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just been wondering if there are better /more accurate ways of locating your lost phone than using google's device manager. It has proved useful in the past but I didn't realize it only works if the phone has a data connection which could be a bugger if you're somewhere fairly remote for the day and it goes missing. If you can do this could you please explain how and recommend the appropriate app/software required .
many thanks
Bill
Not unless you are law enforcement and request a triangulation from the cell towers.
triangulation from the cell towers? What's the chance of a phone having a signal from more than one cell and not having a data signal? In reality the answer is likely to be no even if you have all possible information available.
seems like it's a no then ! does anyone know whether any of the location apps are much better or more accurate than google's DM or have any other advantages?
All the apps will pick up GPS data so not sure you can improve the accuracy. How far out was the Google one?
GPS in phones uses cell tower location to improve accuracy, although it's still fairly good, but without the network connection the lost phone has no way of pinging its location back to its owner.
What's the chance of a phone having a signal from more than one cell and not having a data signal?
Depends on what country you're in and where about's you are. In reality, the answer could be yes.
Even if it's connected to one tower you can get an azimuth and a signal strength to help locate.
But unless you have access to that data the point is moot.
Even if it's connected to one tower you can get an azimuth and a signal strength to help locate.
Bit of a needle in a haystack job though (I've done this in the past)
Used to work in a warranty returns operation that acted as a 3rd party service provider for a well known (now defunct) mobile network.
On occasion phones would get stolen, sometimes from the courier and sometimes straight from the warehouse. On a number of occasions these were located using a combination of tactics including triangulation. Seem to recall that they used multiple triangulations to improve location along with good old fashioned traditional police work. Although it was easier when the signal kept triangulating onto a member of staffs address.
This was all 3rd hand by the time it got to me.
Samsung's phone finder got me to within 2 meters of my phone at the top of glentress in the snow.
No data there it just pings it. Or at the very least goes by last known position
Even with the location there's no guarantee of finding it. There's a £900 iPad on Dartmoor that a friend of mine plus 5 others spent several hours looking for. Its miles from any recognisable path so should still be there if anyone wants it.
Step one, call phone.
Step two, when a person answers, ask them where they are.
Step three, retrieve phone.
I admit it's not without its problems, and isn't 100% reliable, but always worth a try.
Step dad couldn't find his iPad once, so did some sort of tracking thing, it showed it to be in his work car park, but a couple of hours later it was in the building, he reckoned someone must've handed it in, but next morning it was showing back in the car park. After a search of the car park was fruitless, he goes in to ask if the front desk have it, nope no joy. Resigned to buying a new one he goes to his locker, to find it there, where it had been the whole time...
Even if it's connected to one tower you can get an azimuth and a signal strength to help locate.
Bit of a needle in a haystack job though (I've done this in the past)
I was going to suggest the accuracy of that method is unlikely to be good - I'd be surprised if you can even isolate to a 100m square. It's certainly a method you could use given specialist portable kit, but relying on info from the tower is a different matter.
But curious about your real world experience.
Step one, call phone.
Step two, wander along route you've taken listening for ring tone. I successfully found my phone that way having left it on the roof of my car at CYB - it made it a surprisingly long way, all the way to the road and a couple of hundred metres along it. Didn't get any signal at all on the other phone I was trying to find it with on some of that route.