This article will detail how to track a car for free using GPS. We’ll discuss the benefits of GPS vehicle tracking and the different types of apps available to do it. Keep reading now to get all these details and more.
Using a GPS tracking device is the most effective way to track a car. A car owner can track and find their vehicle at any time with the help of a GPS tracker, which is a small, portable device. They might also provide real-time information on direction, speed, and location.
Please read on for more detailed information.
How Does a GPS Car Tracker Work?
The technology that your smartphone uses to connect to the internet and place calls is generally the same one that GPS trackers for cars use.
The same information is obtained from a network of satellites in the sky by all GPS trackers, which then calculate the car’s location before sending the information over a cellular network to a smartphone app or web browser.
What Data Can You Get from a GPS Tracker?
A GPS for Car Tracking helps you track your car location by answering:
- Right now, where is my car? (GPS Real-time Tracking)
- Where did my car travel? (GPS Logging History)
- The number of miles my car has driven this week or this month? (GPS Logging Distance)
- Was my car being driven too fast? (GPS Logging Speed)
Why Should You GPS Track a Car?
You might be wondering why anyone would even want to GPS track a car. It sounds like something a spy would say in an action movie. There are a few good reasons why the average person might want to track the whereabouts of their vehicle.
The first is to monitor your children’s activities. Teenagers have a reputation for staying out too late and disobeying their parents. It’s normal, but once your child is old enough to drive, that rebellious attitude can turn dangerous. Many parents want to check where their kids are going when they’re out with their friends, so they would use GPS tracking to check their location.
You might not trust someone who regularly uses your car for another reason. It could be a family member, a friend, or a spouse. If you’re suspicious of their activity and feel they aren’t being truthful about where they’re going, GPS tracking can help you keep tabs on them.
Things to Look for in a Car GPS Tracking Device
For both businesses and individuals, car GPS tracking solutions are fantastic. Choosing the proper kind of device, however, can be difficult, particularly if you have never purchased one before.
Price
Car GPS tracking devices can cost anywhere between $50 and $150. Additionally, most vendors charge monthly fees for real-time cellular (sim card) and cloud storage of important GPS data. In order to get the best device while staying within your budget, you must make sure to do so.
Special Features
The device’s unique features, such as a fantastic mobile and desktop app, downloadable driving reports, etc., should also be taken into account.
Power (Batteries Vs Hardwired)
Many car trackers available today have long-lasting batteries, while other models connect directly to your vehicle.
It is strongly advised to hard-wire or plug in the tracker if you do not want to deal with the hassle of recharging or changing batteries.
How to Find Hidden Tracker on Your Car?
You’ll need some basic tools, such as a flashlight, mechanic’s mirror, and some sort of creeper or mat to help you slide under the car, if you think someone may have hidden a GPS tracker inside your vehicle. When a simple visual inspection is insufficient, it might also be necessary to use specialized tools like electronic sweepers or bug detectors.
The basic steps involved in locating a hidden GPS tracker on your car are:
Perform An Exterior Inspection
Use a flashlight and a mirror to inspect areas like the wheel wells and underneath the car. The vast majority of trackers are concealed in easily accessible locations.
Possibly, dirt has covered the tracker.
Though they can be hid almost anywhere, small GPS trackers are frequently hidden in locations that are relatively easy to access. Therefore, the first step in locating a concealed GPS tracker on your car is to visually check for potential hiding places that someone could easily and quickly access.
A GPS tracker is frequently hid inside a wheel well because it is convenient to check there. Check the interior of the front and rear wheel wells with a flashlight. You may require a telescoping mirror to get a clear view. You can also use your hand to feel around in areas where your vision is limited.
Try to peel back the rigid wheel well liner if it is loose to get a look inside or a feel for the area. It’s possible that the liner was released so that someone could attach a magnetized tracker to the body or frame behind it.
Using your flashlight and telescoping mirror, look underneath the car. If the ground clearance is sufficient and you want to thoroughly inspect the vehicle, you can use a creeper to slide underneath the vehicle. Focus on areas where someone could conceal a tracker without too much difficulty or time, keeping in mind that the tracker may be covered in road grime and dirt.
