Electronic Devices, Methods and Systems for Determining Indoor or Outdoor Positioning Using Communication Data Rates and Feedback Matrix Transmission Intervals

An electronic device, comprising:

• a communication device;
• and
• one or more processors operable with the communication device;
• wherein when the communication device supports multiple input/multiple output (MIMO) communication and is electronically communicating with an access point with a communication data rate exceeding a communication data rate threshold, the one or more processors are configured to determine whether a feedback matrix transmission interval occurring between instances of the communication device transmitting a feedback matrix to the access point indicates that the electronic device is situated indoors or is situated outdoors.

A method in an electronic device, the method comprising:

• determining, by one or more processors from signals from a communication device operable with the one or more processors, whether a communication data rate with an access point is within a predefined data rate range;
• when the communication data rate is within the predefined data rate range, obtaining, by the one or more processors from a memory operable with the one or more processors, a feedback matrix transmission interval occurring between instances of the communication device transmitting a feedback matrix to the access point;
• and
• when the feedback matrix transmission interval is exceeds a transmission interval threshold, determining, by the one or more processors, that the electronic device is situated indoors;
• and
• when the feedback matrix transmission interval is below the transmission interval threshold, determining by the one or more processors, that the electronic device is situated outdoors;
• and
• storing, by the one or more processors, an electronic device situation location in a memory of the electronic device.