GPS Tracking

The two most used GPS tracking models are through cellular phone and vehicle tracking. No matter which type of GPS tracking system is used, each needs a telephone tower in order to track vehicles or people (via cell phone modulation). A GPS, or Global Positioning System, is a group of 27 satellites orbiting the earth (actually only 24 are in continual use and 3 are used for a backup service); but, many people dont quite understand that a GPS tracker is really a GPS receiver. Originally, the GPS network of satellites was a military installation, but, now the signal system is used by everyone.

Many types of GPS tracking systems are available, but, lets discuss one such tracking system in this article: vehicle tracking.

Vehicle Tracking

A GPS tracking unit is generally installed in different types of vehicles, some for tracking things like delivery trucks so that dispatchers are able to find out where a persons delivery is at that very moment. Some of the larger delivery and courier companies use these, such as FedEx, Purolator; but, GPS tracking units are perfect for installing in moving trucks who deliver peoples belongings over a long distance.

Other companies also install GPS units discreetly in those vehicles they feel they need to ensure they know the whereabouts of and the distance they travelled to ensure their drivers stay the course they were given.

A GPS vehicle tracking unit is basically a wireless modem inside of it which his similar to what is actually inside a cellular phone. The unit is operated by the base station software communicating with the communications network (which is usually a telephone tower) which is responsible for two way communication between the mobile unit and the base station. The GSP unit communicates between the unit, the satellites, the network and the base station.

You may wonder what the difference is between a GPS satellite system and communication satellite system. Although they use the same satellite communication methodology, they are in fact two separate communication entities. A GPS vehicle tracking system uses a GPS satellite for location purposes, not voice communication.

There are basically two types of GPS tracking systems, real time (active) and passive tracking. A real-time system uses a network of wireless services to receive your information which allows you to receive data in real time. Real-time tracking is becoming a set standard when it comes to fleet vehicle tracking as well as asset tracking, with features such as real-time data transmittal of zone alerts, site alerts, speed alerts, vehicle proximity alerts, in-vehicle navigation, two-way messaging. One such GPS tracking system is the On-Star communications network.

A passive tracking system is only limited to the actual vehicle tracking application and nothing more. When this type of unit is installed on a vehicle, it will download all the information from the vehicle at the end of day, or when the vehicle returns to the lot. This is recommended when a company does not require real-time data collection or transmittal.

GPS Wireless Networks

When a company looks to purchase a 1st tier GPS tracking system, it is important to look at the different systems which will offer you 1st tier digital wireless network support. There are two types of digital wireless protocols which many of the major companies have incorporated into their own communication systems:

GSM/GPRS protocol: Cingular and T-Mobile
CDMA (1xrt) protocol: Verizon, Sprint and AllTell

When you are looking to purchase a GPS wireless system, it is important to avoid the following non-digital wireless networks:

Mobiltext: This used to be Cingulars pager network and operates as a 2nd tier network which Cingular recently sold to the company Velocita Wireless. Mobiltext is a low bandwidth network originally meant to send text messages to pagers only; but, any products that still run on this network platform are extremely outdated.

Aeris & Cellemetry: These two are purely analogue networks and all 1st tier wireless carriers have moved from the analogue protocol (CPDP) to entirely digital technology. The pay-as-you-go devices use this type of network as they only require a few location records per day.

Shopping for a GPS Tracking System

When you are looking to invest in any type of GPS tracking system for vehicles, there are five basic components to be considered:

• Vendor: examine the company you are looking to purchase from
• Software: ask for a demonstration prior to even signing anything. Look at such things as their web-based, or hosting, software used that your company will use in tracking vehicles and/or assets
• Wireless Network: ensure that the network is entirely digital and what the real-time system is used for transmitting data from within the vehicle
• Hardware Component: carefully examine all the hardware components you will be using
• Unlimited Use: look at what the company is going to use for a fee structure. It is important to look for a company that is going to charge a flat monthly fee

Whichever GPS vehicle tracking system you decide to go with, it is important to look at each system offered by some of the more well-known and not so well-known GPS tracking companies. As part of your packages you need to look at other things such as hardware and if it is upgradeable, the reports you are provided as part of the system tracking. One of the things you need to look at is the polling rate as well.

The polling rate is how frequent the GPS unit is configured to send its reports to your base station. The polling rate will determine how close to real-time your reports are available for reporting your vehicles location and how detailed those reports are. The lower the polling rate, the closer you will have real-time information. To give you an idea, a five minute polling rate will generate the most detailed reports and anything with a lower polling rate will provide too much information in the reports.

Tags: gps tracking | gps tracking | gps | gps | system | vehicle tracking | gps vehicle tracking | gps vehicle tracking | wireless

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