How to select the right GPS tracker device in India?

GPS tracker devices have become quite a competitive market over the past few years with a wide array of products available providing a variety of features. Since the best fit and value-for-money product is what the user is looking for, it could become quite difficult given a large number of GPS trackers available in the market. Please keep these factors in mind while differentiating between the GPS tracker devices –

Also read: Wired vs wireless – Which type of GPS tracker is suitable for your application?

Make sure you buy an Active GPS tracker device instead of a Passive one

Active and passive GPS devices collect data in the same manner. But the main difference is that Active GPS trackers are ‘real-time’ GPS trackers. They show you the data in real-time by sending their data over a cellular network to the cloud servers. This makes Active GPS trackers the best type of GPS trackers to monitor your vehicles or assets. These types of GPS trackers also have features to set Geo-fences of areas, giving you alerts whenever the vehicle enters or exits the defined area.

On the other hand, passive GPS trackers store data inside the device SD card. In order to view the data, you have to disconnect the tracker from the vehicle and connect it to the computer using an SD card reader. Because of all these features, active GPS trackers are more expensive compared to passive GPS trackers.

Size or form factor

The size of a GPS Tracker device determines its capability to be discreetly hidden in a vehicle so that it is difficult to locate without any prior knowledge about the area where it had been installed. If the device is easily visible or located then it becomes easy to dispose of in case of any theft and considerably reduces the chances of tracking down the vehicle. Hence, a smaller and compact GPS tracking device is much more desirable and preferable.

Also read: How GPS tracker for scooty can secure your two-wheeler?

Few other factors are as following

• Internal / External antenna

Some trackers come with internal antenna whereas some come with an external antenna. Mostly newly launched comes with an internal antenna only. An external antenna is not recommended (even though it provides extra accuracy) because the external antenna module is visible on the rooftop and exposes the device to thieves which makes your vehicle vulnerable.

• Lightweight

Lightweight trackers are preferred in the case of two-wheeler as there is very little space to hide a GPS tracker into a bike. One can fasten up the tracker along with bike wiring if the weight of the tracker is less.

Battery backup

Battery backup is one of the most desirable features available in a portable GPS Tracker device(Click here to buy) and varies greatly among trackers. A longer battery life enables the device to be switched on even if it is disconnected or plucked out from the vehicle it could still give out information about the location of the device for a particular period of time. The GPS device draws power from the vehicle’s power system to recharge its batteries.

Also read: How GPS tracker in India can be helpful for everyone?

GPS tracking software (Most important)

Many GPS Trackers do not have a dedicated mobile application that makes it easier to access the services of the tracking devices. These trackers allow you to view your device’s activity by logging in on a browser but the functionalities are reduced as compared to the trackers which are linked with dedicated applications. It is advised to look for devices that are linked with a mobile application since you get a much higher degree of customizations on the app than you can on the browser.

User-friendly software can make your life a lot easier while managing your vehicles. Following are the features a GPS tracking software must have –

1 • Live GPS tracking                    2 • Anti-theft alarm                         3 • Graphical reports

4 • Playback driving history      5 • Ignition on/off alerts                6 • Alerts and notifications

7 • Over speeding alerts              8 • Daily stats                                    9 • Sharing locations with others

10 • Geo-fencing alerts                11 • Past history storage               12 • Multiple logins on same accounts

Instant Alerts

The main motive behind buying a GPS tracking device is to ensure the safety and security of your vehicle and one important functionality of any GPS system is to send instant alerts if any unwanted activity is detected. The GPS devices give you the possibility of defining safe-zones or geofences and you get instant alerts on each and every entry or exit. Enhancing the safety factor around your vehicle, alerts will also be sent if your vehicle is forcibly entered or started and you can also remotely cut off the engine’s power via the phone application.

Water Resistance (IP rating)

Damage from water could be harmful to the GPS Tracker device’s connections that are involved. Hence to prolong the life of a device you must look for a device that has been certified as water-resistant. The wiring and chipset in the circuit must be protected so invest in a device that guarantees resistance against this.

