IEEE 802.11 ranging and multi-lateration for software-defined positioning receiver

The implementation of a ranging exploitation method over the IEEE 802.11 signal standard for a software-defined radio architecture is presented. We propose the current wireless local access network (WLAN) as standard assistive infrastructure for ubiquitous localisation and positioning. The paper describes the architecture of a localisation receiver built around a FPGA. The described receiver can ideally process GNSS signals, available for any number of satellites, together with IEEE 802.11 signals available from surrounding WLAN access points to infer its own position. WLAN AP visibility, expected positioning accuracy and global service coverage over a large university campus are discussed. The IEEE 802.11 ranging method and its implementation in a single software-defined receiver are discussed.