What different vehicle GPS tracker devices are available

Today, all types of devices are sold in the form of GPS trackers. Today, we have dog collars coming with tracking devices and black boxes being fitted into trucks. There are different types of GPS tracking devices. Some of them are very effective, while some only have basic features. This post shares some of the best types of vehicle GPS tracker devices you should consider using.

GPS Devices
GPS utilizes a range of satellites moving around the Earth to pin locations. All satellites in the network share a signal, making it possible to figure positions. From there, special receivers receive and use the same signals to find locations related to those satellites.

Suppose a device finds a position with the help of a satellite network, then it is a GPS device. However, if it uses a different way, like triangulating its position against various cellular towers, then that is not a GPS device.

GPS Trackers for Vehicles
It is worth noting that many GPS trackers are meant for cars and equipment such as trailers or boats. However, they come in very small sizes. Most of them are even smaller than the size of a cell phone.

Most GPS get power from the car, meaning you don’t need large batteries to have them running. However, you might still need a backup battery. At the moment, there are three types of vehicle GPS devices available.

We have hardwired, plug-in, and battery operated. Devices take the data they gather and then share it using cellular connections. Remote users will then be able to see the GPS tracking data through their cell phone apps or a secure web connection.

Here are the types of vehicle GPS tracking devices available.

1. Plug-in GPS Trackers
Plug-in GPS trackers plug into a port on your car. Since circa 1990, in the US, all cars were required to have a connection known as the OBD II port. On this port, mechanics can plug in their computers to get the necessary information from the vehicle’s sensors.

The same port can also supply the GPS device with power and data. Today, there are many types of plug-in trackers, such as GoTrackEZ, which are very small in size. Car owners prefer small tracking devices because they are easy to install and are effective. They can also tell whether the car’s engine is on or is running.

2. Hardwired GPS trackers
You also have the option of using hardwired devices on your vehicle. A good example of such trackers is the GoTrack 3-Wire. These devices are wired to your car and are highly effective.

These types of trackers come in handy when your car doesn’t have the OBD port, and it happens that your diesel truck has a different OBD standard that might not be compatible. Since they are not attached to the OBD port, hardwired GPS trackers can be placed anywhere below the dashboard.

Provided they are installed well, they work like the plug-in GPS tracker. Hardwired trackers are used by business owners, but not all the time. You can still use this type of GPS if you feel it is the best.

3. Battery Powered Tracking Units
A good example of a battery-powered tracking unit is GoTrack’s TTU-720. These devices are good because they won’t operate based on your vehicle’s power system. They need their batteries as a power source. The long-life batteries will record an excellent performance in keeping the tracking devices powered.

Just like all other tracking devices, these will broadcast their location to monitors. Since they want to save battery, they will not give you updates quite often. Tracking devices will report once every minute if the vehicle is running and once an hour if the vehicle is parked. But the battery-powered ones will run once every 15 minutes if the vehicle is in motion and once every four hours if the vehicle is not.

Closing Thoughts
As you can see, we have many types of tracking devices. While most of them are reliable, the battery-powered ones need more work. For instance, in 15 minutes, a vehicle can cover several kilometers, and a lot can also be done within that duration. Therefore, if you need something that will give regular updates, plug-in GPS trackers or hardwired GPS trackers.