Lumia 635 location inaccurate

[Neil Katz]

At times, my phone reports a location some forty miles north west of where I am. This happens in three different weather apps as well as in Here Maps. I am currently in Brooklyn, NY. My phone is reporting me to be in North Bergen, NJ.

Is there any reason for this? Does it have to do will my cellular providers server location? My provider is T-Mobile. I would think that a GPS should know my actual location.

 

[gpobernardo]

At times, my phone reports a location some forty miles north west of where I am. This happens in three different weather apps as well as in Here Maps. I am currently in Brooklyn, NY. My phone is reporting me to be in North Bergen, NJ.

Is there any reason for this? Does it have to do will my cellular providers server location? My provider is T-Mobile. I would think that a GPS should know my actual location.

GPS (and GLONASS) works best when your phone can establish a "direct visual contact" with at least three GPS satellites for triangulation to occur. Accuracy decreases with increasing obstruction, e.g. when there is increased cloud cover. Inside closed structures especially where there are no windows, your phone interpolates its position by triangulating from cellular towers rather than GPS satellites. Triangulation using cellular sites is less accurate than by GPS, hence you may expect lapses in determining phone position in this regard.

 

[Neil Katz]

Thanks. The problem does occur indoors. Still, I would reflect better accuracy. I have a possible
explanation. The person next to me at work lived in North Bergen. Possibly, he is running something on his Android cell phone that is tickling my phone into thinking that this is the location. I asked him and he didn't think so, but we'll have to look further.

 

[gpobernardo]

Thanks. The problem does occur indoors. Still, I would reflect better accuracy. I have a possible
explanation. The person next to me at work lived in North Bergen. Possibly, he is running something on his Android cell phone that is tickling my phone into thinking that this is the location. I asked him and he didn't think so, but we'll have to look further.

It's unlikely that his device has something to do with the location inaccuracy since location is determined by each device individually (i.e. without referring any other device except cellular sites and satellites (at least that's what we're told)), but nonetheless that is an interesting theory. Let me know your findings.

 

[Neil Katz]

I got the same result on a day when he had not arrived at work, so this can be eliminated. I do pass through the town just prior to entering a tunnel under the Hudson River, and am not in a position to access the GPS satellites for a long period after, so this may be the last GPS location that the phone has accessed. However, I usually get a local location, presumably from cellular toward in the area when I regain my cellular service. It is only occasionally that this behavior manifests itself.

 

[gpobernardo]

Sounds like your concern has been addressed. Thanks for keeping us updated with your findings.