Location Services with mobile hotspot.

[HankHowdy]

I'm wondering if I found a bug.

My 5S is on Verizon LTE with the hotspot on and I have my iPad is connected. When I need location services on the iPad it never finds it location. Both devices have location services on.

Both devices are iOS 9.0.2.

 

[rigormortis]

I'm wondering if I found a bug.

My 5S is on Verizon LTE with the hotspot on and I have my iPad is connected. When I need location services on the iPad it never finds it location. Both devices have location services on.

Both devices are iOS 9.0.2.

the ipad does not have a gps chip unless you buy the cellular version . its counting on verizon / or various wifi databases to give a general guess to where it is based on the mac address of your iPhone or what city and state the ip address of your iPhone is located in , and that could explain why maybe location services on the ipad is not working

 

[HankHowdy]

the ipad does not have a gps chip unless you buy the cellular version . its counting on verizon / or various wifi databases to give a general guess to where it is based on the mac address of your iPhone or what city and state the ip address of your iPhone is located in , and that could explain why maybe location services on the iPhone is not working

The location works well on the iPhone. The iPad mini 2 can't get a location fix while on the iPhones hotspot.

 

[rigormortis]

The location works well on the iPhone. The iPad mini 2 can't get a location fix while on the iPhones hotspot.

yeah its either a bug, or its because your ipad does not have a gps chip. try it with a cellular ipad with wifi on, and airport on

 

[HankHowdy]

yeah its either a bug, or its because your ipad does not have a gps chip

iPad mini 2 doesn't have a GPS chip?

 

[rigormortis]

have you tried this with a mac or an iPod ?

 

[rigormortis]

iPad mini 2 doesn't have a GPS chip?

you have to buy a cellular ipad to get a gps chip

 

[rigormortis]

im not sure , if an iPhone with its tethering enabled passes its location to any clients. i honestly don't know this.

all i know for sure is that iPods and wifi only iPads, get their location information from checking the ip address or scanning nearby wifi networks and passing that information to apple or skyhook or to find out where they are.

 

[HankHowdy]

Ohhhh.

When I'm on wifi I can get location to work.

Weird, while on my phones hotspot it doesn't get a location fix.

Thanks for the help.

 

[rigormortis]

yeah! keep experimenting!!! the ipad mini 2 knows where it is because apple knows where your wifi router is!
its just pretending to have GPS!!!

if it had gps and didn't use wifi and did not have any gps assist technologies, , it could take 2 to 12 to 25 minutes to find where you are!

 

[gordon1234]

Ohhhh.

When I'm on wifi I can get location to work.

Weird, while on my phones hotspot it doesn't get a location fix.

Thanks for the help.

On an iOS device without cellular or GPS, the only way to get a location fix is by sniffing out nearby Wifi hotspots with known locations. This can include the hotspot you're currently connecting to. Obviously, your phone acting as a hotspot has no fixed location, so it can't be used to determine your physical location. Generally your iPad should still be able to sniff out nearby wireless networks with known locations, but that assumes you are in range of 1 or more hotspots with their locations registered in Apple's database. In a densely populated city, this shouldn't usually be an issue, but in suburbs or rural areas, it may not work at all. What sort of area are you located in, population density-wise? Are there lots of nearby wireless networks?

 

[HankHowdy]

On an iOS device without cellular or GPS, the only way to get a location fix is by sniffing out nearby Wifi hotspots with known locations. This can include the hotspot you're currently connecting to. Obviously, your phone acting as a hotspot has no fixed location, so it can't be used to determine your physical location. Generally your iPad should still be able to sniff out nearby wireless networks with known locations, but that assumes you are in range of 1 or more hotspots with their locations registered in Apple's database. In a densely populated city, this shouldn't usually be an issue, but in suburbs or rural areas, it may not work at all. What sort of area are you located in, population density-wise? Are there lots of nearby wireless networks?

At the time I was in the middle of no where with the iPad using the iPhones hotspot.

So the iPad can't get a gps fix with just the phones hotspot alone, it has to be near wifi networks too?

 

[iphonedude2008]

At the time I was in the middle of no where with the iPad using the iPhones hotspot.

So the iPad can't get a gps fix with just the phones hotspot alone, it has to be near wifi networks too?

Yes. The iPhone acts a just a dumb hotspot. It doesn't relay real time position or else you would have no more battery.

 

[gordon1234]

At the time I was in the middle of no where with the iPad using the iPhones hotspot.

So the iPad can't get a gps fix with just the phones hotspot alone, it has to be near wifi networks too?

Yes. Remember, it's not using GPS at all. The wifi radio sniffs out nearby wireless networks, gets their BSSID, and compares it to a database. The database is a static list of the known physical locations of various wireless access points. If for instance it knows my home wireless network is in my house, then whenever it's close enough to that access point to get a signal, it knows I'm going to be within a block or two of that physical location. This only works if the access point has a fixed location, which your hotspot doesn't. It's not sharing the GPS or geolocation features of your phone at all.

 

[HankHowdy]

Yes. Remember, it's not using GPS at all. The wifi radio sniffs out nearby wireless networks, gets their BSSID, and compares it to a database. The database is a static list of the known physical locations of various wireless access points. If for instance it knows my home wireless network is in my house, then whenever it's close enough to that access point to get a signal, it knows I'm going to be within a block or two of that physical location. This only works if the access point has a fixed location, which your hotspot doesn't. It's not sharing the GPS or geolocation features of your phone at all.

I think it's silly for this iPad to have maps app.

Thanks for the great reply.

 

[GreyOS]

I think it's silly for this iPad to have maps app.

Thanks for the great reply.

people have been using maps and routing on computers without gps for years, why is it silly?