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Wi-Fi MAC Address Location Finder

Enter the MAC addresses (BSSIDs) of one to five Wi-Fi networks and see roughly where they are on a map. The more networks you add, the better the triangulated location.

Use this only for networks you own or are authorised to locate — for example finding your own equipment, a lost or stolen device's last-seen networks, or a site survey. A BSSID can only be captured by being near the network, so this locates Wi-Fi you can already see, not a person. Don't use it to track anyone.

Enter 2 or more networks for an accurate location. With several nearby networks it can triangulate a precise point. A single network gives only a rough area — often a street or wider. A Wi-Fi scanner app (or the list of networks in range on your device) gives you more to enter.

Optional: add each network's signal strength after its address to sharpen the result, for example 00:11:22:AA:BB:CC -67. Signal is in dBm (closer to 0 is stronger, e.g. −45 is strong, −85 is weak).

Try an example

What is a BSSID?

Every Wi-Fi access point broadcasts a BSSID: the MAC address of its radio, such as 00:11:22:AA:BB:CC. It's different from the network name (SSID). Phones and laptops use the BSSIDs they can see to work out where they are, which is how location works indoors where GPS is weak.

Where to find a BSSID

  • Windows: netsh wlan show networks mode=bssid
  • macOS: hold Option and click the Wi-Fi icon, or system_profiler SPAirPortDataType
  • Linux: nmcli -f BSSID,SSID dev wifi or iwlist scan
  • Your router: on its label or admin page (often shown as "BSSID" or "Wireless MAC")
  • Phone apps: a Wi-Fi analyser app lists the BSSID of every network in range

How the location is worked out

Each network you enter is looked up two ways:

  • WiGLE gives the recorded location of each individual network, from years of community "wardriving" (people mapping Wi-Fi as they travel).
  • Google's Geolocation API takes all the networks together and returns one combined point with an accuracy circle — the triangulated location.

A network only has a location if a passing device has seen it before, so brand-new or hidden networks may not be found. Locations are approximate, and can be out by anything from a few metres to a street or more.

Privacy

The MAC addresses you enter are sent to Google and WiGLE to look up, and aren't stored by us. We record only how many you looked up. You're limited to 7 lookups a day.

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