Unfortunately, concern over car and truck theft continues to increase. Thieves seem to work tirelessly to conjure up methods of bypassing factory-installed security systems. Our experience has shown that while a GPS-based tracking system might not prevent vehicle theft, it is your only hope of recovering your vehicle. Let’s look at geofence and location-based alerts to understand how they can help with day-to-day vehicle use and during those times when criminals have dragged your pride and joy away with a tow truck.
What Is a GPS-Based Tracking System?
When discussing a tracking system, we refer to something more elaborate than an Apple AirTag, a Tile, a Samsung SmartTag, or a Chipolo. While these devices are great for finding your keys, tracking a package, an unplanned world tour, or your luggage, they aren’t the best solution for helping you find your vehicle.
A professional-grade tracking solution combines three essential parts. First, there is a cellular data radio. This is the part of your smartphone that lets you surf the Internet. It works like your cable modem at home to send data to the Internet. Instead of wires, it sends the information wirelessly to a cell tower. Data to and from the cell tower is connected to the Internet.
Second, the tracking device will have a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver. The Global Positioning System (GPS) is North America’s most commonly discussed system. However, other similar systems are in use. GLONASS, BeiDou, and Galileo are some of the different systems used worldwide. They all work the same way to allow the receiver to pinpoint a location, elevation, and even direction of travel.
Finally, a microcomputer chip takes data from the GNSS receiver and sends it to a data server using the cellular modem.
How Do Vehicle Tracking Systems Work?
Let’s say you’ve had a local specialty mobile enhancement retailer install a tracking system in your car or truck. If you want to know where your vehicle is, you’ll tap a button on a smartphone app or a website. That software will send a position request to the microcomputer in the tracking system over the Internet and cellular data network. The microcomputer will request the location information from the GNSS receiver and then send that back to the application you use. The application will display the vehicle’s location on a map service like Google Maps.
Some more elaborate tracking systems will have software that pushes information to your smartphone. For example, the Drone system from Firstech, the company that manufactures Compustar remote car starters, will notify the owner if the vehicle moves without the doors being unlocked. This could indicate someone attempting to tow the vehicle.
Location-Based Alerts
To this point, we’ve talked about the operation of tracking systems. However, the software these devices integrate with is crucial to the convenience and protection they offer. This leads us to a discussion of location-based alerts. For example, let’s say you are the parents of a teenager borrowing a family vehicle. If they can use the car to drive to school or work, you could use the tracking software to set up an alert around those geographic locations. You’ll receive an alert on your smartphone when the vehicle arrives at or leaves that area.
Location Alert Configuration Options
Depending on the brand of tracking system you are using, you may be able to define whether you receive an alert when the vehicle enters or exits a specific area. If you own, operate, or manage a fleet of vehicles and need to know when one is near a particular location, you can create a geofence around a parking lot. The image below shows a large parking lot outlined with a polygonal geofence. You could use this information to know when a driver left and returned in a company-owned vehicle.
A secondary benefit of a geofence, like what we’ve shown above, is the ability to monitor the operation of company-owned vehicles after work hours. For example, if you own a service company and your staff finishes work at 6 p.m., the vans should remain in your parking lot until at least 7:30 the following morning. If you’ve created a geofence around your facility, and a van leaves at 3 a.m., you’ll get a notification on your smartphone within a few seconds. There could be a legitimate emergency service call or someone stealing the vehicle.
Advanced Safety Features
Tracking systems can provide more than location-based information for corporate applications. Large corporations spend significant amounts of money on insurance each year. Many studies have proven that employees drive better when they know they are being monitored. Modern tracking systems can record vehicle speed and send a warning if a threshold is exceeded. More advanced systems might include an accelerometer or software to monitor the vehicle for abrupt acceleration, braking, or even cornering too quickly.
Battery Backup for Premium Protection
Sadly, car thieves are clever these days. When they steal a car, they often park it in a public lot a few cities away. If the vehicle is still there after a few days, the chances of it having a tracking system are slim. This saves them the time and hassle of searching through the vehicle for a tracking system.
Another method they use is to disconnect the battery. This is common if the vehicle will be shipped out of the country or if the thieves want to tow it somewhere so they can look for tracking systems or program new keys. A tracking system usually won’t work when the battery is disconnected. However, many tracking systems include a built-in backup battery. Most of these systems send a notification when the battery is disconnected and continue to provide updates for at least three or four hours.
Protect Your Vehicle With a Premium Tracking System Today!
While it’s logical to worry about thieves stealing luxury models like Lexus, BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Range Rover, or Porsche, the reality is that an F-150, Silverado, Civic, CR-V, Ram 1500, Sonata, or Highlander are much more likely candidates for auto theft. Even if you’ve taken precautions like locking the vehicle in the garage and blocking it with a less tempting car, determined thieves always watch for opportunities to take your pride and joy.
A vehicle tracking system that’s appropriately integrated into the vehicle provides you with almost the only chance of recovering your car or truck. Even then, you need to act promptly and get the authorities involved. Drop by a local specialty mobile enhancement retailer today to find out what tracking solutions are available to keep tabs on and add convenience to your vehicle.
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