What You Need to Know About GPS Car Trackers Before Buying

Have you been considering getting some type of tracking device for your vehicle? Perhaps you would like to improve your car’s security while you are at work, or maybe you want to be able to ensure your teen’s safety when they take the car out on the weekend. You might have an entire fleet of vehicles or business cars that you want to track during work hours. Regardless of the reason, you have been thinking about getting GPS car trackers.

However, you don’t want to go out and choose the first car tracker that you find. Instead, you will need to know a bit more about how they work, how they can help, installation options, and what you should look for when buying.

How Do GPS Car Trackers Work?

GPS stands for Global Positioning System, which was first used by the Department of Defense in the United States. The system includes 31 satellites that circle the earth and send out radio signals. A GPS receiver, which is part of the GPS tracking system that you can place in your car, will then monitor multiple satellites. It quickly determines the distance of three of the satellites from your receiver’s position in a process known as trilateration. This helps to pinpoint the location of the receiver.

Of course, you don’t need to know all of the nitty-gritty details of how the satellites and the GPS car tracker operate. You need to know how they can benefit you.

Once you have the tracker in the vehicle, it becomes possible to monitor the location of that vehicle in real-time. With the right system, you can track the movements of the vehicle over time. Naturally, this can be beneficial for a host of reasons. It lets you know whether your employees are actually making sales or repair calls and how far away they might be from the next client. It also allows you to monitor whether your kids went to study or if they decided to head out with their friends for an impromptu drive that they didn’t tell you about.

Of course, the addition of a GPS tracker can also help to improve the security of your vehicle. If the vehicle is stolen, for example, it is possible to locate the vehicle and give that information to the authorities. This could increase the chance of getting your car back after a theft.

What Should You Look for in a GPS Car Tracker?

The first thing you need to do is consider how you will be using the GPS car tracker. This will often dictate the type of tracker that you get. It will also dictate the number of trackers that you will need to have. You might simply need one or two for your use at home, or you might need a dozen or more to track all of the vehicles in your fleet of trucks.

The price will also be a factor, but the features and the overall quality should always take precedence. Having a cheap tracker that doesn’t provide real-time tracking and other features you need will not do you much good.

Always look to see what types of features the system can provide. Will it do more than just provide tracking benefits? For example, some options, such as those found through CarLock can provide alerts that are sent directly to your phone whenever the vehicle is moved, if the engine starts, or if there are unusual vibrations detected. It can even send alerts in case the tracker has been disconnected. This provides you with a higher level of security for your vehicle and lets you take faster action.

You may also want to look for flexible installation options. Some GPS car trackers will be hardwired to the battery. This can be a good option, as it is less likely that someone will see and remove the tracker. However, it will require a professional to handle the installation for you.

Another option, and one that is quite popular, is choosing to install the tracker with the OBD port in the vehicle. This is essentially a plug and play option. Once the tracker has been added to the vehicle, you can go to an app on your phone and get everything set up in a matter of minutes.

In some cases, you might want to have a wireless GPS car tracker in the vehicle. This has the benefit of not having any wires, so it could be placed just about anywhere in the vehicle. This helps to keep the tracker hidden and out of the way. Of course, you will have to remember to change out the batteries occasionally, since it will not be getting any power from the car’s battery.

Another benefit that the wireless and the OBD options have over a hardwired option is portability. It is possible to move the OBD tracker and the wireless GPS car tracker to other vehicles whenever you need to. For example, you could put them into a rental vehicle if you go on vacation.

Additionally, you will want to choose a GPS car tracker that is simple to use. It shouldn’t have a huge learning curve, or most people won’t take advantage of all of the features it can offer. Ideally, you will be able to access the tracker through your phone and other devices, so you will always have a virtual eye on your car.

Choose CarLock

There are many GPS car trackers available today, but you will find that CarLock excels in all of the areas mentioned above. It’s affordable, simple to use and packed with features. Those who are looking for improved security and who want to have an easier time tracking their vehicle will find that it’s a stellar option.

Take some time to explore all of the various features that are available with the tracker and see whether it might be a good solution for you or not. Find the tracker that will best meet your needs, whatever they might be.