LOST in a strange city with no GPS? Don鈥檛 worry. Wi-Fi hotspots can now tell you where you are.
Skyhook Wireless of Boston last week launched its urban Wi-Fi Positioning System (WPS). It works in an analogous way to GPS, except that instead of using satellites as 鈥渓andmarks鈥�, Wi-Fi hotspots do the job.
The WPS database includes the position and unique network card code number for 1.5 million hotspots in 25 US cities. By monitoring several signals at once and using the database to perform a triangulation, WPS software works out your position.
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The software runs on any Wi-Fi enabled laptop, PDA or smartphone. Skyhook claims that, unlike GPS, WPS doesn鈥檛 suffer from dead spots in built-up areas and it works indoors.
Just hope no one moves their hotspot to new premises.
