking for a mechanism that would absolutely be immediately and widely used to fake location.

For this case, you’re asking for this workaround because your local wireless network environment is somehow stuffed. That’s usually due to interference of some sort, or a hardware problem. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth routinely operate together without issues, and the same communications hardware is widely used for both, as well.

Whether this is a bad cable or some other bad device emitting interference, or a marginal Bluetooth device transmitting or receiving, or some other issue or interference arising, by all means shut off Wi-Fi. That’s certainly an option you can choose. Or you can find and fix the problem. Or switch to wired devices.

I’ve used WiFi explorer app to locate Wi-Fi contention, and a Wi-Fi pile-up can potentially cause Bluetooth issues.

We can get some idea of the Wi-Fi environment with the data from the Mac without adding any apps. Tomfetch that data, you can option-click on the Wi-Fi 🛜 logo in the menu bar, and can post the green-highlighted data here. Don’t post the red data.

I'm just asking for MacOS maps to have a default location for searching for local businesses when Wifi is off. It makes no sense to show me restaurants in Cupertino when I live in Ohio.

This is bad, yes, but it's the local environment or hardware that’s central the issue.

This is a bad design.

With no offense intended, your proposed workaround has also some large issues, too.

But as implemented, this is the way things work when Wi-Fi is off. Send your feedback to Apple.

pjgrandinetti wrote:

why do they not let me provide a default location when they can’t guess?

Why questions are best directed at Apple.

Apple already has one “somewhat wrong” location available from the ISP, too.

Send your feedback to Apple: Product Feedback - Apple

Or troubleshoot and resolve the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth issues, as Apple is unlikely to back off of wireless usage.

pjgrandinetti wrote:

Yeah, manually setting the time zone doesn’t work.

As mentioned, that only works for the Clock time.

Standing mac mini on side helps with bluetooth but turning wifi off helps more.

In addition to Wi-Fi, poorly shielded USB cables, drives and other devices can also cause Bluetooth issues.

see > Resolve Wi-Fi and Bluetooth issues caused by wireless interference - Apple Support

Seems like a serious oversight to not allow user to set default location when wifi is off.

As mentioned, you will need to send Feedback to Apple.

using > Feedback - Mac mini - Apple

and > Feedback - macOS - Apple

Maps and other App’s use Wi- FI for location services and there is no work-around for that. The only thing that you can adjust when Wi-FI is off, is the Time Zone for the clock.

One thing that you can test to improve both Bluetooth and Wi-FI reception, is to stand the Mac mini on its side. If that helps but you have consents about it falling over, then you can get and use a side stand.

https://www.google.com/search?

Mac lacks GPS hardware.

Wi-Fi is how the Mac determines its location, secondary to some other GPS-capable device having previously identified and localized the Wi-Fi network and uploaded that positioning data.

Geolocation by IP address is probably best assumed to be correct within the same country, and locations can routinely be off by hundreds of kilometers or more.

Macs don't have the radios needed to tap into the Global Positioning System (or other similar systems).

So the only way they can guess your location would be based on your Internet address (which can be deceptive – that might lead them to think you were at the physical address of one of your ISP's routers located in another city), or by comparing nearby Wi-Fi broadcasts to a database that someone compiled of SSIDs and physical locations.

That's why you need Wi-Fi on for Location Services. Even iPhones, which can triangulate their position based on GPS signals, will also use the Wi-Fi method (when available) for fine-tuning their location estimates.

Discussing design is not allowed here unfortunately. Your location will be precise with WiFi. Turning it off is your choice. In other words, Apple isn’t messing with your location, you are. You’re allowed to do that, but I wouldn’t call any restaurants in Cupertino IIWY. Have a nice day!

That’s a lot of ask for something that works as designed without a hiccup for almost everyone.

Listen, there’s nothing more you can do after sending Feedback. It is what it is and ain’t (never) gonna change. So work around it as best as you can. Why not keep the string Columbus OH in a notepad file for ready copy-pasting? That should do the trick. Or use your mobile device for location-accurate searches.

All the best!

No, it’s by design. Maps locations are not under a user’s control - they have to be verifiable by Apple tech which in turn requires WiFi.