BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates generally to tracking devices, and more specifically, to access point functionality in a tracking device environment.

Users can attach tracking devices to one or more personal objects, such as keys, a phone, a car, a briefcase, a laptop, and the like. The tracking device can communicatively couple to a mobile device of the user (or of a community member), and the mobile device can, in response to receiving a communication from the tracking device, determine a location of the mobile device (for instance, via a GPS receiver). The mobile device can then provide an identifier for the tracking device and the determined location of the mobile device to a cloud server, which can associate the tracking device with the determined location of the mobile device.

Tracking devices may move around with a user as they go about their daily activities, and can be coupled to user devices, such as a laptop, smart phone, or other mobile device, while moving with the user. The user may want to determine the location of the tracking device. Using the user's mobile device to determine the location may take several minutes and may be unreliable given the long communicative range of a mobile device. In addition, the mobile device may not be in a range of the tracking device, thereby leaving the user unable to determine the tracking device's location. Thus, there is a need to locate the tracking device without requiring coupling to the mobile device.

SUMMARY

A tracking system determines a tracking device's location by using one or more access points. A geographic boundary associated with a location may include a set of access points. At least one of the access points within the geographic boundary may couple to the tracking device. Each of the access points can communicate with a tracking server of the tracking device, providing updates on the tracking device's presence and location within the geographic boundary.

When a user leaves a location, inadvertently leaving the tracking device behind, a mobile device of the user can determine that the tracking device is not coupled to the mobile device, though this process can take several minutes, during which the mobile device continues to scan for signals from the tracking device. To expedite this determination, the tracking system queries one or more access points of the location, checking if at least one access point is coupled to the tracking device. Upon confirming that the tracking device is coupled to an access point, the tracking system can determine that the mobile device is not coupled to the tracking device, and beneficially enabling the user to be notified that the tracking device has been left behind. Otherwise, the user may have to wait the several minutes before the tracking system determines that the tracking device has been left behind, during which time the user may move further away from the location, increasing the amount of time and inconvenience required to turn around and retrieve the tracking device.

The tracking server determines that the tracking device is at a location when at least one of the access points at the location detects the tracking device. The tracking server may instruct all the access points within the geographic boundary to provide an instruction to the tracking device (for instance, at the request of an owner of the tracking device), thereby increasing the likelihood that the tracking device receives the instruction. For instance, if each access point at a location provide an instruction to the tracking device to ring, the likelihood that the tracking device rings increases, thereby enabling the user to more easily locate the tracking device at the location.

The access points that detect the tracking device may provide the tracking server with the location of the tracking device at a default transmission frequency. The tracking device's location data may be duplicative, particularly while the tracking device remains at the location. Accordingly, the access points that detect the tracking device at the location may report the tracking device's location at a slower frequency, and may also report the arrival and the departure of the tracking device to and from the location.

