Wrong GPS location when indoor => impossible phone tracking

Hello world,

I would like to track the phone location of my children, they all have a FP3+ like me. I’m using Nextcloud and PhoneTrack app, but I don’t understand how the geolocation system is working, whatever the app I use.

When I’m outdoor, GPS location is pretty good, after few seconds I get a fix, and I can use OSMAnd to localize myself on a map, everything works as expected.

As soon as I’m indoor, or when there are not enough satellites to fix my position, my geolocalization is falling back to another point, hundred of kilometers away. OSMAnd and other apps (like the preview map of Advanced Privacy app, when I select “Use my real location”) seems to get the same location from another source (which one ? I have disabled Wifi and bluetooth).

I’ve tried to disable Wifi on the phone and on my router, as my IP address gives another false location (I was thinking it was the cause of my problem). But even if there is no visible Wifi network, OSMAnd places me on this very same point.

If I go outdoor, my real position appears. Returning home (or indoor, elsewhere, the problem occurs on other houses too !), the fake position is back.
Can it find a position using mobile network ? Can I disable this somewhere ?

This behavior is the same on the 4 FP3+ that we have. We’re all using e/os, last update installed. GPSTest is not relevant here, because when satellites are visible, all is working good…
It would be nice if the phone simply admit it doesn’t know where it is when GPS isn’t accessible.

Anyone can help ?

1 Like

It seems that the Mozilla Location Service has a wrong location for GSM antennas around my home. Location relies on this database when no satellites are found.

I’ve installed Tower Collector to upload data to this community database as it’s not possible anymore (since May 29, 2023) to use another location backend like DejaVu (Release v0.2.28.231657 · microg/GmsCore · GitHub)

1 Like

Local NLP Backend is a fork of the Déjà Vu NLP Backend with some improvements and a crude UI for configuration and importing / exporting data, including cell lists from MLS or OpenCelliD.

from Local NLP Backend | F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository

Did you try the other backends? F-Droid Search: nlp

I think since Release v0.2.28.231657 · of microg no other backend is accepted.
But, I found a solution to my problem in the PhoneTrack Nextcloud App : I can choose to report only GPS fix, disabling network location system.

1 Like