Slightly off topic perhaps, but I'm looking for recommendations on GPS trackers. Mainly for vehicles to be tracked in case of theft or for fleet management. Possibly also for keeping track of smaller items: dirt bikes, snowmobiles, children, etc.
Hoping for something easy and universal to install, but not simply plugged into a OBD2 port. Good for fleet management, but obvious when smashing a steering column apart.
Any suggestions?
- Chris
Any alarm dealer that sells Uplink cellular communicators can provide vehicle GPS tracking units. I do have some concern about future network compatibility. They have not announced an upgrade to 3g/4g for those units yet. There are two types. One can just plug into the vehicle diagnostic port of newer vehicles, and the other can be hidden anywhere it can get a signal but has to be professionally installed. I can't speak for other dealers, but figure about 13.95 per month per unit for basic service. With basic service the unit reports when the vehicle is turned on or off, goes outside areas you can assign, exceeds a speed set by you, or has the vehicle has a low battery. Advanced service ($25 apx) has longer time retention and reports its location every 5 minutes when the ignition is on.
You can also set email or text message alerts for most of those things.
** On/Off ** Geo-Fence ** Low Battery ** Speed AlertYou can check the history for any vehicle on your account on the Uplink GPS website with a user name and password provided by your dealer, as well as use the website to setup the things listed above. The UplinkGPS website works fine with Firefox and Internet Explorer, but I found it did not work well with the mobile version of Chrome on the most current Android phones. No worries. It works fine with the mobile version of Firefox, and it's a free download from the Play Store.
Units will cost under $200, but if you get the Pro version you will also need to pay an installation fee. Dealers do have to pay an activation fee ($15 I think) and they will pass that on to you as well.
For individuals with cell phones (and you are the guardian or pay for the cell phone and service) you can install a variety of tracking aps on their phones. I have not experimented with these in some time, but we did use parent child aps on our phones when the kids were younger. They also helped us recoverd lost and misplaced phones a couple times.
Cabling-Design.com Forums website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.