Is It Possible to get a (rough) Mobile Phone Location from a HTTP Request

Posted by Tim Lytle on Stack Overflow See other posts from Stack Overflow or by Tim Lytle
Published on 2010-01-07T05:58:26Z Indexed on 2010/04/05 8:23 UTC
Read the original article Hit count: 292

Filed under:

geolocation

|

cellphone

|

mobileweb

If memory serves me correctly, google does this for the maps site. I know google's mobile maps app can determine the rough location (I assume using some kind of cell tower lookup), yet I seem to remember the site getting somewhat close to the current location when viewing on a mobile browser.

Anyone know how/if that's possible? Does the IP address change based on the tower or area (seems like they'd be using some kind of gateway common to the carrier)?

© Stack Overflow or respective owner

Related posts about geolocation

Which Devices Support Javascript Geolocation via navigator.geolocation ?

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
The iPhone supports geolocation in mobile Safari via the following call: navigator.geolocation.getCurrentPosition( function(pos){ var lat = pos.coords.latitude; var long = pos.coords.longitude; }, function(){ /* Handler if location could not be found */ } ); I'd like to build… >>> More
iPhone - Native App GeoLocation VS Web App GeoLocation

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
Here's my situation; I've built a very simple web app that looks up a users location and plots it on a Google map. Here's my code: http://pastebin.com/d3a185efd When I test it, my location is detected as being = 500 meters from where I actually stand. BUT When I open up Google Maps or Gowalla… >>> More
user disallowed geolocation - notify user second time

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
When trying to get geolocation on iPhone the first time - I declined. Every other time I want to get the location (before another reload of the page) I get no response (no error and no success): navigator.geolocation.getCurrentPosition( function (location) { ig_location.lat = location… >>> More
How to get my geolocation in bash

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
I am looking for a good geolocation api to use from bash. I want this call to return at the very minimum the name of the city I am in, and the state. I imagine that there must be some site I can curl, or some scripting language that has a package that works. The machine does not have a GPS, but it… >>> More
Geolocation Firefox accurate than iPhone Safari?

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
I just tested Geolocation on Firefox 3.6 and iPhone Safari (os 3.1.3), the result is interesting, firefox is more accurate than safari. any one got idea how to make iPhone Safari result more accurate. this is the code for testing: navigator.geolocation.getCurrentPosition(handler, {enableHighAccuracy:… >>> More

Related posts about cellphone

Accessing TCP stream from arbitrary port over cellphone proxy (WAP)

as seen on Super User - Search for 'Super User'
I'm using cricket QA30 which has a default proxy setting redirect 8080 at wap.mycricket.com which allows me to access http on port 8080 through internet explorer. I would like to access a TCP stream on an arbitrary port, and I think maybe if I get the socks "advanced setting" to work in Control Panel… >>> More
CELLPHONE's wifi makes my wireless router disconnect Plz Help me

as seen on Super User - Search for 'Super User'
Hey guys i have a problem. For 7 months now, i have been dealing with internet problems. But i finally found out why my wireless router has been disconnecting randomly. Everytime I enable wifi on my cellphone, my whole router disconnects and lose internet untill i swtich the wifi off on my phone… >>> More
Build an iPhone 5 Charging Dock for $1 [DIY Project Video]

as seen on How to geek - Search for 'How to geek'
Are you experiencing frustration since no one has built and released an official charging dock for the iPhone 5 yet? Then this quick little DIY charging dock project may be the perfect solution to your problem and serve as a good ‘hold-over’ until a factory version is released. Build an… >>> More
Demo of an Early Beta of Firefox OS Running on a ZTE Developer Phone [Video]

as seen on How to geek - Search for 'How to geek'
Are you curious about Mozilla’s new mobile OS platform? Then here is your chance to see an early beta of Firefox OS in action. This video shows the OS’s built-in web browser, phone dialer, camera, and gallery image viewer running on a developer phone from ZTE. Firefox OS Demo (09-06-12)… >>> More
How Does a Touch Screen Phone Work? [Chart]

as seen on How to geek - Search for 'How to geek'
There are three types of touch screen technologies available in today’s touch screen phones: resistive, capacitive, and infra-red. Learn about the different benefits and capabilities of each and make a more informed decision about your next mobile phone selection with this helpful chart. How… >>> More