The Fundamental Workings of GPS tracking Devices
The
GPS tracking device, short for Global Positioning System, is a device that determines the exact position of a person, automobile, or other moveable objects using satellite, cellular (aGPS), or radio waves. In the most fundamental form, a GPS tracker device typically communicates with a network of satellites in low space orbit. From there, the networks of satellites triangulate the tracker's approximate location. This means anyone can place the GPS tracker in a totebag, vehicle, or on a person and find their location..
Depending on the type of GPS tracking device you choose, the locations it goes to are either stored within the tracking device itself to give you a complete documentation of just where the device has been, or with a real-time tracker, the positioning information may be transmitted to a central location or your own Internet-connected computer in real-time, each time the device relocates. At first popular with law enforcement officers, many businesses recently have adopted the technology to streamline operations and now even by families to protect their loved ones.
The Difference Between Real-Time v. Passive GPS Trackers
There are two main
types of GPS tracking: real-time and passive.
Real-Time GPS Tracker
Like all tracking deveices, a
real-time GPS tracker continually communicates with space satellites to triangulate the tracker's current position. the element that makes the tracking real-time is simply that the unit transmits all data to the Internet database constantly in real-time, allowing you to get on and view the tracker's movements. Most GPS units also give other information such as time, place, and how fast the tracker is going. Originally only used by law enforcement agents tracking criminals, this technology is now common to businesses tracking company vehicles and families tracking new teenage drivers or a family vehicle as it travels.
Passive GPS Tracker
The other key type of GPS tracker is a passive tracker also known as a GPS logger. Like a real-time device, these devices constantly send digital messages to low space satellites, but, instead of transmitting the device's position in real-time, passive GPS deveices save location points within the tracking device itself. When you are ready to see exactly what locations the device has been, you can download a saved data of all places visited. This is ideal for law enforcement during investigation, or perhaps someone who loaned a vehicle to an employee, or family member and wants to verify that the driver really took the car where they said they did.
