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Different Approaches to Being a Mobile Phone GPS Tracker Raise the Question:  Do you really know where they are?

Across the country and around the world, GPS tracking, mobile GPS and mobile phone tracker software are attracting attention from consumers, mobile phone companies and application developers.   The hottest mobile phones have GPS locator features to track phone location.   These features, along with others such as text messaging, internet access and the ability to use other software make mobiles great gadgets.  However GPS satellites aren’t always available, for example when the phone is in a building such as an school, mall, or even in a car.  That doesn’t mean cell phone tracking isn’t available, but it does mean there are other ways of being a tracker.

To track a mobile phone involves several primary ways of formulating  cell phone location.  GPS Global Positioning System-Satellites, Triangulation, and CellID.   All these technologies transform cell phones into mobile tracking systems.   These systems can be viewed as Network Based, Handset Based or a Hybrid approach.  GPS location is Handset based as it requires software applications installed on the cell phone  in conjunction with GPS hardware.  Triangulation and CellID are Network Based as they use the equipment and information from the wireless provider.  Hybrid systems combine methods to make best use of available data and to make location phone tracking faster.  

GPS on cell phones is what people usually think of when looking at locating mobile phones.   GPS (Global Positioning System) using satellites is the most popular and more accurate technology of tracking.   But GPS requires satellites to be in direct line of site of the handset. 

It doesn’t work as well indoors or in crowded cities. 

If the handset is in a building, for example your office, restaurant.  Some smartphones will retain the last known GPS location, others might not.  

Another thing with smartphone GPS location is the possibility of wasting the battery.  It is important to be able to remotely adjust the frequency of taking GPS position.  Selecting real-time or periodic sampling affects both the resolution of finding position as well as how long the battery will last.  

GPS receivers, whether in a mobile phone, or a dedicated GPS tracking device, compute location by precisely timing the signals transmitted by GPS satellites.  This data includes the time the message was transmitted, precise orbital information (the ephemeris), and the general system condition and rough orbits of all GPS satellites (the almanac).  GPS receivers often take longer to become ready to navigate after it’s turned on because it must acquire some basic information in addition to capturing GPS satellite signals. This slow start can be caused when the GPS mobile phone  has been unused for days or weeks, or has been transported a significant distance while turned off for.  The GPS must update its almanac and ephemeris data and store it in memory.  The GPS almanac is a set of data that every GPS satellite transmits. When a GPS receiver has current almanac data in memory, it can acquire signals and find initial position more quickly. 

GPS Hot Start is when the GPS enabled cell phone  keeps its last calculated position, the satellites that were in range before, the almanac information in memory, and tries to obtain the same satellites and calculate a new position based upon the previous information. This is generally the quickest GPS lock but Hot Start only works if the phone is in the same general area as when the GPS was last switched off. 

GPS Warm Start is when the GPS enabled smartphone  remembers its last known position, and almanac used, but not which satellites were in range. It performs a reset and attempts  to find satellite signals and calculates a new position. 

The GPS receiver narrows the choice of which satellites tolook for because it stored its last known position and the almanac data helps identify which satellites are visible in the sky. The Warm Start will take longer than the Hot Start but not as long as a Cold Start. 

With GPS Cold Start, the device dumps all the previous information, and attempts to locate satellites and accomplish a GPS lock. This takes longer than other methods because there is no known reference information.  The GPS enabled device   receiver has to attempt to lock onto a satellite signal from any available satellites. 

Assisted GPS, also known as A-GPS or AGPS, enhances the performance of standard GPS in smartphones connected to the cell network.   It downloads the ephemeris and helps triangulate the handset   general position.  GPS Receivers can get a faster lock in exchange for a few kilobytes of data transmission.

A-GPS improves location tracking functions of smartphones (and other connected devices) in two ways:

One way is by helping to obtain a faster “time to first fix” (TTFF). A-GPS acquires and storesdata about satellite positionusing the cellular network so the coordinates information doesn’t require to be downloaded from the the satellite. 

The next way is by helping position  handsets when GPS signals are weak or not available.  As discussed above GPS satellite signals may be interfered with by tall buildings, and do not penetrate building interiors well. AGPS utilizes proximity to cellular towers to compute position when GPS signals are not available. 

