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The A to Z of wireless
Updated: Everything you need to know from A to Zigbee, and plenty in between...

By Natasha Lomas

Published: Tuesday 11 August 2009

L is for Location

GPS isn't the only wireless tech that can be used to determine users' locations: wi-fi has its place too.

Wireless positioning systems typically work by sniffing out wi-fi hotspots, analysing the signal strength of several access points and querying an access point database to pinpoint the user's location - to within accuracy of some 10 to 20 metres.

Using wi-fi for determining location has advantages over GPS (See G is for GPS) inside buildings - where satellite positioning systems break down.

It can also perform better in dense urban areas or during periods of bad weather which can adversely affect satellite positioning systems.

The future of location tech looks likely to be in hybrid systems.

Such systems could incorporate several location positioning technologies - such as GPS, wi-fi positioning and mobile phone signal triangulation - switching between technologies in order to provide the most accurate location in the user's current situation.