802.11 beacon frames can already include data parts which promote…
- 2-letter nation code (standardized in 802.11d-2001, though it’s deprecated to belief this subject for setting the regulatory area)
- The entry level’s time zone in POSIX format (standardized in IEEE STd 802.11v-2011, per this Wireshark commit)
- The entry level’s UTC time and estimated error (standardized in IEEE Std 802.11p-2010, per similar Wireshark commit)
Assuming that close by entry level(s) might be trusted, a WiFi-only consumer may use this data from beacon frames to set its personal native time with out truly associating/authenticating with an entry level and establishing community connectivity.
So how about geographical location? Positioning programs based mostly on wifi exist already, however they mainly require the machine to have entry to an enormous, usually-proprietary database of APs/BSSIDs and their estimated geographical positions.
It will be good for there to be a manner for APs to broadcast their very own areas. As this 2013 paper, “the precise
location of the AP can also be transmitted as embedded information, saving the necessity of GPS and conserving battery lifetime of units whereas bettering the accuracy.”
Nevertheless, there does not truly look like any normal for 802.11 APs to broadcast their very own geographical coordinates.
What I can discover
French drone legislation
As of 2019, French legislation requires drones/UAVs to broadcast their coordinates in WiFi beacons, in WiFi beacons]. Coordinates are specified to a precision of 10-5 decimal levels of latitude/longitude, and horizontal velocity, heading, and altitude are additionally included.
Wireshark can parse these fields!
That is fairly fascinating, however…
- This requirement does not seem to have been submitted for standardization in any manner
- It seems to be required and used solely in France (and it makes use of the OUI of a French authorities protection group)
- It seems to have been outlined solely with UAVs/drones in thoughts: there isn’t any manner for a tool to promote that it is not truly a UAV
- It seems to have been outlined with the belief of a highly-accurate international positioning supply: there isn’t any manner for a tool to point that its place could also be imprecise or out-of-date
RADIUS/DHCP
A 2005 IETF draft Carrying Location Objects in RADIUS proposes a standardized format for conveying location in a complicated manner, together with decision and timestamping of when that data was correct.
That information format received standardized as a part of RADIUS in RFC5580, and as a part of DHCP in RFC3825.
Okay, nice, this looks like a fairly smart binary illustration of location data and its accuracy, however it is not a part of 802.11 itself.
Is there a standardized or standards-track mechanism for 802.11 entry factors to broadcast data on their very own geographical location?
(And if not, ought to there be? 😅)