Cost

Last but not least, the cost is a major factor when it comes to selecting a GPS device. A multitude of factors including features, connection with a dedicated mobile application to access the device which influences the cost. Subsequently, consider the cost of the subscription plan that you wish to buy and the facilities bundled in that plan. Cost is a subjective topic and hence a tracker that provides the desired features and is pocket-friendly is preferred.

Before buying a tracker in India please make sure whether the service provider provides a sim card along with the tracker. Many times companies do not provide a sim card along with the tracker, due to which you might think you are getting a GPS tracking service at a very low cost but the reality it will cost you very high in the long run because of its regular data recharge.

Remote Ignition cut and other features

There are various other features which makes GPS trackers different –

1. Remote ignition cut off facility
2. Voice monitoring facility
3. SOS or Panic button
4. Certifications such as AIS-140 or ARAI

Also read: How GPS for a bike can be beneficial?

Why choose Onelap Telematics GPS Tracker?

In a short span of time, Onelap Telematics has become one of the best-selling GPS products on Amazon India (Click here to buy). There are multiple benefits of using Onelap Telematics for your vehicles. School transport tracking, ensuring Women’s Safety, ensuring the safety of elders among others could be its many uses.

The salient features of Onelap’s GPS Tracker are:

1. Real-time tracking of your vehicle via an application on your mobile phone.
2. Vehicle performance statistics.
3. Data History.
4. Remote Engine Immobilization at your fingertips accessible from anywhere.
5. Define Geofences or Safe zones on the map.
6. Much more affordable than other GPS tracking solutions in the market.

Call Now  +91 – 1800 103 0274  (Toll-Free No.) or

Drop  Whatsapp message  +91 – 78272 17494  for any queries about how to choose a tracker or to book Onelap Telematics (Hardware or Software solution).

To buy on Amazon : Click here

The post Buy GPS tracker device online – Make sure of these 6 factors appeared first on Onelap Blogs.

What is GPS?

The US Government developed and owns a radio navigation system. It provides positioning, navigation, and timing services to the public called the Global Positioning System (GPS full form). The US Department of Defense launched GPS firstly in 1973 and called it NAVSTAR, exclusively using it for defence and military purposes with no provision for civilian use. Civilian use was partially and selectively allowed in the 1980s, however, it was not until 2000 that it was common practice for the general public’s benefit. A full constellation of 24 satellites was put in orbit till 1995, given that the first prototype satellite was launched by the US Govt in 1978 with 23 more satellites inducted in the following years. Consequently, in 2000, it was made fully functional for public use. How GPS works you will learn the next article.

Also read: How to use a child tracker system for safety?

Different Navigation systems around the globe

Since the US Government grants or denies access to any user or group of users and can degrade the quality of service being provided. This has prompted several countries to develop and launch their own satellites to provide GPS Services. For example, Russia’s Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), European Union’s (EU) Galileo positioning system, China’s BeiDou navigation, Japan’s Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) and India’s NAVIC, are some of the famous examples.

The technology behind GPS or how GPS works?

GPS is basically based on the time and known positions of the satellites. The satellites use ultra-precise atomic clocks to synchronize with each other and also to the receivers on the surface of the earth.  The atomic clocks must perform the synchronization with the utmost care and precision to give an accurate and correct reading without any discrepancy.

How GPS works – The satellite transmits radio signals at regular intervals carrying information. This information is about the time and its location at that point in time. The receiver has to monitor information from multiple satellites to calculate and identify the precise location. For this purpose, at least 4 satellites have to be in the viewing field of the receiver.

Space segment (satellites), Control segment (ground station) and User segment (GPS tracker/receiver) are the three main components of a GPS system:

Image: How GPS works

Space Segment

The space segment is the constellation of satellites (usually 24 to 32) which moves in a circular orbit around the earth. The GPS system is made up of a  total of 27 satellites from which 24 are operative and 3 extra satellites are kept on standby in case of any functional error by the operational 24 satellites. With this expanded constellation 9 satellites are visible at any time which certainly improves the reliability and accuracy.

Control segment

Using the control segment we can monitor and control stations on the ground to catch the radio signals sent by the various satellites. The control segment also synchronizes the atomic clocks so that there is no error in the reading. the orbit path of the satellite can be maneuvered by using this.

