A geo tracker or GPS tracker is a small device that lets you know exactly where it is and how fast it is moving, using a system of positioning satellites that communicate with your phone or other devices.
You can put these small tracking devices on a vehicle, your keys, or even on someone's person and keep track of where they are at all times. Some passive devices take a record of where they have been and need to be recovered and connected to a computer to get location history. Active geo trackers transmit their live location which can be viewed on a phone, tablet, or computer.
This article will focus on geo trackers used to monitor vehicles because generally, it is illegal to track someone without their consent and without a warrant. You should always check national and state laws before using any surveillance equipment, but in broad strokes, geo tracking is legal if you monitor your vehicle or that of a child you are taking care of. This is why we do not stock a personal GPS tracker because most applications of these devices are illegal.
Why would you need a geo tracker?
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Keeping track of family members
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Securing vehicles that you own
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Optimizing fleet routes
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Getting help in an emergency
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Monitoring minors in your care
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Recovering stolen vehicles
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Knowing when if your car is tampered with
These reasons to use a geo tracker are quite different. You should identify which reasons are most important to you and then choose a geo tracker that fits your specific needs.
Differences between geo trackers
The main difference between the geo trackers we stock is the way they are powered and the different ways that they can be hidden in a vehicle.
Some, like the Outlander and Recon, are battery-powered and do not require access to the inside of a vehicle to install. This makes them great for covert applications where you just connect the geo tracker to the chassis of the car using magnets. They switch on as soon as the vehicle starts moving and communicate the location of the vehicle through an interface very similar to Google Maps.
Other geo trackers, like the Jetset and Commuter, draw their power directly from the vehicle’s battery. This means they will never run out of juice and have to be replaced or recharged. It also means that you need to be able to get inside the vehicle to install them. The Jetset is a little easier to install than the Commuter because it just plugs into the OBD port on your vehicle, whereas the Commuter needs to be wired into the vehicle's electrical system, usually in the dashboard or in the trunk.
Read on to find out what geo tracker is right for you.
Outlander 4G Real-Time GPS Tracker
The Outlander is a real-time GPS tracker which means it transmits the location of a vehicle every 30 seconds, you can access the easy-to-use interface from any device and get notifications to your phone or email any time it enters or leaves certain areas using the Geofencing function.
The Outlander is one of our most popular products because it is so convenient, lasts ages on a single charge, and will not let you down in terms of functionality. It is small enough to conceal in the glove box of a car, in the trunk, or fixed behind the bumper using its magnetic case.
It displays on a similar map to the Google Maps interface, so is really accessible. You will see the exact address the vehicle was at, and the time it arrived and departed. It generates detailed reports of a vehicle’s comings and goings for up to 90 days and its Geofencing function is a great way to keep family members safe and is good for your peace of mind.
Recon 4G LTE Real-Time GPS Tracker
The Recon is again a real-time geo tracker so it provides live, up-to-the-minute location information to your phone, tablet, or computer. Its extra-long battery life works for 15 hours of continuous driving which is effectively extended by its motion sensor. Unless the car is moving the geo tracker is in standby mode which has a battery life of 15 days. This means that if the car is driven for an hour a day it should last for two weeks on a single charge.
It has two strong, built-in magnets, an IP66 waterproof rating, and a rugged design which makes it perfect to fix to the outside of a car. Most cars have a steel support behind the front and rear bumpers and we recommend placing the geo tracker there, where it is easy to access but hard to find from a quick visual inspection. It is also shielded from stones and debris.
It has the same great Geofencing feature as the Outlander. You just draw areas of interest on the map and as soon as the geo tracker crosses the boundary you get a pop-up on your phone and an email notification to let you know. You can try drawing one around your home or work so you know exactly when the car leaves. Super useful if you’re the only person supposed to use the car that day.
Jetset OBD-Port GPS Tracker
The Jetset has many of the great features of the Recon and the Outlander except that it doesn’t have its own power supply. You need to plug it into the OBD-Port of a car to run it. This means you will never run out of power halfway through a journey and you will never have to charge it.
The trade-off is that you need access to the inside of the car to install it. If you don’t know what an OBD port is, don’t worry. You don’t need to be a mechanic to install this geo tracker, just look for the plug socket that matches the outlet on the tracker. It is usually just beside your leg if you are sitting in the driver's seat and mechanics use it to run engine diagnostics on most modern cars. Just plug it in and you are good to go, no one checks their OBD port before a trip so you can be reasonably sure this tracker will go undetected.
It also updates location every 10 seconds as opposed to 30 seconds so it is a little more accurate when on the move than the battery-powered alternatives. It generates daily reports on location, speed, and route traveled so it is perfect for monitoring fleet movement and optimizing efficiency.
Commuter Hardwired GPS Tracker
Of all our trackers, this one is probably the most covert. You wire it directly into the vehicle's electrical system so it won’t run out of battery when you’re not expecting it but it doesn’t plug into a handy port, easily accessible, like the Jetset. Most of our customers hide it inside the dashboard of their vehicle in such a way that you would need to dismantle part of the car to find it. That's why we think this is the most covert of the bunch.
If you are handy with electrics you could tackle the installation yourself, just remember to disconnect the battery before you start. If you are less confident you could take it to a mechanic or car audio installer to install. Because the installation is so involved and takes time and access to a car's interior, we recommend this geo tracker for fleet monitoring and anti-theft purposes where you don’t want the driver to have easy access to the tracker.
We hope you found this guide to geo tracking helpful, if you need more detailed information on the trackers we offer, just click the links above!
