Mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our lives. We use them every day because of all the benefits they give us, and there are really many of them. One of the options that smartphones offer today is the ability to locate them. With the help of certain digital tools, it is now possible to determine the location of a phone and thus find a phone that you have lost somewhere or stolen from you. And you can also follow children or parents and know where they are at all times. Opinions about such tools are divided, but it is certain that when you understand something better, you can know what the advantages and disadvantages are. So below you can learn how cell phones know your location.
Why can tracking someone by cell phone be useful?
Before we move on to the phone locating mechanism, it is necessary to discuss why a tracking cell phone can be useful. Many believe that such tools are useless, because they adversely affect other people’s privacy. However, this may not always be the case.
Cell phone locators can be helpful every time you don’t know where you left your phone and you’re in a hurry and don’t have time to look for it. With tools like this, you’ll find it in seconds. The same is true in situations where you suspect that you have lost your phone somewhere or that it has been stolen. You will agree that this purpose of cell phone tracking apps is more than useful.
Such tools can also be helpful to parents who want to ensure the safety of their children who have a phone with them. In this way, they can know at any time whether their children are well and in danger. And the same goes for sick parents or other elderly family members who need special care.
How can a cell phone know my location?
For starters, you should know that there are several different ways to locate a device. Most often they are connected to the networks to which the phone is connected, and sometimes several different approaches are used in order to determine the exact location.
1. IP address
An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is something like an Internet-related cell phone number. It represents the number assigned to each user of a mobile device that has the ability to connect to the Internet. The IP address is very easy to find, so if the data on the device is turned on or the phone is connected to Wi-Fi, the location of the device can be easily determined.
Many phone apps just use the mechanism of location detection via internet connection. As long as the internet is turned on and the location parameter is activated on your phone, you can quickly locate your device using third party apps. This ensures that you never know where your phone is again when you are in a hurry or starting to panic because you think your phone has been stolen. With tools like this, you will always know where your mobile device is. You can read more about such useful services at find-my-phone.org.
2. GPS
You’ve probably heard of GPS, but you may have never taken the time to research it better and understand how it can be helpful to locate your phone. GPS is actually an acronym for the Global Positioning System that was developed and built into mobile phones in the 90s. The way it works is to use satellites to determine the exact position of the phone. The good thing about it is that it does not require internet access to work, which means that with the help of GPS you can locate the phone even if it is not connected to Wi-Fi. Another advantage is that it is used by both Android and iOS users.
Note: Although GPS is very useful for locating devices, you should also keep in mind its limitations. The necessary data is obtained only after the phone is connected to several satellites, which is sometimes impossible (for example indoors) or can take a very long time. Therefore, it was necessary to find an alternative way to speed up the whole process. Nowadays, assisted GPS is most often used in order to locate services, which means using a combination of mobile or Wi-Fi network with GPS. This significantly speeds up the whole process and allows locating a cell phone in just a few seconds.
3. Cell ID
However, if you think that before GPS and the Internet, people were not able to locate the phone, you are wrong. Carriers knew how to locate mobile devices even before these modern tools came along and made our lives easier. Location detection was possible by knowing Cell ID. Cell ID is a technology based on knowing which sector of the base station a particular phone uses as well as having a database of base station identification numbers and their locations. Comparing IDs provides information about the location of the phone thanks to knowing the exact location of the mobile phone tower. Using Cell ID, Carriers discovers which cell a particular user is using and how far away it is from neighboring cells. Although this sounds quite confusing to us now compared to Wi-Fi and GPS, the fact is that it was helpful in the past and can still be used today.
Conclusion:
Mobile devices are a huge part of our lives because they offer many benefits. One of the useful things a phone can do is determine your exact location. This can be useful when you just want to know exactly where you are, but it also allows you to locate your phone if you have lost it or suspect it has been stolen. Also, these technologies provide the ability to track someone by their mobile phone, such as children or the elderly in order to ensure their optimal security. Phones know the exact location thanks to the use of several tools: IP address, GPS, and Cell ID. Having knowledge of location tracking services can make your life easier, prevent unwanted situations, or even save you from trouble.
