Requesting user feedback by testing BeaconDB

/e/OS Smartphone Operating System Development Updates
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Feed back from /e/OS users

We are testing BeaconDB as a possible new default network location service on /e/OS. We have conducted first tests internally and have got some positive results. Now we would like to get more feedback from /e/OS users who are spread across the world and on different service providers

What you need to do to assist with the testing?

On your device:

  • Settings → System → microG → Location → “…” at the top right and enter the custom value:

https://api.beacondb.net

  • Disable the setting at the bottom of the Location settings called “Use /e/OS’s location system”

Then please monitor the behavior of maps and other applications on your device.

How to share your feedback?

You can post your findings in this post providing the following details

  • Country and state where you conducted the test
  • Service provider name
  • Is location correct (how accurate is it)
  • Please test indoors without GNNS (GPS/Galileo/. …) fix, otherwise the network location service is pretty useless

What is BeaconDB?

BeaconDB is an in-development, open-source wireless network database designed to serve as an alternative network location service.

How does it work?

It collects and aggregates location data about wireless infrastructure—such as WiFi networks, cell towers, and Bluetooth devices—from user submissions.
The goal is to provide a publicly accessible API for geolocation while also releasing obfuscated data dumps under a public domain license, addressing privacy and legal concerns that prevented MLS from doing the same when it shut down.

What makes BeaconDB stand out

Unlike proprietary services, BeaconDB emphasizes transparency and community contribution. Users can submit data via compatible apps (like Tower Collector), and the aggregated data is made available for clients to estimate their location based on nearby wireless signals. It’s still experimental, with limited coverage compared to established services, and may fall back to approximate methods (like cell tower or IP-based estimates) if WiFi data is insufficient. The project also allows opting out by appending “_nomap” to a WiFi SSID.

In a near future, /e/OS will also probably offer a “contribution mode” that will help the BeaconDB grow.

To sum up
It is a passion project funded by donations, aimed at filling a gap in the open-source ecosystem for location services.

Regain your privacy! Adopt /e/OS the deGoogled mobile OS and online servicesphone

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I have been using https://beacondb.net (notice without api.) for several months and it was an improvement on positon.xyz.

Specifically the improvement is that both positon.xyz and MLS seem to be undecided where my home Network location fix should be. The potential local error was only 1 to 3 miles. Changing to beacon corrected the issue.

I am currently traveling. I have made the change on my phone to https://api.beacondb.net

Neo Stumbler offers default upload location of https://api.beacondb.net.

Up until quite recently I sent my uploads to https://opencellid.org/ where there is also a link to advice from a community forum.

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  • Country and state where you conducted the test: USA, Ohio
  • Service provider name: US Mobile (Verizon) and MetroNet for home internet.
  • Is location correct (how accurate is it): Maps App and various sites that used location services picked up location accurately.

Will keep an eye on things and advise from this side of the world. Appreciate all that you guys do!

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It is a great project and the data amount is also growing rapidly. You can contribute data anonymously by this app

and here is the Fediverse presence of the BeaconDB project.

On this page you can see how well your area is covered by BeaconDB.

https://beacondb.net/map/

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Feedback: It works pretty good. The lag on my bycicle and in my car is 5-10 Meters which is quite OK.

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I did not test, but I’d say Canonical did as they are also switching their Geolocation service within their latest Ubuntu 25.04 release. See release notes here.

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First five minutes of testing works very well. My local taxis (camcab), Bolt cars, maps (Organic) all work very well :slight_smile:

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Very interesting project, I will test it in France (Morbihan) with Telecoop (Orange) provider.

How do we remove the GNSS fix?

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  • Country and state where you conducted the test: France, Hautes Alpes

  • Service provider name: Youprice (Orange network)

  • Is location correct (how accurate is it): Tested indoors with Maps, IGNrando, Organic Maps… etc. At first, the location was a little inaccurate (100-150m), but after sending a few reports with the Neostumblr app, it works perfectly. And Maps no longer freezes when I launch it indoors.

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I’am also asking this question. Maybe by disable ‘Location service’?

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I’ve just made a test this morning in a shopping Center in “Bulle - Switzerland”, and magic earth did locate me at “St-Gallen - Switzerland” which is about 300 km away… I was indoor.

I tried inserting the full address of the API as described in the supplier’s documentation, i.e. ‘https://api.beacondb.net/v1/geolocate’, but without any change in the result. However, I found that the correct API address automatically added a ‘/’ at the end:
‘https://api.beacondb.net/’ I leave it like that in my Micro-G parameters.

Then we went on the outside and location was fine again…
So it wasn’t reliable in my case. (tried with my spouse’s FP4, same result).
By the way I will continue to use it for further tests.

Note that there’s a way to improve the service and the covered areas:
Download and install from “F-Droid” or “AppLounge” the app “NeoStumbler”; it’s free and opensource. And you can activate the app when driving, moving, traveling, etc…

NeoStumbler will group and compile geolocation information with the available networks and send reports to ‘BeaconDB’.

This is an excellent way of feeding ‘BeaconDB’ provider in order to improve its efficiency.
Progress can be tracked on the provider’s official coverage map. (see above)

I’ll try to track my next moves to see if BeaconDB’s evolution is satisfactory. I’ll provide further feedback here shortly. Stay tuned…

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Let me quote my comment on Reddit r/MicroG

I’m happy I can have precise location on my home with my Linux laptop and phone with microG, I’m encouraging people can install NeoStumbler to collect and submit data when going out!

I recommend you to find a phone with Google GMS and install NeoStumbler from “GitHub” and enable “Prefer fused location provider” so it can still collecting datas even when you’re inside the building.

But, if your building or location have no datas nearby, there is the potential that your location became obviously (On coverage map), to avoid this, you could collect more datas before you submit.

“Prefer fused location provider” is kinda mixing GPS+Google WiFi data+last location data, so yeah, you’re “borrowing” Google’s data in somehow, for more details, check Google’s documentation.

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It doesn’t matter if you’re inside the building that obviously impossible receiving any GPS signals.

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  • Country and state where you conducted the test: France, Tours / Lyon / Paris/ Toulouse
  • Service provider name: Bouygues-telecom
  • Is location correct (how accurate is it): Tested indoors with Maps, Organic Maps and Trekarta, it works finely
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  • Country and state where you conducted the test: Norway, Buskerud.
  • Service provider name: Phonero.
  • Is location correct (how accurate is it): Location is 100% correct. Tested from my cellar, to be sure the GPS signal was weak enough.
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When I go from Settings → System → microG → Location to “…” and activate Custom, then there is no possibility to enter the beacondb url in my Murena FP3.
In my Murena One it is possible.

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This is strange. Maybe try to reset your Micro-G settings. Go in Settings => Applications => All applications => microG services => Storage & Cache => Clean the Cache and the User data. Then reboot the device and try again.

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Thank you for your suggestion. I have tried and unfortunately not the solution.

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UK - SouthEast
Three Network
Indoor Location: Accurate and rapid lock-on using “Organic Maps” after submitting reports on “NeoStumbler”

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  • Country: London, UK
  • Service provider: Lebara
  • Is location correct: good, places me ca 10m off (see below)

The offset may be self-inflicted, I have stumbled for beacondb and the place seems to be where my phone would reasonably get a lock when leaving the building. I’m also 9-10m up.

Used TestGPS to ensure I didn’t have a GPS lock (though getting one doesn’t seem to make a difference, so the discrepancy could also be some indirect path artefact).