GPS Tracking devices

biffontour

Just looking for a gps tracking device for my van, i don't want a monthly bill, just a once off with tracking online. is this possible at all? Does anyone know of any such device on the market?

meercat

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/others/2338383
cheapest around

meercat

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/carextras/1868051
bought in car recorder off this lad
no problems yet
link
http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/othermotor/2010767

dingding

Www.dealextreme.com but that price of €60 looks good.

iMax

Microsoft have one that sells bundled with their "streets & trips" software. No monthly charge & updates live. Saw it in the Us for about $80 a couple of years ago. Might get it on eBay.

biffontour

the ones on donedeal seem the job alrite if i could get my hands on 2 it would be great, waitin on replies at the moment. not sure how compatible the microsoft one is in Ireland

Ghost Train

might be good to get two of those golden sims to use with this

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056326805

dingding

iMax wrote: »

Microsoft have one that sells bundled with their "streets & trips" software. No monthly charge & updates live. Saw it in the Us for about $80 a couple of years ago. Might get it on eBay.

I think this was just a gps interface for a pc. I dont think you can connect to it or find out it's location remotely.

privateBeavis

meercat wrote: »

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/others/2338383
cheapest around

I got that one also from ebay while back and wrote an app for my andriod phone to send message and display the returning message in google map:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=68192840&postcount=1

Never bothered putting the app up on the market place cos I'd only have to support it then but if anyone interested could put it up somewhere!

biffontour

wat do you think of the one you bought even with out the app?

kirving

I've heard mixed reports about those devices, and I'd the the following instead.....


If you're putting it in a van, you could use an older smartphone( Nokia S60v3 device, as they're cheap enough) with GPS and a tracking app such as Periodic.

If GPS is unavailable, the phone will try to determine it's location using cellular networks, and wi-fi, in a similar way in which Google Maps does.

All you have to do it text the phone, and it replies with the GPS co-ordinates. You can also set the application up to send out it's location every 10 minutes, etc, which can be viewed online. I'm not sure if it is legal to track employees without their permission.

For this set-up however, you would need a data plan, and Meteor's €10 Bill Pay Lite + €5 Data add on would do the job perfectly. Would cost €180 per year for practically live tracking. Not bad when you consider the thousands of euro worth of tools you'd have in the van, and the van itself.

biffontour

dunno know about that option, sounds like a good idea alrite but a bit involved in setting up, I was it for my van and my parents car just incase they are taken so i know where it is

David09

How accurate are the location readings from those trackers on donedeal???

€60 looks very tempting.

kirving

They're cheap for a reason. As far as I can see, they're of low build quality, are difficult to set up and can be unreliable. Any cheap electronic item from an unknown manufacturer I have ever bought, has invariabley been crap.

Even my solution, using a mobile phone is still a compromise compared to what a company like Tracker offer, but I believe it's better than the GPS tracker posted.

Accuracy wise, if it has a good satellite signal, you should be talking less than 5 meters. That's what I get from my phone.

Using cellular or local wi-fi networks as a positioning method when I can't get a GPS lock, Google maps puts me within a stones-throw(about 30m) of my house in south Dublin. I would expect the same kind of accuracy in most urban areas. I once got a GSM only accuracy reading of 1400m I think, about 6 sq. km in the countryside. Better than nothing, buy you really need a good GPS signal.

David09

Where I'm located in rural carlow, the Google maps on my Android phone indicates Im 20 miles away near bunclody.

sheesh

there are specific devices that do what you want you get the gps tracking device and then get the sim card for the local network it sends the position via sms at regular intervals just have a look for gps trackers.

Also have a look a gps recievers that communicate with a phone via bluetooth I have one for my own phone and it works very well.