How Does GPS Tracker Work in a Car? Are They Good or Bad?

GPS trackers are portable devices that allow fleet managers, parents, and vehicle owners of all kinds to monitor and track their cars and fleet. Real-time GPS trackers will provide location data promptly but these are a little bit costly. As an option less expensive devices are available to record this type of information for later use. Some GPS vehicle trackers come with an option to set up real-time alerts to go off whenever a driver speeds or deviates from a specific area.

How Does GPS Tracking Work?

GPS tracking uses a network of satellites to discover the location of a device. The basic idea is that a GPS tracker uses for this called trilateration to determine its physical location based on its distance from three GPS satellites. The same technology is used in the car navigation system.

three GPS satellites

The distinction between a GPS tracker and a car navigation system is, the navigation system provides your location and driving directions, while a tracker keeps a record of your driving habits or transmits its location in real time.

The car GPS tracker can also broadcast its location, it typically uses the same technology that your mobile phone does to make calls and connect to the internet. This is why some car GPS trackers need a monthly subscription fee.

Benefits of Using GPS Tracker for Cars

The main purpose of using GPS tracking devices in vehicles is to know where the vehicle is at all times, and there are a lot of various scenarios this can be helpful. For example, you can find your vehicle or car easily wherever it is, if the tracker installed, and this very helpful feature for the police to find the stolen vehicles.

With the help of GPS tracker installed in your children’s car, you can track their location in real-time, or view a record or tracking history to know where they’ve been for how long and even whether or not they broke the speed limit.

Vehicle tracking devices are amazing tools for owners of large fleets (Cars & trucks). These devices are very much helpful in knowing where the vehicles are located by simple tabs at any given time to coordinate daily operations, Some of them use these devices to track the mileage of the vehicles for bookkeeping or reimbursement purpose.

Have you ever thought of where your vehicle is located with beloved ones? Especially in a situation like where they are not reachable through phones or any other. GPS tracker is one word that answers all doubts. The only warning is that most of these trackers require cell service to provide you real-time location data.

How Do You Use a GPS Car Tracker?

Using a GPS tracker in your car is usually pretty easy, but the process is a little different from one device to the next. The main difference is the power source, but there is enough variation that it’s still a good idea to check the manual first.

Some GPS trackers are designed to plug into the onboard diagnostics (OBD-II) connector that is usually located under the dash near the driver’s legs. The benefit here is that these trackers get power directly from the diagnostic connector, so they’re extremely easy to use. If you’ve ever used a code reader or scan tool, then using this type of tracker is a breeze.

Most of the car GPS trackers are very small and designed fit into an accessory socket or you can stick it. These trackers are very easy to install and use, but some of them use power from your battery when you aren’t driving. In that case, you need to unplug or remove the connection of the tracker to prevent your battery from going dead.

The modest car GPS trackers are powered by battery, which means they can be installed anywhere. Since there is no external power source but they have to be charged periodically, or it will stop working.

Once the GPS tracker is installed in your vehicle, you can track the vehicle using the software on your computer, phone or tablet to view its location in real-time.