LBS ( location-based service ) is a service that determines the location of a unit according to the coordinates of GSM base stations.

GPS may be unavailable for various reasons: GPS antenna failure, dense urban development, tunnels, parking garages, and so on. In such cases, it is advisable to use LBS. Due to shorter waves, the probability of LBS catching the signal in places with obstacles (reinforced, metal, shielded surfaces) is much higher.

The accuracy of LBS is generally lower: it depends on local radio conditions, the density of the base station network, cell configuration. However, it is easier to catch the signal using LBS. This increases the chance of receiving positional data in a message when GPS is not available.

If technical conditions are met, the service can be configured for any monitoring unit. For the most part, LBS is used in the fields where the exact coordinates are not so important as the fact of arrival, departure, moving, or stopping.

For example, in container shipping, a device installed inside the container does not catch the satellite signal. However, the LBS messages show the fact of delivering the goods to the warehouse, unplanned stops, significant deviations from the route.

LBS is also used for monitoring stationary units, especially if the device does not have a source of direct current. This saves the battery life of the device, while a disabled GPS module would significantly increase it.

You can find a list of supported devices in the Hardware section of our site.

When the monitoring unit does not send positional data via satellites, Wialon reads the identification number of the base station and searches for the coordinates in the database.

Wialon uses its own database. It is updated as new messages with LBS and GPS coordinates are received from the units. Before adding new points to the database, they are additionally checked. At the moment, the database includes more than 62 million points.

The messages should contain 4 parameters:  cell_id  (identification number of the base station of the mobile operator),  mcc ,  mnc , and  lac  (service parameters). To verify the fact of their correct transmission and reception, request data messages on the Messages tab.

There could be the following reasons for it.

• Your device is not able to send LBS data.
• Your device has incorrect settings. To get LBS data, a device needs to transmit at least 4 parameters: mcc, mnc, lac, cell ID. Please check your device settings and make sure your device can transmit those parameters.
• You haven’t activated message validity filtration. On the Advanced tab of the unit properties, tick the checkbox Message validity filtration, then activate the Allow positioning by cellular base stations function.

To see the last unit location determined by LBS, use the LBS detector.

In order for the LBS data of the unit to be saved in Wialon, open the  Advanced  tab of the unit properties, enable message validity filtration and activate the  Allow positioning by cellular base stations  option. After that, the LBS coordinates will be used in reports and when displaying the unit on the map. For notifications, activate the Process LBS messages option in their settings.

The LBS coordinates of the unit are saved only if they are determined later than the GPS coordinates in the message.

If the location of the unit is determined by LBS, you can tell this by how it is displayed on the map and by the icon   which is shown opposite the unit name in the work area of the  Monitoring  tab.

Send a request to hw@wialon.com  indicating the type of device for considering the issue.

If  advanced support  is specified for your type of device, send an email to hw@wialon.com  with all the details. You can also ask for help in configuring other devices.

Send a request to support@wialon.com  indicating the values of the parameters ​​ mcc ,  mnc ,  lac ,  cell_ID .

Make sure that positioning by LBS is configured for the unit on the  Advanced  tab of its properties. In the case of notifications, also check if the Process LBS messages option is activated in their settings. If the problem is still unresolved, write to support@wialon.com  specifying all the details.