Trackers may also be stowed inside of or under bumpers. You’ll also require a flashlight and mirror to thoroughly inspect this area. You might occasionally need to reach up and search the bumper’s interior.
Even though it is uncommon, trackers can be hid inside the engine bay. The likelihood that someone will conceal the device inside your car increases if they can enter your car and open the hood.
Perform An Interior Inspection
Observe the data port first. The majority of GPS trackers are small, so don’t rule out any potential hiding places like the trunk.
Due to their small size, hidden GPS trackers can be hidden almost anywhere in a car or truck. Concentrate on areas where a device like that could be quickly hidden, but sometimes that won’t work.
The most secret trackers are battery-operated, but simpler models can be made to plug right into a vehicle’s data connector. It is a cause for concern if you can locate the data connector, which is typically found under the dash near the driver’s legs. If you do and you see that it has something plugged into it.
Examine the center console, the inside and behind the glove box, the area under the seats, the area under and behind the dash, and any other possible hiding places with your flashlight and mirror. Additionally, trackers can be hidden in a variety of locations, such as pockets, the spaces between seats, and behind sun visors.
A hidden GPS tracker inside a car might blend in with other components, which makes it challenging to find. Small modules, like the one in charge of the power door locks, for example, could easily be mistaken for something more sinister.
When someone is determined to keep their surveillance device hidden, they might hide a tracker inside a seat cushion, behind a door panel, or in another secret location.
A trunk can also be used to store these devices. If you have a spare tire, take it off and check it. When the trunk liner is removed at that point, a small GPS tracking device can be discretely concealed.
Sweep the Vehicle With a Bug Detector
Many of the same places that sell trackers also sell bug detectors. Be aware that sweepers cannot detect passive trackers and that some trackers only transmit when the vehicle is moving.
Electronic sweepers, also referred to as bug detectors, are small, lightweight electronic devices that can detect electromagnetic signals, such as those generated by radio transmitters and cellphones. These items can be purchased in the same locations as GPS trackers, or if you have the necessary spare parts lying around, you can assemble your own bug detector.
Sweepers can’t find passive GPS trackers because they rely on detecting transmissions. However, they can be very useful in locating active trackers that are well-hidden.
Before you take a cautious stroll around your car, if you can, turn on the bug sweeper. Depending on the sensitivity, you might need to keep it near each location mentioned in the preceding sections.
When a bug detector detects a suspicious signal, it typically buzzes, vibrates, or illuminates to let you know. Now go over that area completely with a fine-toothed comb.
A tracker that only transmits when the vehicle is moving might occasionally be found. When the vehicle is stopped, this type of tracker becomes inactive, making it impossible for a bug sweeper to discover it. So if you initially don’t notice anything, have someone else drive the car while you keep an eye on the sweeper.
Know When to Seek Professional Help
If you think someone may have placed a tracker on your vehicle but are unable to find it, a specialist might be able to help you. Automotive electronics, car audio, and car alarm technicians frequently have the required knowledge and tools.
Benefits of GPS Vehicle Tracking
The GPS fleet management and vehicle tracking systems from Track Your Truck have practical, high-tech features that will improve the compliance, accuracy, and safety of your fleet and give you peace of mind. Our company’s services come with a number of advantages, such as certified equipment, adaptable contracts, and a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. Additionally, the technology we use can significantly enhance your business operations.
The powerful features and components of our fleet management software allow you to:
See Your Vehicles’ Exact Routes on a Map Screen
Receive exact locations, routes, and times for all of your vehicles updated in real time on thorough maps. You can track the whereabouts of your trucks using the GPS mapping software NetTrack, change routes in response to current traffic conditions, and give clients more precise estimated arrival times.
For the most accurate mapping capabilities, Track Your Truck’s GPS vehicle tracking software uses Google Enterprise Edition Maps. You can view each vehicle’s precise route in real-time thanks to the map, which creates a breadcrumb trail. Check for unauthorized stops and confirm any side trips that were taken.
