Do you really think they only got the data from the streetview cars? If so they would need to keep sending the cars around. I think the database updates everytime a request is sent to it - if a new hotspot pops up then as long as there are enough others to pinpoint your location then the sending of the data to find out your location is enough to then update the database with the new access points.

When done from a smartphone you have the addition of GPS and GSM location facilities to pinpoint the position of you and the hotspots even more precisely. I believe this is likely how they keep the database up to date - the initial collection via the streetview cars was just seeding the database.

In reply to a post by ian72:

Do you really think they only got the data from the streetview cars? If so they would need to keep sending the cars around. I think the database updates everytime a request is sent to it - if a new hotspot pops up then as long as there are enough others to pinpoint your location then the sending of the data to find out your location is enough to then update the database with the new access points.

Yes you are probably right about the updating using hotspots. I have tried my new "spare" router which would not have been in the "wardrive" database. Google found me immediately so either (1) they are assuming my laptop is in the same place it was before or, more likely, (2) Google Gears is using my laptop's wireless adaptor to scan for other wireless networks nearby - in my case there is only my neighbour's unencrypted wireless which is always on and would have been picked up by the original wardrive.

In reply to a post by billford:

Scroll down below the instructions:

You can also disable Geo Location feature in Safari, Google Chrome and Firefox web browsers.

Just click your browser....

Oh yeah you are right I didnt spot that last paragraph, thanks for the heads up im off to do chrome also right now... Good news indeed

In reply to a post by seb:

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

Your IP address usually locates you fairly closely.

Not in the UK it doesn't. The blocks are registered in such a way that you can't really pin-point which part of the country someone is in.. Virgin Media are a good exception to that but even then it's generalities.

seb

Indeed i remember when i was with Pipex my ip didnt resolve to anywhere near me. Think it was the same with wannado (though thats going back too far to remember clearly).

You cant pinpoint a persons exact position just from their ip address.

Unless im wrong it normally resolves to where your ISPs backbone/servers or whatever the right term is located.

In reply to a post by ian72:

Do you really think they only got the data from the streetview cars? If so they would need to keep sending the cars around. I think the database updates everytime a request is sent to it - if a new hotspot pops up then as long as there are enough others to pinpoint your location then the sending of the data to find out your location is enough to then update the database with the new access points.

When done from a smartphone you have the addition of GPS and GSM location facilities to pinpoint the position of you and the hotspots even more precisely. I believe this is likely how they keep the database up to date - the initial collection via the streetview cars was just seeding the database.

ID agree with all that which is probably why the google client identifier seems to have a validity period of 2 weeks, i guess after that time, it renews, looks at your location again and any new wifi spots etc are recorded and logged.

In reply to a post by infra_red:

In reply to a post by ian72:

Do you really think they only got the data from the streetview cars? If so they would need to keep sending the cars around. I think the database updates everytime a request is sent to it - if a new hotspot pops up then as long as there are enough others to pinpoint your location then the sending of the data to find out your location is enough to then update the database with the new access points.

Yes you are probably right about the updating using hotspots. I have tried my new "spare" router which would not have been in the "wardrive" database. Google found me immediately so either (1) they are assuming my laptop is in the same place it was before or, more likely, (2) Google Gears is using my laptop's wireless adaptor to scan for other wireless networks nearby - in my case there is only my neighbour's unencrypted wireless which is always on and would have been picked up by the original wardrive.

Interestingly my neighbour's WIFI is currently not detected by my laptop and Google can't find me so this seems to confirm Google were using that. It also suggests that they have not yet updated their database with the details of my new router that I have only started using today.

Edited by deleted (Wed 01-Sep-10 11:34:34)

In reply to a post by seb:

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

Your IP address usually locates you fairly closely.

Not in the UK it doesn't. The blocks are registered in such a way that you can't really pin-point which part of the country someone is in.. Virgin Media are a good exception to that but even then it's generalities.

Fair enough .

I think you can possibly add O2/Be to your exceptions list though. I believe the Zone is geographic.

InSSIDer shows up far more wireless networks than my laptop's own reporting does.

In reply to a post by ian72:

Do you really think they only got the data from the streetview cars? If so they would need to keep sending the cars around. I think the database updates everytime a request is sent to it - if a new hotspot pops up then as long as there are enough others to pinpoint your location then the sending of the data to find out your location is enough to then update the database with the new access points.

When done from a smartphone you have the addition of GPS and GSM location facilities to pinpoint the position of you and the hotspots even more precisely. I believe this is likely how they keep the database up to date - the initial collection via the streetview cars was just seeding the database.

Quite possibly they update it that way too.

seb

In reply to a post by infra_red:

Google Gears is using my laptop's wireless adaptor to scan for other wireless networks nearby - in my case there is only my neighbour's unencrypted wireless which is always on and would have been picked up by the original wardrive.

Indeed--that's what it would do.

seb