Patent ID: 8126476

Claim:
A system for mapping locations of wireless access points, the wireless access points providing access to a network, the system comprising: a server connected to the network and adapted to receive one or more sets of access point connection data from a first wireless user terminal connected to the network, said first set of access point connection data including information about one or more wireless access points within range of the first wireless user terminal; a data storage device connected to the server and adapted to store information about a first access point wherein the information stored includes an access point identifier and location information for the first access point, and wherein, the server receives wireless access point connection data that includes information about the first wireless access point and a second wireless access point from the same wireless user terminal at substantially the same time and the server is adapted to store information about the second access point, the information about the second access point including an access point identifier for the second access point and location information determined as a function the location information for the first access point; wherein the data storage device stores information about a second wireless access point and the information stored includes an access point identifier and location information for the second wireless access point, and the wireless access point connection data received by the server includes a first indication of signal strength of the signal received from the first wireless access point by the wireless user terminal, a second indication of signal strength of the signal received from the second wireless access point by the wireless user terminal and a third indication of signal strength of the signal received from a third wireless access point by the wireless user terminal; and wherein location information for the third wireless access point is determined as a function of the first indication of signal strength, the second indication of signal strength and the third indication of signal strength and the location information for at least one of the first wireless access point and the second wireless access point.