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Do you need fingerprinting pre-surveys for Wi-Fi positioning before applying the Locata system?

Thursday, 1 November 2012

No. Locata does not have anything to do with Wi-Fi-style positioning promoted by companies like Skyhook or Ekahau. Locata does not need any form of “fingerprinting” or updating of Wi-Fi router databases as is required by these Wi-Fi-based positioning systems.

This question actually illustrates a point of confusion bought about by the fact that Locata transmits at the same frequency as Wi-Fi.  A LocataNet is a completely independent and autonomous GPS-style network that “looks just like a satellite constellation”.

Locata chose to transmit in the free Wi-Fi radio band because it guarantees that:

  1. LocataNets do not interfere, in any way, with GPS;
  2. LocataNets can be set up anywhere in the world without requiring any licensing or regulatory approval (just as any consumer’s Wi-Fi router can be set up anywhere in the world); and
  3. Locata technology has been developed from the ground up to integrate into a vast array of professional and consumer devices — most modern communications devices already have Wi-Fi receivers built-in.  So we envisage that in the future, with minimum modification, these devices will also be able to use the Locata positioning signal for a position solution.

In summary:  Locata transmits in the Wi-Fi band, but it is absolutely not a Wi-Fi positioning technology like Skyhook, et al.