Determine location through wi-fi?

[Rapax]

So, we all know that in the Settings you have two options for determining your location:
GPS
mobile networks and wi-fi

It's easy to see how the localization through mobile network works, but how is localization by wifi supposed to work? Can I somehow connect my home wireless router with the coordinates of my house?

 

[deadite66]

just a guess but it might be based on geoip, if you connect to a hotspot that ip can show where you are.

http://www.maxmind.com/app/city_accuracy

 

[Rapax]

That would be pretty useless to me, unfortunately. I'd love to use the loale software to turn the wireless on when I get home, but the localization without GPS constantly puts me in the middle of a forest about 20km south of where I actually am.
Any other ideas about how I could teach my G1 where I live?

 

[ge0rgecz]

Im not sure how wifi based location works in android but maybe android collects information about wifi hotspots location everytime you have real gps turned on ... and if you dont have real gps then it tries to calculate your position using those previously colected and shared with everyone informations about wifi names location and gsm spots location ... so .. try to turn your wifi and also gps on for a moment and maybe android will teach himself

 

[Sweed]

I'm pretty sure it's all based on geo ip address.
also: when your using it you should see a little bubble over your "location" in google maps saying that it's accurate to 60km i think