Rocky Mountain Tracking

By Greg Bartlett

Cell phone technology continues to increase, giving people more and more ways to use their cell phones. Today’s cell phones are used for much more than just contacting their friends and family members. However, one thing that is still lacking in effectiveness in cell phone technology is GPS tracking.

GPS & Cell Phones

Cell phones have had the capability for GPS tracking for some time now, but it does not work as well as people might think. People assume that just because their cell phone has GPS tracking capabilities that means that it is as accurate as any GPS tracking system, but unfortunately that is just not true. GPS tracking devices are far more advanced than cell phone versions in many ways.

The most obvious way that cell phone tracking is lacking is in accuracy. Your GPS tracking capabilities are going to be useless anywhere that you do not get a cell phone signal. Not only does a cell phone GPS tracker rely on cell phone towers for a signal, but it does not give the precise readings that other GPS tracking systems do. Real-time GPS tracking systems can give readings within a few feet of the exact location. With cell phones, you’re lucky to be within a couple hundred feet. That might be sufficient if you’re trying to find a broken down vehicle on the side of the highway, but it doesn’t exactly work when law enforcement officers are searching for a missing child in a neighborhood filled with houses and apartment buildings.

Battery power is also a huge factor in cell phone GPS tracking. With all of the new things that cell phones can do, cell phone batteries are barely making it through the day on their charge. Hour-long phone calls, hundreds of text messages, playing pinball, searching online, and checking email every hour all use up precious battery life. By the end of the day, cell phone batteries are hanging on for dear life. This is not the ideal kind of scenario for GPS tracking.

Unfortunately, these are just two of the many faults in cell phone tracking. In spite of what your cell phone company might try to tell you, cell phone GPS tracking is just not up to par with the rest of the GPS tracking world. So think twice before you upgrade your phone to be GPS enabled. Consider purchasing a real-time or passive tracking system instead.

By Greg Bartlett

Cell phones have become an intricate, almost indispensable part of the average person’s life. People of all ages, from elementary school children to grandparents, carry cell phones for the purpose of safety, convenience, and keeping in touch with family and friends. An added benefit that you may be unaware of is that cell phones can be used for the purpose of GPS tracking. By law, every cell phone must have tracking capabilities in order to aid FBI and police investigations if necessary. The good news for you as a consumer is that you can take advantage of this technology as well. Plans are available from your cell phone provider, some for less than $10 per month, and you never know when this capability could save time, energy, and money.

Cell Phone

GPS tracking gives you the ability to keep track of the transmitting device remotely from your home or office computer. The transmitter sends periodic signals to a receiving device which records the current location. This information can then be viewed in real time or in reports that show the device’s movement over time. Some devices can also transmit information such as speed and direction traveled.

One of the most obvious applications of GPS tracking for cell phones is locating a lost or stolen phone. Cell phone theft creates innumerable problems for you as the owner, since thieves can not only make calls, but also send videos and text messages, download applications, and surf the web. Any action taken that is not part of your cell phone plan means additional charges, which can add up to hundreds of dollars in a matter of hours. The more time it takes you to locate the phone, the greater your risk of being stuck with a hefty bill. With GPS tracking, you can log on to your computer and immediately determine whether your phone is sitting in the movie theater lost and found, underneath your car seat, or in a strange house. This knowledge will give you the information you need to determine whether a call to your cell phone company is in order.

No one plans to lose a cell phone, but those who have done so or have had one stolen understand the panic that ensues. GPS tracking can reduce or eliminate those panic levels by arming you with the capability of nearly immediate results. The peace of mind and money saved is undoubtedly worth the small investment you’ll make in a monthly plan.