Does iPad 2 WiFi Really Have No GPS???

This was my question also.

So I asked the Apple Retail Store manager.

He said only the WiFi 3G has GPS and only if a ATT or Verizon contract is activated.

Well, its wrong. Only the 3G model has a GPS but a cellular contract is not required to turn on GPS.

Assisted GPS is only used by Google Maps.

"Assisted GPS is only used by Google Maps."

This is incorrect.

The GPS chip uses assisted GPS, not an app. The apps simply get the coordinates from the GPS receiver. They don't care/know if it is assisted or not.

@deggie

You level of knowledge is so basic and your mannerism to others so rude I really don't know where to start.

You find me a non google app that uses A-GPS and we'll call it quits.

Confident ignorance.... sigh.

You have no idea what my level of knowledge is.

How was I rude to you, I just asked if you knew how A-GPS worked, since you were decribing it as a function called by the OS I did not want to make any assumptions.

I already listed one app, there are many others that use it including Loopt, Facebook, etc.

Hi Chis,

Can you explain how mine locates itself even with wifi turned off?

I have mapquest installed, and it has the entire route from my work to my house.

I stopped at a place which is in between my route, took my ipad out of my briefcase, launched mapquest, and it panned and centered to my location. there's no wifi around, wifi is turned off in the settings, and it obviously has no 3g module built in to get positional data from the mobile towers.

Mapquet does complain about network unavailability when I try to pan to the area outside the cached area of the map though. How is it possible without a built-in gps unit?

Since A-GPS uses cell towers for triangulation how would a WiFi only iPad, that has no cell radio or chip, be able to use A-GPS?

The only reason I can think of that @holoduke is getting any kind of location information is that turning WiFi off while location services are still on allows the iPad to acquire location from routers near it. I don't have access to a WiFi only iPad right now so I can't test it.

You didn't read that link I sent you, did you?

That's about right. The app, whatever it is just gets coordinates whichever device it is running on if they are available. I just did a test by turning my wifi off and on again while walking around neighborhood.

With wifi off, my position would never change. My position marker showed up greyed out to show that I was not getting updated position information. With wifi on, my position did change even though I was only in range of networks that I was not connected to. Position information was nowhere near as accurate as it is while using my iPhone.

If you read through the link that I believe deggie posted you'll notice that there is also mention of cell tower usage. I believe that a connection to a cell phone might pass through cell phone triangulation information which would explain why someone would be able to get a map program to find their position even with wifi turned off. I don't want to lose my unlimited plan to test this theory though.

I do know that some location aware programs allow you to use a lower power mode for finding your position. MotionX GPS Drive, for example, can use a higher power mode when iPhone is plugged into a charger. Some of the social apps use a really low power mode that seriously lowers the accuracy. I'm not positive, but the low power mode may be using only cell towers and wi-fi or simply finding the position less often.

Chris CA or Deggie what ever you call youself now.

"As deggiempointed out, this is completely incorrect. A wifi only iPad does not have any GPS or A-GPS receiver."

Try driving about in a iPad WiFi only model before making such a statement.

Basically you and your alter ego are rudely calling people here who have tried it liars.

I've got a social network app somewhere on my iPhone that offers a very low power mode. Might be loopt, not sure. Power drain is not much more than not running gps at all. I think it's yet another step below the 3 satellite option where only cell towers and maybe wifi are used even though the device has full gps support. Some apps may enable this mode only when they are put in background. Obviously not going to be any good for navigation apps, but reasonable for social apps that keep your position available all the time. It takes MotionX GPS about 4 or 5 hours to drain my iPhone battery even with the screen off most of the time.

If an app were to do the low power mode only when in background then the user would still get responsive updates while looking at the app. Battery drain would be lower in background but position also less accurate.

Chris CA is a member that lives in Colorado.

deggie is a member that lives in Bedford, Texas

I did attempt to get a location with an iPod Touch once just for grins while out on the highway. Didn't work, wasn't close enough to any routers.

I have not called you a liar, I pointed out, and so did Chris, that A-GPS is a function of the GPS chip, and uses cell technology. It does not use WiFi or WiFi routers. This is clearly spelled out in the article I linked to you. I strongly suggest you take the time to read it, you will learn a lot from it.

Apple devices that do not have a GPS chip (which is part of the cell chip on the iPhone and iPad) acquire their location through a database of WiFi routers that Apple builds from information sent by users. This resulted in some controversy that was played out in the news media a few months ago and resulted in an upgrade in the iOS to correct the device from retaining this location information.

I do drive with my iPad all the time. It will update the location occasionally when passing wifi spots.

A-GPS is a GPS chip that also uses cell towers to get a faster fix while it is acquiring satellites.

A wifi onl iPad does not have a GPS receiver or cell capability, therefore a wifi only iPad cannot, under any circumstances, use GPS or A-GPS.

It does use location services via wifi spots, even if you are not actually connected to that spot.

"It's the assisted part of assisted gps without the gps. No gps receiver, but wifi for the assisted part."

No.

The 3G iPad can get locations in three way.

GPS satellites.

Cell towers (the A in A-GPS)

Wifi hotspots.

The wifi only iPad can get location in only one way.

Wifi hotspots.

Tom is right. Chris CA/Deggie seems to be learning as they give advice.

A-GPS can utilize both cellualr and WiFi bands.

I realize it feels good to help people and get points, but, lets stay within our competence.

No, he isn't. Maybe he will actually click on that link and read it as it clearly states A-GPS is a GPS chip technology that uses cell technology and cell towers. WiFi cannot use cell towers.

I agree, people should stay within their competence. Take your own advice.

From the wikipedia article on A-GPS:

Many mobile phones combine A-GPS and other location services including Wi-Fi Positioning System and cell-site triangulation and sometimes a hybrid positioning system.

We can argue on details in the definitions, but what's the point. Cellular iOS devices can use every available resource, including wi-fi to find position. Non cellular devices have to rely on wi-fi, but I've read posts indicating that a tethered phone can pass location information to a wifi only device.