✏ µG Unified Nlp (with Installation Guide)

[paulakreuzer]

Usually it shouldn’t take long to get a GPS fix, except if you use it the fist time in a long time or you changed country. In the #gpsguide there are some tips to get a fix faster (just ignore everything about A-GPS and EPO. That’s just for FP1).

[Spielmops]

@Zanna

Using WhereAmI, I get no location at all in device only mode, but it finds me instantly in high accuracy mode

WhereAmI is an app which needs Wifi for it’s work, not for location, so to work properly it makes you enable Wifi this way.

[Atoll]

@paulakreuzer

And the AppleWifi Backend - I believe - sends infos to Apple, so it’s not much better than using Google Location Services, or am I wrong?

The Apple Backend is also the only one that works for me.
Its still better than using google location services IMO because:

1. The locations are cached, so if you locate yourself repeatedly it doesnt have to send data to apple again.
2. There isnt much information on you combined with the location. There is no google or apple accounts attached to it. Also its opensource, doesnt have much permissions and because its a single app, its easy to restrict its permissions with xprivacy or so. So apple mabye sometimes knows where i am. but other than my ip adress they shouldnt know who i am.

[paulakreuzer]

Actually after that post you quoted from january I asked that question on microgs Github and was assured that the backend doesn’t send any relevant data to Apple.

For me the Mozilla backend seems to work best, but that may be partly because I “stumbled” a lot in my area. ( #locationdatabases )

[Atoll]

The mozilla backend works for me aswell, although not as precise as the apple one. But i dont like mozilla stumber and dont want to contribute to it because the wifi database isnt open to the public. So its basically the same as Apple, only that mozilla somehow implies to be “open”, which unlike for example openwifi.su and obenbmap, it isnt.
So Mozillas is basically sucking away the efforts of people who want to contribute to an open database, thus keeping them from doing so.

[Stefan]

I found out that in #kitkat Macadamia you will have to use the UnifiedNlp (GAPPS) package (I directly downloaded the release on Github). Then I installed the respective Xposed module to make UnifiedNlp work.

The (No GAPPS) variant didn’t work for me (“System supports location provider” was not checked).

[Dr_Cool]

Using microG version 0.2.4-108-g464d45d, which integrates UnifiedNLP, with Xposed module XposedGmsCore-UnifiedNLP, which easily integrates microG UnifiedNLP into the system. With this setup I got good results with MozillaNlpBackend and with LocalGsmNlpBackend, but couldn’t get correct localization with OpenBmapNlpBackend.

The Mozilla service is the most precise since it uses both GSM and Wi-Fi info, but I chose to use LocalGsmNlpBackend instead because of a few advantages to me: (a) it doesn’t need to turn Wi-Fi on for localization since it only uses GSM, the radi is always on anyway; (b) it doesn’t send any personal info out since the database is pre-downloaded into memory; and © it reduces battery and data consumption. Normally I get a GPS lock within seconds using it as a backend, so I don’t need the increased precision offered by Mozilla, and in underserved areas Wi-Fi location won’t probably be very helpful anyway.

PS: I added the DejaVu as a second backend, works perfectly too.

[cricksterr]

Hello Dr_Cool,
I try to use the UnifiedNlps the same way.

My question is, how does the DejaVu Location Service work?
Need the GPS and WIFI search turned on to gather data?
Is it then recommended to walk around with active location?
Will Deja Vu benefit from the LocalGsmNlpBackend?

Thanks for clarification…
Cheers

[Dr_Cool]

When you use an app that triggers localization with GPS on and there’s a successful position lock the backend will record GMS info and also Wi-Fi info if it’s turned on. It’s done on the background, you have no control or notification of what it does, but afterwards it will show a more precise non-GPS location than with the GMS database backend alone.

[Dr_Cool]

The four screenshots below taken in sequence from SatStat show Déjà Vu at work:
Picture 1 shows localization with GMS only (LocalGsmNlpBackend) before Déjà Vu.
Picture 2 shows localization after turning GPS on.
Picture 3 shows localization after Déjà Vu records only GMS info (Wi-Fi always off, GPS turned off after successful position lock).
Picture 4 shows localization after Déjà Vu records Wi-Fi info, almost as precise as GPS localization due to high density of Wi-Fi stations on the spot.

[cricksterr]

Thank you for this detailed answer!

[Dr_Cool]

After reinstall, permission granting and reboots I was able to make OpenBmapNlpBackend work with my setup described above. I’m now using it with Déjà Vu instead of Mozilla. OpenBmapNlpBackend includes a local database of Wi-Fi stations in addition to GSM, and I prefer to support OpenBmap/Radio cells.org. Déjà Vu is a nice addition because it fixes the occasional location error due to nonupdated Wi-Fi gear displacement.

[cricksterr]

So you are using…

OpenBmapNlpBackend for WIFI or does it work with an offline database for cells too?
For me - I cannot Update or Download a cell database

LocalGsmNlpBackend for Cells?

and DejaVu as an addition?

[Dr_Cool]

My latest setup is made of two backends: OpenBmapNlpBackend for both Wi-Fi and cell towers offline (with their downloaded database) and Déjà Vu to help with refinements/corrections. It’s therefore 100% offline. Works quite well, Déjà Vu works transparently and is very effective. I dropped LocalGsmNlpBackend.
I wonder why you can’t download a database, I’ve never had problems with this part of the setup. Could it be because I’m downloading their database through their RadioBeacon app and then changing the database directory in the backend settings? I do it so I don’t have a duplicate of the offline database.

[cricksterr]

Ok, thanks.
Maybe I have to reinstall it again and I will test which setup is the best for my use.
Thanks again for sharing yours.
Cheers

Update:
My setup right now…

• Déjà Vu (as enhancement) <- messed up a bit the localisation quality and speed
• OpenBmapNlpBackend
• LocalGsmNlpBackend (dataset from OpencellID)
  since I’m not always in Countries covered by OpenBmap/Radiocells.

Cheers

[Dr_Cool]

I too had to drop Déjà Vu, it was crashing with some apps. My stable implementation now uses Local WiFi Backend for personally collected Wi-Fi stations and GSM location Backend for cell towers downloaded from Mozilla, all stored locally.