Wrong Location...

[Monsteur]

So I've got an HTC Desire on O2 in the UK. My location settings are just "Use wireless networks" and I only switch GPS on if I'm using Maps. Mobile Networks are on, as is Wi-Fi. Phone signal strength is 3/4...

...But my location keeps going screwy. Last week it thought I was in Renfrew, near Glasgow in Scotland. Currently it thinks I'm in Escondido, north of San Diego but I'm definitely sat at my desk in the UK! All very well, but my clock is now 8 hours behind!

If I turn the GPS on it will fix itself, but only until I turn it off, when it will go back to the screwy location.

Anyone else had the same or similar problem?

 

[Monsteur]

Ok, so the plot thickens. Today at work a colleague from another site came for a visit to our office and my location suddenly changed to be where his office is! I assume either his laptop or phone is sharing its internet connection and it thinks he is still at his office, hence my phone detects it and thinks it is there too.

So, no-one else seen this behaviour before then?

 

[takeshi]

Never seen it as I always leave GPS on and even if it isn't using GPS it's reasonably accurate for me. However, I've definitely seen other posts. The actual method used in determining your location not only affects accuracy but some method seem to be prone to such issues.

 

[bluenova]

When you're not using GPS it uses the cell tower you are currently connected to as the location. Does it only happen in that one region? It sounds like that tower is giving screwy results.

 

[Monsteur]

When you're not using GPS it uses the cell tower you are currently connected to as the location. Does it only happen in that one region? It sounds like that tower is giving screwy results.

I've only noticed it when at work, but I'm fairly certain it isn't the cell tower. The fact that it thought I was in my colleague's office should rule that out as I would expect a random location instead.

I'll do some experimenting and disable wi-fi but leave mobile network switched on while at work and see what happens.

 

[Poldie]

Ok, so the plot thickens. Today at work a colleague from another site came for a visit to our office and my location suddenly changed to be where his office is! I assume either his laptop or phone is sharing its internet connection and it thinks he is still at his office, hence my phone detects it and thinks it is there too.

So, no-one else seen this behaviour before then?

I had this a few times when using my touch diamond. In areas near Heathrow, google maps thought I was somewhere in spain. It was always spain, and always it went wrong in around the same area. I guess there's some mast -> location lookup that's gone wrong. Didn't google refuse to pay the networks for the physical location the masts were, and instead worked out where the masts were by using peoples gps coordinates when they were using data, and slowly mapping that way? So perhaps someone had a faulty phone/gps system (or a hacked one and was submitting bad data deliberately) so google now thinks that some uk masts are abroad?

 

[bluefoxtoo]

Hi Monsteur, do you have Latitude enabled?
I have this exact some problem (I switch to various points in China on my HTC legend...I'm in the UK!). I found turning the "Use wireless networks" off and back on again seems to fix it...but it will come back after a few days/weeks. I have a colleague who has a Desire, with the same settings as me but never has this issue, only difference is that he doesn't use Latitude.

I mentioned it to another colleague who said he gets the problem...with his Nokia e71! Again, he uses latitude...so, it *looks* like it's a Latitude problem rather than a Android problem...but I've not had enough time to test.

One thing that is for sure...my Latitude history makes for very interesting reading!

Please post if you find an answer!

 

[Cheule]

I've had this problem during the latter half of last year with my old Nokia N95 8gb - while at work it would insist I'm standing on a roundabout in Leeds, but it reported my location fine everywhere else. Not had the problem yet with my Desire - and here's hoping the gremlins stay away