Network-Based Positioning
Network-based positioning with Golioth Location incures usage costs. See Golioth pricing for more information.
Devices can obtain their position by streaming information about cell towers,
Wi-Fi access points, or both, to a Golioth Pipeline that
makes use of the location
transformer. Typically, the
more information that a device can provide, the more accurate the location data
returned will be.
See the example in the Golioth Firmware SDK for a demonstration of how to use network information to obtain device position.
Use Cases
Network-based positioning is particularly relevant in the following scenarios.
Devices without GNSS Capabilities
Adding GNSS support to a device increases BOM cost, and powering GNSS radios can have a significant negative impact on battery life. For devices that do not require the most precise location resolution, opting to forego GNSS capabilities, or opting to use it sparingly, may be optimal. In these cases, devices can leverage network-based positioning, which is still able to provide location data with accuracy on the order of tens to hundreds of meters.
Indoor Devices and Devices in Urban Locations
Some environments make leveraging GNSS challenging or impossible. Devices that are typically indoors or in dense urban areas will frequently struggle to receive signals from GNSS satellites. Network-based positioning is a reliable alternative, providing highly accurate results in environments where information about multiple Wi-Fi access points or cell towers can be submitted.
Devices Requiring Rapid Location Resolution
Obtaining position via GNSS can take up to 15 minutes in cold start scenarios. Network-based positioning can resolve location instantly when a connection to the Golioth cloud platform is already established. Devices with low latency positioning requirements may opt to use network-based positioning instead of, or in addition to GNSS capabilities.