Google and Skyhook mapping the location of your WiFi router

[Ben Eisenbraun]

On Mon, May 17, 2010 at 03:13:44AM -0400, Tom Metro wrote:
> Similar to Google, Skyhook employs cars that "war drive" to collect WiFi
> router MAC addresses and their geographic location. They then provide
> this information to subscribers who want to supplement or substitute for
> GPS location services.
> 
> The podcast above talks about the service being used by an iPad, which
> lacks GPS hardware.

The iPod Touch also uses it.  And I think even the GPS-enabled hardware
uses it to do AGPS style positioning.

> You can try looking up your neighborhood routers in Skyhook's database:
> http://www.skyhookwireless.com/howitworks/coverage.php
> 
> I ran "iwlist wlan0 scan" to get a list of local addresses and tried
> looking up a bunch. All but two returned "unknown address." Of the two
> that were found, it said one was in Sweden and the other in the Czech
> Republic. So maybe it doesn't work so well.

I tried looking up my network and some of my neighbors on the Skyhook
website, and they weren't found, but I can fire up my iPod Touch, and it
easily positions me right at my address.  It's actually eerily accurate
since I live on a narrow dead-end street, and it puts the you-are-here dot 
_right_ in front of my house.

The density of wifi networks in Somerville is quite high though, which may
contribute to its accuracy around here.  I can occasionally see as many as
50-60 wireless networks from my couch.

-ben

--
inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.     <pablo picasso>