In the market for a GPS tracking device but not sure which one to buy? This guide is for you.
Just like bowie knives and used camouflage pants GPS devices are now available to the world thanks to developments in the military.
There are many devices with lots of different functions to choose from that enhance civilian life in a million different ways,
whether you’re a parent trying to monitor the whereabouts of their kids or a law enforcement agent out to stop criminals from what they do.
But why would the average person need something like a GPS tracker or other covert GPS tracking device?
* Birdwatchers, Conservationists and Photographers
If you're a professional or very enthusiastic amateur photographer, you probably take large volumes of photos quite often. This often means that it is difficult to keep track of where and when they were taken, much less locate them from your intricate directories.
Photo taggers and GPS loggers synch with your digital cameras, and allow you to embed GPS information like time and location as meta data for every photo taken which makes it useful for categorization and later retrieval and identification.
birdwatchers or conservationists, can also use tagged information to track and analyze animal behavior or migration patterns and relate then to geographical information.
And it goes without saying how useful a GPS location finder can be when you’re in the thick of the action in the middle of a rainforest or high up in the mountains and you need to find your way back to a campsite or particular spot without fuss.
* PIs and Police
What better tool is out there to track the actions and movements of suspected criminals?
GPS trackers monitor targets in real time through a satellite uplink or through the GSM network.
As an added backup, you can make use of a GPS logger or a location finder which you can retrieve at a more appropriate and more discreet time – without having to follow your target all the time.
It would be wise though to stay within the limits of the law when using these tools and, if you have not got the valid search warrant issued by a judge not use evidence gained from trackers in any legal proceedings.
* Parents and Caregivers
Parents of teenagers would want to keep track of the whereabouts and activities of their kids without making the teen tied down.
They can be given the freedom to travel to certain locations, while still providing caregivers with the knowledge that their son or daughter is safe with the use of GPS trackers with SOS calling capabilities.
These devices warn you should your teen go beyond certain location boundaries you sent.
And if the child is ever lost, or in a dangerous situation, they can make use of these devices to alert you and help you locate their whereabouts.
Caregivers with elderly loved ones, or have family members that suffer from a special diseases or disabilities can also make use of GPS trackers with SOS calling capabilities. It is important though that the device you get works on the right frequency for your region.
These GPS tracking devices are versatile and can give you real-time information about the location and movement of a person, vehicle or object that you are tracking.
These devices are also small enough for concealment as the need warrants.
The following is a definitive guide of what GPS tracking devices are available and the people who will find these high tech gadgets useful for their needs.
* GPS Tracker
A GPS tracker is a tool that uses the GPS satellite network to help you locate the precise position of a person, vehicle, asset or object carrying the device. These tools can either send real-time information to you or store the information in an internal memory device which you can download or retrieve at a more appropriate time.
* GPS Tracker with SOS Calling / GSM Capabilities
These GPS trackers can transmit SOS alerts in the form of text SMS messages, emails or wireless calls through a mobile GSM network as well as tracking the location of the person who has it.
The devices can be configured to send out positional locations every 5 minutes or more, or they can be triggered to send out an alert should the person, vehicle or asset you are tracking goes beyond your predefined safety or limit zone. They can also be triggered by the person holding the device, at which point it turns into a communication device between the person being tracked and the person doing the tracking
* GPS Logger
GPS loggers do not have a transmission module to send out location information in real-time. What they do instead is record or log GPS information like time and location at pre-defined intervals then store it in their internal memory.
You can later retrieve or download this stored information for processing on a PC.
* GPS Photo Tagger
Photo tagging or what is also popularly known as geotagging is a process of embedding GPS coordinates and time on the meta data portion of a digital photo.
You can use this information for categorizing and archiving your photos for easy retrieval using the tags you used – much like the result pages from a search engine.
GPS Photo taggers are small devices which you can attach or synch with your digital camera.
* GPS Location Finder
GPS location finders are the modern equivalent of the tennis ball on the car antenna
A GPS location finder helps you locate your car or a starting point by lighted directional arrows. Simply record your starting point or car’s location by a single push of a button and you’ll never get lost when you go back.
* GPS Jammers
If you think that you are being tracked by a GPS logger or tracking device and are unhappy about it then you may be interested in using a GPS Jammer.
Small and portable, GPS jammers prevent these tracking devices from sending out any homing signals to your location.
There are many other GPS devices out there and many other GPS applications.
The key thing here is for you to find out the capabilities of each device and determine which would be best suited to use in what you do.
