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GPS Car Trackers 101: Types and Features Explained

 The global positioning system, or GPS, is a type of GNSS or global navigation satellite system that the US government developed back during the late 70s. While its first use was primarily for military purposes, during the 80s the system was made available for civilian applications. This constellation of currently 31 satellites covers the Earth's complete orbit twice in 24 hours.


However, alongside GPS there are other types of GNSS constellations made by different countries such as GLONASS (Russia), Galileo (EU), BeiDou (China), QZSS (Japan) and NavIC (India). A tracker for car that relies on different types of these systems is known as a multi constellation receiver and is more precise than one that relies on just one.

Types of GPS Car Trackers

tracking chip for cars
source: amazonaws.com


OBDII

What is also known as plug-and-play tracker, an OBDII GPS device is one that plugs into the OBD port of your vehicle. This port is located close to the driver door, right below the steering wheel column. An OBDII tracking chip for cars, is easy to set up and it doesn't need a dedicated power source. Keep in mind though, it's not as concealed as you might expect.

Battery-Powered

If you're after a tracker for car that let's you hide it wherever you want, you should go for a battery-powered one. Because it's not plugged in to any port, it can be installed anywhere, granted you replace its batteries or charge them from time to time, which is not that convenient.

Hardwired

Unlike battery-powered trackers, hardwired ones don't depend on batteries, at least not the ones that require you to take out the tracker to replace or charge them. Hardwired trackers to rely on the car battery which is why they require some technical knowledge since they need to draw power straight from it. However, once set up, that's it, you don't need to fiddle with them any more.

What Matters in a GPS Car Tracker


Tracking

Not every tracking chip for cars works the same way as there are two ways that it can inform you about the location of your vehicle. You can get a tracker that does either passive or active tracking. One with passive location tracking tells you only when the vehicle starts moving and when it stops while an active tracker shows you the real-time location as it happens.

Geofencing

With a car tracking device that has geofencing, you can mark an area in which you either want your vehicle to stay or not enter at all. While the tracker won't physically stop the vehicle from entering or exiting said area, it will show up on the map on your device, so you are more aware of it happening.

Alerts

A car tracking device can let you know when the vehicle you're tracking starts to move and stops moving. This feature can also be used with the geofencing capabilities of the device so that when your vehicle enters or leaves the areas you've marked, you get an alert on your device.

Speed Monitoring

Apart from the location of your vehicle, a GPS device can also show you the speed at which it's moving and how fast it was moving at certain areas in the past. You can also get information such as average speed for one trip or part of it, so you get more insight into how to make your commute more efficient or keep an eye on your kids.

SOS

While a GPS tracker doesn't have an SOS button of its own, your vehicle has and pressing it helps emergency services know your exact location with the help of the tracker. Again, the more capable the tracker is in terms of the types of GNSS systems it can work with, the better, as it will provide more accurate data, which is crucial, especially in situations like these.

Accident Detection

Most GPS car trackers work with the SOS button in your car, however, certain accidents may prevent you or your passenger from hitting it. In this case, it's a good idea to have a tracker with accident detection. This type of unit essentially has a G-sensor, and when a sudden change in direction or braking is detected, the SOS call is activated within a short window once the accident happens.

Battery Life

If you go for a battery-powered tracker you should take into consideration the capacity of the battery. The larger said capacity is the longer the device can operate without the need for a charge or a new battery. However, larger capacity batteries are usually physically larger which makes the tracker bulkier too.

Offline Connectivity

Since GPS trackers need internet connectivity in order to send data to your device, it's a good idea to go for one that has offline connectivity. What this means is that, even when there are network issues, the device is able to let you see where your vehicle is for a certain period of time before you get no data sent at all.
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