Personal Hotspot GPS Location Services ?

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Level 1

5 points

Personal Hotspot GPS Location Services ?

So I've set up a Personal Hotspot on my iPhone 4 for my new wifi iPad. The wifi iPad does not have it's own gps receiver. From my understanding the wifi iPad gets it's approximate location by looking up from a database of wifi locations that it is currently receiveing. I guess this wifi database is assmebled by Apple or Google or some such. I'm assuming that since the Personal Hotspot is mobile that there is no database location for the iPad to see in this case. But, the iPhone has it's true GPS location updated realtime.

1. So does the iPhone Personal Hotspot somehow communicate it's GPS location to the iPad realtime for the Location Services of the iPad? If not - then why not?

2. Is this something Apple can add in a future OS update?

3. Or, can an App be developed for this?

It would be a shame to have the Personal Hotspot GPS location known realtime by the phone but not communicated to the iPad or other devices.

iphone 4, iOS 4

Posted on Mar 15, 2011 9:54 AM

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Answer 1

chcn

Level 1

75 points

Apr 7, 2011 9:30 AM in response to JRThiele

You seem to be asking if the Wi-Fi access point that the iPhone creates when tethering using the Personal Hotspot feature can share its location with client devices, such as the iPad.

You're right that the iPhone's location would not be stored in [Apple's location database|http://markey.house.gov/docs/applemarkeybarton7-12-10.pdf|Click here to see a letter from Apple explaining how they collect and store location data], and of course it wouldn't make any sense to do so, since the device is mobile.

I'm not sure the 802.11a/b/g/n ("Wi-Fi") wireless networking standards include a way to share an access point's location with clients, though it's a neat idea.

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Answer 2

JRThiele Author

Level 1

5 points

Apr 7, 2011 1:32 PM in response to chcn

I've seen claims on the Internet that the gps position is at least sent periodically by the iphone hotspot. My experimentation does not indicate that it is in fact doing that. I think the reviewers jumped the gun on that one from what I can tell. I have sense read that some third party portable hotspot devices do send gps data. I'm hoping that this can be figured out for the iphone so that the wifi iPad can be used for navigation when tethered.

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Answer 3

chcn

Level 1

75 points

Apr 9, 2011 3:16 PM in response to JRThiele

JRThiele wrote:
I've seen claims on the Internet that the gps position is at least sent periodically by the iphone hotspot. ...
I have sense read that some third party portable hotspot devices do send gps data.

Out of curiosity, my (admittedly quick and cursory) Google searching couldn't find such claims about either the iPhone or other portable hotspots. Do you have any links?

Edit: My bad. I just didn't know what to search for.
I see things like this that support what you're saying:
http://www.cultofmac.com/wifi-only-ipad-2-gets-gps-when-tethered-to-iphone/86642
http://www.tabletmonsters.com/news/video-wi-fi-only-ipad-2-gps-navigation
http://www.google.com/search?q=MiFi+GPS

Message was edited by: chcn

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Answer 4

chcn

Level 1

75 points

Apr 9, 2011 4:10 PM in response to chcn

chcn wrote:
... I'm not sure the 802.11a/b/g/n ("Wi-Fi") wireless networking standards include a way to share an access point's location with clients, though it's a neat idea.

As you know, I've been wondering how this is even possible. Apparently the 802.11n protocol does include a field to communicate the access point's physical location. See the second paragraph on [this page|http://books.google.ca/books?id=kCvjD_5p5XYC&pg=PA106&lpg=PA106&dq=802.11n GPSlocation].

However, I don't know if that made it into the final draft of the spec. When I search [the spec|http://standards.ieee.org/getieee802/download/802.11n-2009.pdf|Click here to download a copy], I can't find any reference to location data, but not being an engineer I don't really know what I'm looking for.

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Answer 5

Jun 24, 2011 2:09 PM in response to JRThiele

I had the same issue ... Try this, it worked for me.

Often it's just a matter of resetting your network settings.

Try this ... Go to Settings > General Settings > Reset > Reset Network Settings. (Be sure you know the password to your network if it's a secure one.) Your iPad will prompt you for your IPad password first (if you have one). Enter it. Allow a moment for the reset to occur. Enter your network password if prompted. Go to Maps and select the GPS icon (airplane in upper corner). See if it detects your locale . If it does, it worked

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