Monitor Exceptions With Real-Time Alerts
Get alerts and reports that are specifically tailored to include the data you require. Real-time alerts from NetTrack can track when speed is exceeded by a predetermined amount, provide arrival and departure updates, identify after-hours usage, monitor idling, and detect after-hours usage. Recognize when an unsafe or unauthorized action starts so you can stop it right away.
Track Your Drivers in Addition to Your Vehicles
Combined with driver ID technology, Track Your Truck’s fleet management systems offer additional insight into the driver of each vehicle. Keep your driver data separate from your vehicle data and always be aware of who is operating your trucks. To add to timesheets, confirm each employee’s official start and end times.
Eliminate Bad Driving Behaviors
GPS fleet management software can improve driver performance and safety by keeping an eye on things like speeding, jackrabbit starts, sharp turns, harsh braking, idle time, and more. Data can also be used to establish standards for rewarding your drivers’ good behavior. When excessive speeding is quickly addressed, you can successfully lower insurance costs, safety risks, and fuel waste.
Minimize Fuel Costs and Travel Time
You can efficiently manage and dispatch work vehicles with the help of our real-time GPS tracking. Locate and assign the driver who is most convenient for a drop-off location or service call, optimize routes to cut down on time spent traveling between stops, and drastically cut your fuel costs by reducing speeding, aggressive driving, wasted mileage, and after-hours usage.
Receive Only the Most Vital Tracking Information
Updates from high interval GPS reports can make critical information more difficult to find, especially for long-distance transport. Smart Tracking offers a better way to track, only sending a message when particular events occur without the unnecessary data. You will get alerts whenever there is a turn, ignition, or accelerometer event in addition to reports at regular, predetermined intervals.
View Full Reports of All Activity for Each Vehicle
Track Your Truck’s GPS fleet tracking system offers detailed reporting to help you make informed decisions based on various vehicle patterns and events. Current and historical fleet performance analysis lets you create truck activity reports for total operating hours, total miles, total stop time and total standstill time.
Validate Completed Work and Improve Customer Service
Fleet managers can use real-time vehicle locations to optimize driver routes and provide customers with increasingly accurate arrival times. Informing your clients of the time they can anticipate a delivery or other service will provide them with the most convenient customer experience.
The amount of time you charge customers may occasionally be questioned, and they may even assert that your staff never arrived at all. The actions of your driver can be recorded by GPS trackers, providing electronic proof that they put in the required number of hours as stated in their invoices. Delivering more accurate time estimates and demonstrating evidence of completed work can help build trust with your customers.
FAQs
How Can I Track a Car Without Them Knowing?
If you want to secretly track a vehicle, then you need a covert GPS tracker, like the PT8100. This is a real-time portable battery powered GPS tracker than can be hidden practically anywhere in the vehicle to give you the real-time location of the vehicle.
How Can I Track a Car’s Location?
Install a GPS tracking device in each vehicle or asset you want to track. The satellite sends signals to the receiver. Real-time distance calculations are made by the receiver between itself and the satellites. Your vehicle’s movement, speed, and location are all recorded in a report.
Can I Track a Car With My Phone?
Another way to track a car with GPS is by using the AirDroid Cell Phone Location Tracker. Its companion app can be used to track the car and keep an eye on its surroundings if you install it on an old phone and leave it on your vehicle. You read that correctly: you can find any paired device’s location by using the AirDroid app.
How Can I Track My Wife’s Car Without Her Knowing?
Tracki GPS is a mini waterproof Designed to be concealed anywhere without being easily seen, a GPS tracker with a magnet mount. This tracker is among the quickest available, and you can track anyone, at any time, anywhere in the United States from your computer, iPhone, or Android without their knowledge in just a few short seconds.
Summary: How to Track a Car?
GPS tracking can be used for many different things, from finding a stolen car to keeping tabs on your children or spouse. If you need GPS tracking for your vehicle, try the various methods outlined above. Check out our other articles right away for more useful tech advice!
If you have any questions, please leave a comment. KV Auto tries to give you the best car industry information. Thank you for reading.
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