WPS (WiFi Position System) - The way to track WiFi Enabled Kids

Skyhook Wireless, a company whose name sounds like the lair of a James Bond villain, announced plans to introduce a location-based positioning system, which, unlike regular GPS, uses Wi-Fi to compute the location of a Wi-Fi-enabled device in less than a second. The service, with free access to its metro-area positioning system, is called WPS (Wi-Fi Position System), and is accurate to within twenty meters, can be used indoors and outdoors, has no line of sight requirements, and will help families find their long-lost Wi-Fi enabled child.

The new technology, specifically beneficial in large urban centers where GPS signals often have problems, can also determine — besides the latitude and longitude of a person like GPS can — the height of a user. Why would one care about the height of a Wi-Fi user, one might wonder? Because it means that, unlike GPS, WPS can tell you the actual floor a person is standing on. The service has piqued the interest of parents, who find it a clever way to look after their kids — but not so much the kids, who find it ever harder to get away from their crazy parents. How well the service works, how well it’s liked, and how well it pays off for Skyhook remains to be seen , however. Still, the company aims high, and expects its coverage to reach 70% of the US population by the end of the year. So, what’s the slogan for Skyhook’s new WPS service? “Hiiiigh hopes, its got, hiiiiigh hopes, its got, hiiiigh apple piiiie in the skyyyy hopes.” More information can be found on the Skyhook Wireless website.