Method and apparatus for maintaining a fingerprint for a wireless network

The present invention relates to a mobile communication device that measures characteristics or attributes of a first communication network varies with the physical location in the first communications network to create a fingerprint or signature to a position in the first communication network. When the fingerprint of the current location of the mobile device is created, the fingerprint has to determine the proximity of the mobile device to the second communication network can be compared to a second communication network associated with the known fingerprints. It can also be used to modify the stored fingerprint so as to refine the stored fingerprint to the second and subsequent fingerprint that are generated for a particular communications network improvements to detect the proximity to the communications network.