Abstract: A method of and system for estimating the range of a mobile device to a wireless installation is disclosed. A method of estimating the position of a mobile device includes receiving signals transmitted by fixed-position wireless communication stations in range of a mobile device. One of the wireless communication stations from which signals are received by the mobile device is designated as a serving station and location information is retrieved for said serving station and at least one other neighboring station from which signals are received. For each of the at least one other neighboring stations, a corresponding distance between the serving station and said neighboring station is determined based on the location information. A position of the mobile device is estimated based on the location information for the serving station and said neighboring stations and further based on the distances between the serving station and said neighboring stations.

Abstract: In one embodiment, techniques are employed to estimate a position of a wireless local area network (WLAN) enabled mobile device. The mobile device sniffs one or more WLAN packets destined for one or more WLAN devices other than the mobile device. Information identifying one or more WLAN APs is extracted from the one or more WLAN packets destined for the one or more WLAN devices other than the mobile device. A record of the one or more WLAN APs is generated that includes at least some of the extracted information. A WLAN positioning system (WPS) is cooperated with, to use the generated record of the one or more WLAN APs to obtain an estimate of a position of the mobile device.

Abstract: Methods and systems of continuously optimizing data in WiFi positioning systems. A location-based services system uses WiFi-enabled devices to monitor WiFi access points in a target area to indicate whether a WiFi access point has moved relative to its previously recorded location. A WiFi-enabled device communicates with WiFi access points within range of the WiFi-enabled device so that observed WiFi access points identify themselves; A reference database is accessed to obtain information specifying a recorded location for each observed WiFi access point in the target area. The recorded location information is used for each of the observed WiFi access points in conjunction with predefined rules to infer whether an observed WiFi access point has moved relative to its recorded location. The reference database is informed of the identity of any observed WiFi access point that is inferred to have moved.