Passive TDOA location in mobile ad-hoc networks

Ad hoc networks are becoming increasingly relevant in positioning solutions, mainly due to the capabilities of current portable devices and the collaborative nature of such networks, which can improve some of the limitations of the positioning solutions in regular wireless networks. Scalability and accuracy are the most constraining factors of a location algorithm for ad hoc networks. This paper presents an algorithm for passive location in ad hoc networks. This algorithm uses the location traffic in the network to compute the position of the nodes. This passive behavior makes this solution ideal for scalability because one single active node can locate as many nodes as it can cover in the network. This paper provides a definition for the algorithm and explores the expected accuracy of passive positions.