A satellite is any celestial body that orbits a larger one due to the gravitational pull of the latter. However, we humans have made some of our own satellites, which, together with Earth’s own natural satellite, the moon, go around the globe but for a different reason.
A constellation of such man-made satellites orbits the earth to show us where our exact location is and to prevent accidents both in the air and at sea. GPS, or the global positioning system, makes use of 31 satellites that offer information about navigation, time and location. Be it for outdoor activities or just keeping an eye on your vehicle, GPS car trackers are one of the most important technological advancements today.
What Matters in a Car Tracker
Real-Time Tracking
The most beneficial feature of a car tracker is its ability to show you the exact location of your vehicle in real time. Any time you want to check where your car is in the parking lot or whether it’s safe at home in the garage, you can do so. And when it’s moving, GPS vehicle tracking devices with active tracking update the change of location in real-time, allowing you to get from one point to another with ease.
Geofencing
When your vehicle is moving, you can also set areas in which it shouldn’t be or shouldn’t leave. This is available on trackers that have geofencing, which allows you, through the use of an app, to mark an area on a map and decide whether you want your car to stay in it or out of it.
Alerts
The geofencing feature won’t work unless your tracker can send alerts to your phone or computer. When your vehicle exits or enters the selected areas, you’ll get a notification informing you of this. You can also get alerts when your vehicle starts moving, when it stops and when it goes above a certain speed limit you’ve set beforehand.
Compatibility
All of the above is quite useful. However, in order for any of said features to work and do so properly, the tracker you get needs to be able to communicate with your vehicle. This is especially important when you want to get access to certain parameters such as speed, coolant temperature, amount of fuel and so on.
User Interface
The UI of the software, be it in the form of an app on your phone or a website, should have a user-friendly design. This can help make the software easier to use and more convenient to get access to the information you need about your vehicle, not just its coordinates.
Software
The software itself should allow you to download information on your phone or PC or upload it to the cloud. Being able to automatically share data with another device or account is also a big plus, as it allows you to further analyse the data or show said data to someone without having to pull out your phone.
Installation
Installing a tracker for car may be a lot of work or very little, as it depends on the type you go for. However, no matter the device you choose to install, it shouldn’t make the process more difficult; in fact, with manufacturer-provided instructions, it should be rather straightforward.
Types of Car Trackers
Battery
A battery-powered tracker for car is the most convenient when it comes to their installation process, as you don’t need to deal with wires. However, this also limits their ability to go any further than just showing you the location of your car. They also need to be charged regularly.
Hardwired
With a hardwired vehicle tracker, it’s the complete opposite as you need to splice and to wiring in order to connect the device to your vehicle’s power source. This may be more challenging, but it also brings along capabilities not found on battery-powered trackers, and you don’t need to charge the device.
OBD
OBD-II vehicle tracking devices are the middle-ground option as they are not that difficult to set up, but also not limited in terms of features by any means. This is thanks to their 16-pin connector, which goes into the OBD-II port in your vehicle. This way, the device can communicate with the car’s computer and send you live engine data alongside its location.
Why Use a Car Tracker?
Safety
The biggest reason you should consider adding a vehicle tracker to your car is to keep your mode of transportation safe. Even if your vehicle gets stolen, you can retrieve it more easily with a tracker on it, before it gets dismantled or shipped abroad.
Efficiency
If you have a fleet of vehicles that you need to keep an eye on and make the most out of the routes they take, using trackers can help. That’s because you can see the exact routes they take on a daily basis and check if there are more fuel-efficient ones.
