Real Time Vehicle Tracking

Real time vehicle tracking (or active tracking) is using a GPS tracker on a vehicle that will continuously send location data instead of storing it for future retrieval. This is typically used when it’s vital to know where someone is at every moment. A business keeping track of a lot of delivery or transit vehicles would find this information useful; think of a delivery service such as UPS or FedEx or a transit service such as your local bus system.

Another use would be as extra protection in case the vehicle gets stolen. The police would be able to recover the vehicle easily and would sometimes be able to shut the vehicle down. In this case, insurance rates could be potentially lowered because the promise of recovery is so high. An additional use for law enforcement would be covert vehicle tracking; this would make it easy to know the location of “persons of interest”.

Depending on the model used, they can be mounted just about anywhere on the vehicle including underneath it. Some can even function like a mobile phone and periodically send SMS messages with location information. Most of them, though, usually use a subscription-based service that will receive location information from the GPS unit, publish to a specific, private location on the internet and from there can further publish to a mobile phone or other device.

The more basic models can be tracked from the internet or the location delivered to a mobile phone and wouldn’t require but a very basic cellular subscription. Some services might even allow you to use your own SIM card for a reduced fee. Adding on to that would be tracking through a server that would use an online mapping system to show you where the target is currently and even keep a history for you.

Another feature to consider would be a “virtual fence” or a “geofence” – this is a virtual container that the vehicle has to stay within or the GPS tracker unit can alert the owner. For example, if the location of the vehicle is set for a residence and suddenly the vehicle is now four blocks away, the unit would send an alert to whatever it was programmed to as an early warning system against theft. More advanced models can be reprogrammed or repurposed through text messaging and alerts can be sent to multiple receivers for added protection. These customizable units generally cost a bit more than their less advanced counterparts, but the price difference may be worth it if you need the added functionality.