An 802.11 network-based positioning method, wherein the method is applied to a to-be-positioned station, STA, device on an 802.11 network, the STA device is provided with a channel state information, CSI, obtaining module and a service request program that runs on the STA device, the service request program and the CSI obtaining module are capable of transmitting data to each other through a service request interface and an asynchronous notification interface, and the method comprises: receiving, by the CSI obtaining module through the service request interface, a request message sent by the service request program, wherein the request message comprises at least a channel listening list, a channel listening linger time, and a target access point, AP, device list, the channel listening list records a to-be-listened-on frequency band and a to-be-listened-on channel corresponding to each to-be-listened-on frequency band, and the channel listening linger time is a time for which the CSI obtaining module listens to a physical-layer protocol data unit, PPDU, sent by a target AP device and extracts CSI from the PPDU, on a single channel; extracting, by the CSI obtaining module according to the channel listening linger time, on all to-be-listened-on channels recorded in the channel listening list, CSI from PPDUs sent by all target AP devices recorded in the target AP device list; when a group of CSI is collected, sending, by the CSI obtaining module, the group of CSI to the service request program through the asynchronous notification interface, wherein the group of CSI is used to represent collected CSI that is carried by one PPDU; and using the collected group of CSI for positioning the STA device, characterized in that the request message further comprises a maximum CSI obtaining interval, and after the group of CSI is collected, the method comprises: when a next group of CSI that belongs to a same AP device as the group of CSI is not collected within the maximum CSI obtaining interval, broadcasting, by the CSI obtaining module, a request packet to each AP device on a channel on which the same AP device resides, so that each AP device on the channel on which the same AP device resides sends a reply packet to the CSI obtaining module; and extracting, by the CSI obtaining module, CSI from the reply packet. receiving, by the CSI obtaining module through the service request interface, a request message sent by the service request program, wherein the request message comprises at least a channel listening list, a channel listening linger time, and a target access point, AP, device list, the channel listening list records a to-be-listened-on frequency band and a to-be-listened-on channel corresponding to each to-be-listened-on frequency band, and the channel listening linger time is a time for which the CSI obtaining module listens to a physical-layer protocol data unit, PPDU, sent by a target AP device and extracts CSI from the PPDU, on a single channel; extracting, by the CSI obtaining module according to the channel listening linger time, on all to-be-listened-on channels recorded in the channel listening list, CSI from PPDUs sent by all target AP devices recorded in the target AP device list; when a group of CSI is collected, sending, by the CSI obtaining module, the group of CSI to the service request program through the asynchronous notification interface, wherein the group of CSI is used to represent collected CSI that is carried by one PPDU; and using the collected group of CSI for positioning the STA device, characterized in that the request message further comprises a maximum CSI obtaining interval, and after the group of CSI is collected, the method comprises: when a next group of CSI that belongs to a same AP device as the group of CSI is not collected within the maximum CSI obtaining interval, broadcasting, by the CSI obtaining module, a request packet to each AP device on a channel on which the same AP device resides, so that each AP device on the channel on which the same AP device resides sends a reply packet to the CSI obtaining module; and extracting, by the CSI obtaining module, CSI from the reply packet. when a next group of CSI that belongs to a same AP device as the group of CSI is not collected within the maximum CSI obtaining interval, broadcasting, by the CSI obtaining module, a request packet to each AP device on a channel on which the same AP device resides, so that each AP device on the channel on which the same AP device resides sends a reply packet to the CSI obtaining module; and extracting, by the CSI obtaining module, CSI from the reply packet.