Methods and apparatus to locate unknown media devices

An apparatus for determining a location of media devices, the apparatus comprising:

• first means for detecting an unknown media device identified in monitoring data collected by an audience measurement device at a first location of a first media presentation device determined to have an “on” status;
• second means for detecting a media transmission associated with a device address;
• means for storing associations, the means for storing to:
• store an association of the device address with the unknown media device and the first location of the first media presentation device in a data structure, the association indicative of when the unknown media device transmits network communications during a period of time when the first media presentation device is determined to have the “on” status, the data structure including counts of a number of associations for the device address with the first location of the first media presentation device and respective locations of a plurality of media presentation devices;
• and
• increase the counts when subsequent associations for the unknown media device with the first media presentation device or the plurality of media presentation devices that are determined to have the “on” status and the first location of the first media presentation device or the respective locations of the plurality of media presentation devices are stored;
• and
• means for determining a probability that the unknown media device is located at the first location of the first media presentation device based on a total count of associations of the device address with the unknown media device and the first location of the first media presentation device.

A system comprising:

• an audience measurement device to collect monitoring data at a location of a first media presentation device determined to have an “on” status at least one memory;
• a computing device to:
• detect an unknown media device identified in the monitoring data;
• detect a media transmission associated with a device address;
• store an association of the device address with the unknown media device and the location of the first media presentation device in a data structure, the association indicative of when the unknown media device transmits network communications during a period of time when the first media presentation device is determined to have the “on” status, the data structure including counts of a number of associations for the device address with the location of the first media presentation device and respective locations of a plurality of media presentation devices;
• increase the counts when subsequent associations for the unknown media device with the first media presentation device or the plurality of media presentation devices that are determined to have the “on” status and the location of the first media presentation device or the respective locations of the plurality of media presentation devices are stored;
• and
• determine a probability that the unknown media device is located at the location of the first media presentation device based on a total count of associations of the device address with the unknown media device and the location of the first media presentation device.