Tracing mobile phones

Just The One

Not sure where to post this - feel free to move.


Can a mobile phone be traced? ie if a phone is lost can it be traced whether it is on or off

ScumLord

The phone has to be on to be traced as it needs to be sending out a signal and even then I think their tracking the phone number more so than the phone. So if they change the sim you can't track it anymore. I think the most you can do is register some serial number off the phone and next time it's turned on the provider locks the phone so it can't be used.

Tails142

www.vodafone.com - that is all

zuutroy

LOL!.......


Sorry, the access to this site has been denied.

The site you are trying to access (snip) has been categorised under the following category.
"Pornography".

Tails142

Ya that's just a general category that businesses set their firewalls to filter this site to, to save them from any legal repurcussions you see. :rolleyes:

tbh

links to porn - reported.

Tails142

It's a thing... for... tracing your phone.... *starts running*

tbh

seriously, delete it or you'll be sitebanned. no joke.

Dragan

As a random punter you can't trace a phone. The cops can for certain cases but you cannot ring your service provider and ask them for a trace, this is not mission impossible here.

If you have the phones IMEI number you can have the handset blocked from all three networks so whoever has it cannot use the handset any more. That’s about it.

NutJob

Yes they can but they wont simply not cost effective and isolating your phone to a phone mast or local repeator is pointless unless you were the Omagh bommer(actual example).

What they do is the blacklist the phone if it was registered (Using IMEI) and the information is shared with other phone providers thus turning phone into a brick of no use to anyone.

Zambia

Dragan wrote:

As a random punter you can't trace a phone. The cops can for certain cases but you cannot ring your service provider and ask them for a trace, this is not mission impossible here.

If you have the phones IMEI number you can have the handset blocked from all three networks so whoever has it cannot use the handset any more. That’s about it.

Yes this is true , the police can trace your phone but need a court order to do so. Chances of a cop helping in this scenario are slim.

Its gone ...

scojones

Tails142 banned from After Hours.

Anyone else who links to Pornography will also be banned. Please read the Charter

Dragan

NutJob wrote:

Yes they can but they wont simply not cost effective and isolating your phone to a phone mast or local repeator is pointless unless you were the Omagh bommer(actual example)

Did I say that the service providers can't do it?

Nope.

I said that as a customer it's not something you can ask them to do.

kevmy

AFAIK they can only track down your phone to the particular cell your in. They triangulate your phone from three towers if you have your phone left beside a speaker of a tv or radio you can hear a buzz buzz every now and again (even when not receiving texts or calls). This is the phone company periodically (once an hour i think) tracking your phone to know where to route your call.
To get your actual position even the phone companies have to be court ordered or asked by police and families (eg missing persons cases)

Dragan

kevmy wrote:

This is the phone company periodically (once an hour i think) tracking your phone to know where to route your call.

Nah, the normally an "active line" as a call or a sms comes in, or if you in a car and you get that over the stereo it's just the handover between cells as you move between coverage area's.

THe way they work is that all cells have a certain capacity, once you come into an area where one cell is giving stronger signal that another you will be handed over to that cell, once it has space on it ( i.e is not carrying the maximum ammount of call making phones ) on the off chance that it is at maximum capacity your signal will stay with the older cell for as long as possible, or it may drop altogether. The best solution in this instance is sinmply to power your phone off and back on again.

nogoodnamesleft

Yes fones can be traced but probably have to go through legal channels. You will need the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Number) of your mobile i.e.*#06#. The phone doesnt have to be on a call to trace. The network provider is in constant contact with the mobile handset through paging (this allows handovers between different cell locations this allows the user to have constant coverage while on the move).