Geographic Information for Wireless Networks
Techniques for geographic information for wireless networks are described. According to various embodiments, a connectivity module on a mobile device receives geographic position information for a mobile device from another functionality of the mobile device and independent of a query by the connectivity module for the information. The connectivity module retrieves the geographic position information locally on the device, and utilizes the geographic position information to cause various actions to be performed. For instance, the connectivity module utilizes the geographic position information to identify a wireless network at a particular geographic region, and to cause a wireless scan to be initiated to detect the wireless network.
1 . A system comprising:
one or more processors; and
one or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to perform operations including:
activating, based on receiving an indication that geographic position information corresponding to an identified location of the system is available at a local location within the system, a connectivity manager from an inactive state and initiating operations by the connectivity manager including:
retrieving the geographic position information from the local location within the system; and
performing one or more actions in response to retrieving the geographic position information and while a wireless radio of the system is in an inactive state, said one or more actions including:
selecting a wireless network corresponding to the identified location, said selecting occurring while the wireless network is not currently detected by the system; and
initiating a network scan to detect the wireless network based on the retrieved geographic position information, said initiating occurring while the wireless network is not currently detected by the system.
2 . The system as described in claim 1 , wherein the geographic position information is retrieved by a first functionality different than the connectivity manager.
3 . The system as described in claim 1 , wherein the system comprises a mobile device, and wherein the indication that the geographic position information is available is received from an operating system of the mobile device.
4 . The system as described in claim 1 , wherein said selecting comprises using the geographic position information to query a remote service, and receiving identification information for the wireless network from the remote service.
5 . The system as described in claim 1 , wherein said selecting comprises using the geographic position information to locate the wireless network in a database that correlates wireless networks to respective geographic locations, and wherein the operations further include deleting from the database information for one or more wireless networks that are not identified as being available at the identified location.
6 . The system as described in claim 1 , wherein said selecting comprises identifying multiple wireless networks that are available at the identified location, and wherein the wireless network is selected based on the wireless network being a preferred network.
7 . The system as described in claim 1 , wherein said initiating the network scan comprises scheduling the network scan to occur at a future time.
8 . The system as described in claim 1 , wherein said initiating the network scan comprises causing the wireless radio to transition from the inactive state to an active state, and to scan for the wireless network.
9 . The system as described in claim 1 , wherein the operations by the connectivity manager further include retrieving authentication information to be used to connect to the wireless network.
10 . The system as described in claim 1 , wherein the operations further include causing connectivity information for the wireless network to be loaded prior to the wireless network being detected.
11 . The system as described in claim 1 , wherein the operations further include, prior to said receiving the indication that the geographic position information is available on the system, registering to receive the geographical position information from a functionality of the system.
12 . The system as described in claim 1 , wherein said initiating the network scan comprises causing the wireless radio to transition from the inactive state to an active state, and to scan for the wireless network, and wherein the operations further include:
receiving further geographic position information;
ascertaining that a suitable wireless network is not available at a location identified by the further geographic position information; and
causing the wireless radio to transition from the active state to the inactive state based on said ascertaining.
13 . A computer-implemented method comprising:
activating, based on receiving an indication that geographic position information is available at a local location within a computing device, a connectivity manager of the computing device and initiating operations by the connectivity manager including:
retrieving the geographic position information corresponding to an identified location of the computing device from the local location within the computing device; and
performing one or more actions in response to retrieving the geographic position information and while a wireless radio of the computing device is in an inactive state, said one or more actions including:
selecting a wireless network corresponding to the identified location, said selecting occurring while the wireless network is not currently detected by the computing device; and
initiating a network scan to detect the wireless network based on the retrieved geographic position information, said initiating occurring while the wireless network is not currently detected by the computing device.
14 . The computer-implemented method as described in claim 13 , wherein the computing device comprises a mobile device, and wherein the indication that the geographic position information is available is received from an operating system of the mobile device.
15 . The computer-implemented method as described in claim 13 , wherein said selecting comprises using the geographic position information to query a remote service, and receiving identification information for the wireless network from the remote service.
16 . The computer-implemented method as described in claim 13 , wherein said selecting comprises using the geographic position information to locate the wireless network in a database that correlates wireless networks to respective geographic locations, and wherein the operations further include deleting from the database information for one or more wireless networks that are not identified as being available at the identified location.
17 . One or more computer-readable storage media storing a computer program comprising computer executable instructions, which when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:
activating, based on receiving an indication that geographic position information corresponding to an identified location of the computing device is available at a local location within the computing device, a connectivity manager of the computing device and initiating operations by the connectivity manager including:
retrieving the geographic position information from the local location within the computing device; and
performing one or more actions in response to retrieving the geographic position information and while a wireless radio of the computing device is in an inactive state, said one or more actions including:
selecting a wireless network corresponding to the identified location, said selecting occurring while the wireless network is not currently detected by the computing device; and
initiating a network scan to detect the wireless network based on the retrieved geographic position information, said initiating occurring while the wireless network is not currently detected by the computing device.
18 . The one or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 17 , wherein the geographic position information is retrieved by a first functionality different than the connectivity manager.
19 . The one or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 17 , wherein the computing device comprises a mobile device, and wherein the indication that the geographic position information is available is received from an operating system of the mobile device.
20 . The one or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 17 , wherein said selecting comprises using the geographic position information to query a remote service, and receiving identification information for the wireless network from the remote service.