We all are aware of GPS vehicle tracking systems but did you know there are three types of these tracking devices? Cellular-based tracking, wireless-passive tracking and real-time satellite based tracking. Let us see the pros and cons of each of these tracking systems.
Cellular-based tracking
The main advantage of this type of tracking system is its low cost as compared to the other types. It cost somewhere around $500. It uses the local cell phone network (GSM/GPRS) to track the vehicle details and you can get the updates in every five minutes. You can get this information through internet for a monthly cost of around $35.
The main disadvantage is that this GPS vehicle tracking system will not be able to record any information if the vehicle is in a low or no network area of your service provider.
Wireless-passive tracking
The main advantage of this type of GPS vehicle tracking system is that it is a one-time investment. You don’t have to pay monthly fees for the information provided by the GPS carrier. But the system setup is a bit expensive with the hardware and software installation going up to around $1500.
The major of this system is that you can view the records only after the vehicle returns to the owner or the company base. So it’s not of any help if the vehicle is lost or stolen. However people have started installing wireless modems to these devices to view the tracking information even without the memory card from the GPS system in the vehicle.
This extra gadget also helps the wireless-passive tracking system to collect other information such as vehicle’s speed, stops made and other detailed information. With this additional device, many companies find wireless-passive tracking a better option as there are no monthly costs involved.
Satellite-based real time tracking
The main advantage of this GPS vehicle tracking system that works nation-wide so you can track the details of your vehicle anywhere in the country. This system is best for shipping and trucking companies who send their fleet across the country. The setup cost of this system is around $700 with a monthly fees ranging from $5 to $100, depending on the details of the information provided to the company.
The main disadvantage is that this system does not give detailed information. So if you want to know minute details of your vehicle’s location, direction or speed, this system is not the best one.
Most people only think of GPS for cars and trucks but another type of GPS that you can get is motorcycle GPS. GPS for motorcycles can be great those that have delivery services that use motorcycles such as pizzerias and shipping companies. They are also great for non-business people who just want a GPS device to help them get around on their motorcycle.
You need to know your budget and requirements before choosing a tracking system that best suits your business. There are other advancements in the tracking system industry which you can research online. With a little bit of investment on tracking systems you can improve your business and take it to a whole new level.
Check out this short video about real-time GPS vehicle tracking. With GPS vehicle tracking you can log onto the internet and get real-time (updated every 10 seconds) data such as the location of the vehicle that you are tracking, the speed it is traveling at and much more. This is great for tracking your teenage kids or your employees vehicles.
If you are in the service industry, run a fleet of vehicles for transport purposes or you are into manufacturing business, then one thing you should invest on is GPS vehicle tracking. This system could increase your business profits and also enable you to give better customer service.
This device is installed in the vehicle and this system has a central server and software from which the owner can access information about his vehicles from his home or office or the place of business. GPS vehicle tracking is very popular among certain businesses which involve use of many transportation vehicles such as food and beverage distributors, car carriers, utility companies, limousine companies, car rental companies, street sweepers and so on.
These systems use all their data from the U.S. Government’s constellation of Global Positioning System satellites to track a vehicle’s location, direction of travel and speed. The data is transferred from GPS satellite to the central server software via local cellular phone network or a communication satellite, with the former one being more popular.
All the data in the central server software can be updated every 2 to 15 minutes, depending on the business owner’s preference. The manufacture can set the device accordingly. The owner can get all the information about their vehicles through the internet. The central server captures the data and has a unique password for every owner.
The owner has to log on to the tracking company’s website and use the password to locate their central server data. Then the owner can see all the tracking data of his vehicles either in map or text format. One could also download this data so that the owner could view it from his own computer. This depends if the tracking company provides download facilities on their website.
Business owners use GPS vehicle tracking system for various purposes.
They can increase their staff’s efficiency by keeping track of their productive time. With this system they can control long or unauthorized breaks, personal vehicle use and eliminating overtime requests after tracking driver’s activity.
The owner can keep track of their drivers speeding the vehicles causing excessive engine wear and wasting fuel. Many insurance companies offer discounts for vehicles with tracking system.
The tracking system also reminds the owner about preventive maintenance such as change of tires, oil and other scheduled maintenance. This reduces downtime and enhances vehicle’s resale value.
The owner can improve customer service by tracking the exact location of the vehicle and giving the customer a precise arrival or delivery estimates. The customers are sure going to be content if the companies value their time.
The GPS vehicle tracking works without any input of the driver so there is no chance of malfunction.