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How Accurate Is Your GPS?

Read your device's GPS coordinates, altitude, speed, and accuracy radius in real time. Verify GPS fix quality and identify signal issues — all processed locally in your browser.

This test uses the Geolocation API to read latitude, longitude, altitude, speed, heading, and accuracy radius from your device's GPS receiver, Wi-Fi positioning, or cell tower triangulation.

Modern smartphone GPS achieves 3–5 meter accuracy outdoors. Indoors, accuracy drops to 10–50 meters as the device falls back to Wi-Fi and cell tower positioning.

What Do Your Results Mean?

Result Range Meaning
Good Accuracy radius under 10 meters Your GPS is working well with a strong satellite fix. This level of accuracy is suitable for turn-by-turn navigation and precise location tracking.
Warning Accuracy radius 10–50 meters Moderate accuracy, likely using a combination of GPS and Wi-Fi or cell tower positioning. This is common indoors or in urban canyons with obstructed sky view.
Poor Accuracy radius over 50 meters or no GPS fix Poor GPS signal. You may be indoors, underground, or in an area with heavy signal obstruction. The device is relying primarily on Wi-Fi or cell tower positioning.

Common Issues & Solutions

Location permission denied or not prompting

Check your browser's site permissions and ensure location access is allowed for this site. On mobile, verify that Location Services is enabled in your device's system settings (Settings → Privacy → Location Services on iOS, Settings → Location on Android).

GPS accuracy is very poor or takes a long time to get a fix

Move to an area with clear sky view — GPS requires line-of-sight to satellites. Indoor environments, underground locations, and dense urban areas degrade GPS accuracy significantly. Enable Wi-Fi to assist positioning even if not connected to a network.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How does browser geolocation work?

The Geolocation API uses a hierarchy of positioning methods: GPS satellites (most accurate, outdoor only), Wi-Fi access point databases (moderate accuracy, works indoors), and cell tower triangulation (least accurate, widest coverage). The browser automatically uses the best available source.

Why is my GPS less accurate indoors?

GPS signals from satellites are very weak (about 20 watts from 20,000km away) and cannot penetrate most building materials. Indoors, your device falls back to Wi-Fi positioning, which is typically accurate to 10–30 meters depending on the density of known Wi-Fi access points nearby.

What is the accuracy radius value?

The accuracy radius is the 68% confidence interval in meters. If the accuracy is 10 meters, there is a 68% probability that your true position is within 10 meters of the reported coordinates. Smaller numbers mean more precise positioning.

Is my location data sent to a server?

No. Your GPS coordinates are read via the Geolocation API and displayed only in your browser. No location data is transmitted to any server. You can verify this in your browser's DevTools Network tab.