Terminal Location Accuracy via MAC Address Database Lookup
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for determining the location of terminals without a Global Positioning System (GPS) module, such as desktop computers, face challenges in accuracy due to reliance on imprecise IP-based location services, which often only provide city-level geographic information, failing to offer precise positioning in large cities.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize databases mapping Media Access Control (MAC) and Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to determine terminal locations by pre-configuring and updating these databases with location information, allowing for more accurate latitude and longitude determination through querying these databases when a terminal connects to a network.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If IP-based location services are used to determine terminal location, then the solution is simple and widely applicable, but the location accuracy is poor (only city-level precision)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the location determination process into two stages: first using simple IP-based location services to obtain city-level location, then using MAC address database lookup to obtain precise location within the city. This segmentation allows the system to combine the advantages of both methods - the simplicity and wide applicability of IP-based services with the high precision of MAC address lookup.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a MAC address database as an intermediary component between the terminal and the location determination system. This database stores pre-collected MAC address to precise location mappings, enabling the system to retrieve accurate location information without requiring complex real-time positioning operations.
2Measurement precision
If MAC address databases are pre-configured and updated to improve location precision, then location accuracy improves significantly, but the complexity of database maintenance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring the MAC address database with location information before actual use. The database is populated in advance with MAC addresses and their corresponding precise locations, so that when a terminal needs location determination, the lookup operation is immediate and does not require complex real-time processing or database updates.
3Adaptability or versatility
If terminals without GPS modules are targeted, then the solution covers more device types (desktops, notebooks), but the available positioning information is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the terminal's network interface (MAC address) as an intermediary to obtain location information. Instead of relying on GPS hardware that these terminals lack, the system uses the network adapter's MAC address to look up location data in the pre-configured database, thereby recovering positioning information that would otherwise be unavailable.
Data Source
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AI summary
Embodiments of the present application relate to a method, apparatus, and system for determining a location of a terminal. The method includes acquiring a Media Access Control (MAC) address of a network equipment used by a terminal to access a network, determining whether a database indicating locations associated with respective MAC addresses includes the acquired MAC address, and in the event that the database indicating locations associated with respective MAC addresses includes the acquired MAC address, determining that a current location of the terminal corresponds to a location associated with the acquired MAC address that is stored in the database, and outputting the current location of the terminal.