User Segment

The user segment is the receiver that uses the transmitted data to estimate the precise location of the user. The number of satellites it can monitor simultaneously (called Channels) defines the user’s capability. Significant improvements have been made over the past few years and the number of channels that are available can range anywhere between 12 to 20 in contrast to just 4 or 5 which it was initially limited to.

Also read: The 5 most vehicle theft-prone states in India

What is Trilateration? (Science behind how GPS works)

Trilateration is the process of calculating the distance between the receiver and each separate satellite. This helps in finding the accurate point of intersection between these distances. This helps to correctly and precisely estimate the location of the receiver. Finally, the higher the number of satellites in the receiver’s view the higher the accuracy of the calculated location.

What are the applications of GPS?

Primarily, a GPS tracking system will monitor the movement of an object in which it is installed. This system proves to be an important tool on a daily basis due to:

1.  Determining the location of the Vehicle in case of any theft or robbery.

2.  It gives us an indication regarding the time taken to reach our destination by analyzing traffic movements.

3.  Giving the passengers information about the current and next stop in public transit systems.

4.  Search operations conducted by the defense and military services can use GPS.

Functional areas:

The areas in which we can use GPS are:

1.  Logistics: You can trace and track each and every consignment with the help of real-time location and estimate the time of delivery and costs involved in carrying out the whole operation. Due to this, you can manage and monitor your entire fleet from a single mobile-based application.

2.  Municipal Corporation: You can track your entire fleet of vehicles and keep a count and exact location of the different assets owned by the corporation.

3.  Drones and UAVs: Locate and track your Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and drones and prevent any loss or theft-related accident.

4.  Heavy Equipment: Keep an eye on the activity status of the entire fleet of vehicles and deploy vehicles as and when required in a detailed and systematic manner.

5.  Rental Bikes and Cars: Track and trace each and every vehicle which is rented to monitor the route taken and distance covered by the vehicle. This will also help provide a detailed billing description which the customer cant refute. This also prevents cases of theft and robbery.

6.  Delivery Monitoring: Restaurants that deliver instant delivery services need to monitor their personnel to make sure that the customers are satisfied and return to give them business in the future again.

Indian GPS system:

India has developed a dedicated and autonomous regional satellite navigation system called the NAVIC which stands for NAVigation with Indian Constellation. It basically covers the Indian mainland and an area ranging 1500 kilometers around it with plans to extend it further.

A constellation of 7(seven) satellites with a back-up of 2 satellites on the ground are currently in use. It provides 2 services one accessible to the general public (planned to be accessible in 2020) while the other is for military use being in orbit since 2018. This has provided an accuracy of sub-10 meters throughout India’s land and sub-20 meters anywhere in the Indian Ocean.

Furthermore, there are plans to increase the number of satellites from 7 to 11. There are also plans for the development of atomic clocks and the ultra-stable atomic clock which will be initiated in the future.

How to use GPS trackers to track your vehicle?

There are various types of GPS Trackers available in the market with various functionalities. Onelap Telematics GPS tracker allows you to remotely track and trace your vehicle’s location, route history, speed history, routes traveled by your vehicle and grants you the power to set geofences and remotely immobilize the engine hence reduce the chances of your vehicle being stolen or misused. Large businesses could use Onelap Telematics GPS tracker which above all will manage and monitor their entire fleet remotely via a single easy-to-use mobile application. Finally, you can buy the Onelap Telematics GPS Tracker from Amazon India(Click here to buy)

The salient features of Onelap’s GPS Tracker are:

1. Firstly, real-time tracking of your vehicle via an application on your mobile phone.
2. Vehicle performance statistics.
3. Data History.
4. Remote Engine Immobilization at your fingertips accessible from anywhere.
5. Define Geofences or Safe zones on the map.
6. Much more affordable than other GPS tracking solutions in the market.

Buy on Amazon: Click here

Call Now  +91 – 1800 103 0274    (Toll-Free No.) or

Drop  Whatsapp message  +91 – 78272 17494  for any queries about how to choose a tracker or to book Onelap Telematics (Hardware or Software solution).

The post How GPS works and its applications? appeared first on Onelap Blogs.