Can't locate Ipad3 anymore

[Lepapehermann]

The localisation service doesn't work anymore on my Ipad and on my wife's Ipad.
It used to work on both, don't know what changed!

Plans can´t locate me, Find my friends can't locate me etc...

Whoa....I noticed that stepping out of the house the service would start to work again.
Coming back into the house the localisation service stop working immidiately, "impossible to locate"!!
Bluetooth is enable, wifi is enable.

My wifi network is working correctly....I even did a router reset to make sure the problem was not caused by the router.

Help!!
Any idea why this is happening and how to correct it???

 

[twerppoet]

Did you change router's, network names, or ISP's recently?

 

[Lepapehermann]

No, everything is exactly the same.

 

[twerppoet]

This is my best guess.

Wi-fi only iPads tell their location by checking nearby wi-fi hotspots against Apple's location database. It sounds like your wi-fi network was never recorded. Instead, you were probably being located based on one of your neighbor's wi-fi networks, and they changed or removed it. Now you have to go outside, where you can see more networks, for the iPad's to find themselves.

If you own iPhones this should eventually correct itself. Apple collects anonymous location data from their GPS capable devices and adds it to their location database, but it can take a while. They use other methods as well, but I have no idea if those are likely to capture the necessary data in your neighborhood.

 

[Lepapehermann]

Yes I own a wifi only Ipad, I live outside of town and the only available wifi network is mine, I can see one neighbor's network but it is a secure network and I never connected to that network.

When I go outside I don't have access to any other network just mine, it looks like the gps may be the key factor here.!!!

Can you expand on "wifi hotspot?"

How can I get my wifi recorded with Apple?

 

[twerppoet]

Your wi-fi iPad can locate itself using the neighbor's wi-fi, even if it is secure, even if you've never been on it. All it does is pull the SSID (it's identifier) and compare it to Apple's database. No need to actually be on the network.

The only way I know of to get your wi-fi in Apple's database is to own and use a GPS enabled iOS device, or have your friends with iPhones over to visit a few times. Then wait, wait, wait. Maybe a few more friends, some wine, cheese, or other entertainment while you wait.

If there is a manual method, I've never heard of it.

In this instance I was using wi-fi hotspot and wi-fi network interchangeably. There is probably some nit-picky definition of each somewhere, but in this case it doesn't matter.

 

[Lepapehermann]

Thank you very much for your help, it is appreciated.
So it looks like my only solution is to wait.........that's what i will do.
Effectively I have friends coming over and using their Iphones, time will tell.

 

[twerppoet]

Good luck. Let us know what happens. The last person with this issue (he changed his router) took about three weeks before his location services started working at home again. That's a very rough guess. I don't have the actual times.

Hold in mind that he owned an iPhone, so that probably helped.

 

[Lepapehermann]

OK, I will update this thread when I am back alive!

 

[giradman]

Your wi-fi iPad can locate itself using the neighbor's wi-fi, even if it is secure, even if you've never been on it. All it does is pull the SSID (it's identifier) and compare it to Apple's database. No need to actually be on the network.

The only way I know of to get your wi-fi in Apple's database is to own and use a GPS enabled iOS device, or have your friends with iPhones over to visit a few times. Then wait, wait, wait. Maybe a few more friends, some wine, cheese, or other entertainment while you wait..............

Hi TP - I've been reading on Apple's localization methods ever since buying my first iPad back in 2011 - we've owned only Wi-Fi enabled devices and our location (w/i a good size city) is pretty much 'spot-on' on maps and 'find my iPhone' - below quoted from one of Apple's online articles, just a summary of some of the various methods used in their location services - don't completely understand 'how' cell towers and iBeacons figured into this mix to set up their location database, but still an evolving technology?

But as to the OP's issue, if his friends w/ iPhones visit his house, my assumption is that they would need to have their cellular/GPS features activated but also connect to his home Wi-Fi network so that his house can be localized? Not sure that my thinking is correct here but if so, then a requirement for this to work for him? Dave

Depending on your device and available services, Location Services uses a combination of cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS to determine your location. If you're not within a clear line of sight to GPS satellites, your device can determine your location using crowd-sourced Wi-Fi5 and cell tower locations or iBeacons.

 

[twerppoet]

I don't think they would need to actually connect to the home network, though it might help. As long as the network is visible, the iOS device can collect the SSID and the location.

Of course the GPS needs to be on, and location services as well. (Settings > Privacy > Location Services).

If you tap on the About Location Services & Privacy link under the switch to torn ON/OFF Location Services, you can see what Apple has to say about the data collected.

Location Services uses GPS and Bluetooth (where those are available) along with crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower locations to determine your iPad’s approximate location. If Location Services is on, your iPad will periodically send the geo-tagged locations of nearby Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers in an anonymous and encrypted form to Apple, to be used for augmenting this crowd-sourced database of Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower locations. By enabling Location Services, location-based system services such as these will also be enabled: -- Apple

 

[Lepapehermann]

Well..... The localisation service started working this morning.

I haven't done anything special and there is no friend with Iphone that showed up at my place.

I was checking the localisation service every day but it was not working then today my Ipad started locating itself properly.

Strange indeed but I am happy to get the service back as I am using it with multiple applications.

 

[twerppoet]

I'm glad it started working.

Out of curiosity, check to see what networks you can see in your area, and whether you can now pick up one or two of them inside your house, and if it is different from when it wasn't working.

 

[Lepapehermann]

There is absolutely nothing different in regards to the environment in my home, no new visible network and nothing done to my router.

Tthe only thing I could think of is the fact that I took my Ipad on a couple of road trips around my hometown, using it with and without connecting to a wifi network.

It is still a mystery for me but I am glad it works now.

Ps: My wife's Ipad also started working properly this morning but one should note that it never left the house.

 

[giradman]

There is absolutely nothing different in regards to the environment in my home, no new visible network and nothing done to my router.

Tthe only thing I could think of is the fact that I took my Ipad on a couple of road trips around my hometown, using it with and without connecting to a wifi network.

It is still a mystery for me but I am glad it works now.

Ps: My wife's Ipad also started working properly this morning but one should note that it never left the house.

Hello - thanks for the follow-up and glad that your 'location services' is working again - hard to explain (maybe a cell tower that was out - can only guess?).

Now, are you sure that an exorcist did not visit your house? Dave
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