Hm, when I started using my FP, I tried for a while to go without GAPPS, and fumbled with NOGAPPS (check this thread on XDAdev). Maybe that’s a legacy of this fumbeling? Did you try that too, @Lidwien?
An @paulakreuzer’s comment is of course right: how would I know that it works? 
BTW, I used Nokia’s server to get a lock in WiFi locations when I wasn’t using Google, which worked quite well. But AFAIR, cell tower based location did not work at all.
I started with Google maps and then OsmAnd. Google Map is a disaster because you can only download parts of a country instead of a whole country. And you can’t use it offline. I had problems with the Gps, which I solved by installing FP1-EPO-autoupdate. I never tried CyanogenMod, so I don’t think I ever used NOGAPPS. If GAPPS comes with the Fairphone OS, then I might have used GAPPS.
OT, cause it’s Friday:
I just looked that up. Come on, bugger off, I thought! 
Ichnea, a genus inside the Cleridae? Mozilla must have confidence in their packages to name it like that.
Clerids have a minor significance in forensic entomology. Some species are occasionally found on carrion in the later dry stages of decay. Also, some species are pests (stored product entomology) and are found infesting various food products. Research efforts related
to Cleridae have focused primarily on using certain species as biological controls. This is a very effective technique for controlling bark beetles due to the voracious appetite of many Clerid species.
But then I realised the spelling error: it’s ichnaea, not ichnea. A much better choice of name, from greek mythology. It might still refer to some bugs. Ok, it could have been a nicer bug in the ichnea spelling as well, and don’t worry, there are also loads of entomologist who can’t spell their greek and latin properly. Ah, well, it’s a bugs life, anyway. 
Actually I was wrong. I confused “Ichnea” with “Fennec”. That’s what Mozilla Aurora’s package name is called. “org.mozilla.fennec_aurora”
My bad
Yep, it’s the codename for the location service only. (I linked the github repos above.) One of the main contributors wrote an interesting blogpost about Mozilla’s ichnaea in 2013, btw. The documentation is also fascinating, e.g. the point “calculation”.
Some functionality of µg Unified Nlp is also provided by GMS core, which is also part of the µg project. I have not tested it, however.
I have written a post about GMS core here:
I finally managed to compile and flash the FP Open Source OS to the FP2. I used f-droid to install the µg UnifiedNlp (no GAPPS). No I’m wondering which backend(s) I shall install. f-droid offers different nlp backends. I would like to choose the one with the best (up to date) coverage (in Germany), preferable working offline. If I understand it correctly, I can install more than one as well…?
Anybody good/bad experiences with a specific backend? Which one would you recommend? 
So I assume you have also added the needed patches as well?
You want offline, so I would recommend using GSM (cell-tower) information (like GSMLocationNlpBackend and others). Not sure how good they are for your area, let us know 
If you live in a big city, adding WiFi APs might work as well.
Yes.
Not sure if I made myself clear enough. I intend a use-case where I only need sporadic internet access (via WiFi) to initialize/update a local database and then can use the service without internet connection. It would be good to have data for GPS/WiFi/GSM to have all fallbacks available, depending on which information is present at a current location.
Well, about 35,000 inhabitants, so rather not too big. 
But I’m using Mozilla Stumbler to collect data. 
Hard to tell, depends on your use case I guess. I just use my GPS, if the data helps me to get a quicker fix … good. So if you do some mapping and need good fast GPS data for that, create a WiFi AP map for the area first so you get a quicker GPS fix later. Not sure if really needed, though. Also there is lot of better hardware out there to get very good GPS fast … you just need to download some data before you enter the area you want to survey.
Most of the time I want the opposite: My phone should not tell everyone where I’m am. So it’s best if it thinks I’m elsewhere
I believe that is similar for me, in addition it would be good to have a fallback for GPS if no satellite can be reached (thick clouds, forest, inside buildings, …).
Edit: I probably need the location only for navigation (atm I do have the problem that I sometimes have reached my destination before a satellite was found…) and location information in photos. Haven’t gotten into mapping yet.
I hope I can trust Mozilla (and that the date transmitted is rather anonymous). Otherwise I totally agree to you and thus use the google free phone.
Could anyone please explain the advantage of a “nlp provider”. I read a lot about nlp but did not yet understand, why I need one. I I need a location I use GPS and that’s more accurate - never needed more. Could it be that most people think that nlp is a must?
Spielmops
Sometimes it helps to read on how GPS works and what data is needed to get a “fix”. It helps to understand why one waits And how the antenna in your device is orientated
I use the SatStat app to see what’s going on. Hope that helps.
It’s not needed at all. In rare cases (big city with high buildings) it can speed up things a bit. But there are some people that still want to use google services without trusting them … I guess these people like to have a look at Nlp.
Also I fear, in the future, we will get “indoor” GPS through Bluetooth. That also will be a proprietary service. Looking for your gate at the airport? Just install our app. For “services” like this, Nlp could also be useful.
I’m using the official Android Kitkat by @chrmhoffmann , which is reported to have a faster GPS TTFF.
Sometimes, however I need to kill the navigation app (in my case OsmAnd) and start it again. Then usually satellites are found in an instant and a fix comes only about 15 secs later.
For visualization purposes of GPS satellites availability I use SatStat.
I installed µg UnifiedNIp (no GAPPS) from F-Droid, added & configured the backends I could find in F-Droid: LocalGsm LocalWifi and Nominatim, enabled ‘high accuracy’ in location services mode, rebooted a few times, and in Location settings I see µg UnifiedNIp in recent requests, but I don’t think it is working as if I install any app that uses location data it doesn’t know where I am. In its settings µg UnifiedNIp sometimes complains “no last known location”. And in LocalWifiNIpBackend’s configuration I have ‘No APs’ although Wifi is on. I’m using Fairphone Open OS, of course 
What am I most likely doing wrong?
They both need a database (local = offline). Did you download or import a database?
Excellent point! After reading your reply I ‘created’ a database for LocalGsm backend from Mozilla Location Services, which took a while and seemed to be successful. HOWEVER, still nothing that uses GPS works… it seems like GPS is ‘off’. I’m sure I’m missing something really basic >_<
Do you not get any position at all with “high accuracy” or is it just unreliable?
If you get an inaccurate location - somwhere near to your actual location - then microg works. If you don’t get any location at all, switch to “device only”, download SatStat from F-Droid, go somewhere with a 360° clear view of the sky, open SatStat and see if it finds any Satelites. It may take a long time the first time, but if you don’t find any Satelites then there is probably a hardware issue.
In apps that uses location data I either get no position, a complaint that GPS isn’t installed, or what seems to be a random/default location - Paris or Frankfurt (I’m in London).
But… SatStat finds satellites immediately… and it finds me correctly! Hurray!
