Buying a Vehicle Tracking Device in 2018 ? Take Note

Posted by Amos Fred on August 30th, 2018

As your car is an expensive asset, you must be careful to install only a good quality GPS tracker. There are many benefits of using a good vehicle tracking device such as improved safety, better route planning, Real-time tracking and fuel saving. There is no need to hurry while making a choice and some things must be put into consideration.

1. Compatibility – Buying the most expensive and best quality GPS vehicle tracking device will be useless if it is incompatible with your car model. Compatibility check is important to ensure the device works well without negatively affecting the performance of your vehicle. It holds true especially for luxury cars like Audi or Ferrari that have a different and complex operating mechanism.
2. Passive tracking vs. real-time tracking – Some GPS vehicle tracking devices store the location information to a memory card and can be retrieved later. Wifi is needed to transmit the stored data to a local server. Passive GPS vehicle trackers gather information every half a minute and require a good data storage capacity. The disadvantage of Passive GPS tracking is that low memory storage causes old information to be overwritten with new information. The information can be stored for a maximum of 15 days. The ideal GPS tracking device must enable the user to track their vehicle in real time. Data is continuously updated onto the server (every 5-10 seconds) hence there is no risk of data loss. It is a critical feature that comes in handy for geo-fencing, as the information of a boundary breach is received immediately rather than after 5 minutes.
3. Cost - Many people feel that passive GPS tracking devices are cheaper than real-time devices. It is an incorrect assumption as the wireless rates have reduced considerably over the years. Compare the initial and monthly subscription prices of a number of tracking devices before making the final purchase. It is advised to go for a tracking device that comes with at least a year’s warranty. GPS vehicle tracking companies must have an active and helpful customer service team to help users.
4. International use - If you are one of those who frequently travel outside the country for work or personal reasons, GPS tracker that uses GSM networks is a perfect choice.
5. Map quality - The device must provide an up-to-date and accurate map. It should have features such as a bird’s eye view, street mapping, and street-level zooming. Features such as places of interests and landmarks are essential for accurate vehicle tracking as well.
6. Demo class - Operating a GPS vehicle-tracking device is not rocket science. However, a demo session by the service providers is a feature that you should look forward to!
7. Security - You feed a lot of personal information, like daily travelling routes and addresses into your system. Make sure that the personal information is tamper-proof, and should not be misused by third parties. Your service provider must use the best data security practices.

For many car owners, their vehicles are their most precious possession. They are always worrying about the safety and condition of their vehicle. It is only fitting that they install a vehicle tracking device in their car.