If satellite signals are not available, or accuracy is less important than battery life, using Cell-ID is a good substitute to GPS cell phone location.  The position of the device can be calculated by the cellular network cell id, that identifies the cell tower the phone is connected to.   By knowing the position of this tower, then you can know approximately where the smartphone  is.  However, a tower can cover a huge area, from a few hundred meters, in high population areas, to several kilometers in lower density areas. This is why location CellID precision is less than than GPS accuracy. Nevertheless tracking using CellID still provides a very viable alternative.    

Another way of determining  cell phone position is Triangulation or Mobile Location Services (MLS).  Cell Tower Triangulation uses signal analysis data to calculate the time it takes signals to travel from your phone to at least three cell towers to estimate location.   

To comply with Federal Communications Commission guidelines, cellular phone companies must be able to provide authorities with handset latitude and longitude to an accuracy of 50 to 300 meters.   Cell Tower Triangulation doesn’t always meet this requirement.  For comparison commercially available GPS modules are able to achieve accuracy down to less than 10 meters.  This depends upon many factors, as GPS signals are often very weak and are impacted  by many environmental factors.   With Mobile Location Services (MLS), the GSM cellular network provider uses triangulation algorithms to determine the position of the cell phone, its accuracy is proven to be less than than that of GPS.  MLS is further impacted by factors similar to  GPS in the sense of the interference impeding signal strength and the density of GSM towers to assist in the triangulation effort.   In remote areas location accuracy may be off as much as a mile. 

It might be critical to consider how GPS location software applications handle the data and controls cell phone settings.   Having real time tracking on demand, or preferring to minimize battery use and data transmission should be offered.   Generally the application determines the location with a GPS receiver and transmits the tracking data to a server through a data connection. The data connection to the server is usually made using the Internet.  How often GPS samples are taken and how often and by what method the information is sent to the server impact usefulness and costs. 

Consider that there is a fundamental difference between smartphone GPS Tracking and Navigation.  GPS phone tracking is typically related to someone keeping records of either real-time or historical handset  location, while Navigation deals with the mobile phone  user determining how to get from point A to point B.

A really great software package that includes remote control of mobile phone settings, and combines Mobile Phone Tracking  with SMS text message, Call Log,  MMS multi-media message monitoring, and a web account for storage and review is PhoneBeagle.  

Follow this link if you are interested in    Cell Phone Monitoring Software  compatible with BlackBerry  and  Android  Smartphones, used or Parental Monitoring and Small Business Employee Monitoring .  

Visit this link for more information regarding the latest software for
Cell Phone Tracking .

The Global Positioning System, or GPS as it is wildly known, is a tracking system aided by satellites in space that beam down precise signals through radio to GPS receivers throughout the world. This system is effective in pinpointing the exact location of moving or stationary objects anywhere in the world through helping the receivers accurately find their location in terms of longitude, latitude and altitude.

There are various GPS receivers available on the public market. Some come with special features and an array of looks. There are lots you can choose from to suit your business or personal needs. Take the time to research the different types of GPS receivers and decide what would be best for you.

Motor Vehicle GPS: This is the most convenient type of GPS. For the first time you do not have to be fumbling and flipping through a map book whilst driving. There are some affordable models for your car, and are easily attached to the dashboard or windscreen. There are some GPS systems that will help you calculate the distance in kilometers to your destination, and will even help you choose the best and quickest route. Car GPS systems normally have a voice guide that will tell you when to turn and where to go without you being too distracted by having to look at the screen whilst driving. You can also save familiar destinations into your system to access them easily. GPS trackers are even capable of telling you where there will be a speed trap or police activity on the road. As a novelty you can even load pictures and photos onto your GPS and have these images showing as a slide show whilst the system is not in use.

PDA Navigation: These are personal GPS devices, which can be useful on a hunting or hiking expedition. You will be able to know your exact position at any given time, and will be able to find your way successfully to any destination that you wish. There is a plethora of PDA navigation devices for you to choose and benefit from.

GPS Vehicle Tracking: This is only to keep track of where the car is traveling, but will not tell you how to reach the destination. GPS tracking especially useful for companies who are wishing to track exactly where company cars are being driven, and how far. Car security and insurance companies have caught onto vehicle tracking in a big way, for this kind of GPS is very efficient in locating stolen cars. A paranoid parent can even use a GPS vehicle tracking system to check up on their teenager who has just started driving, and the use of this kind of GPS system can even extend to those suspecting a spouse or partner of disloyalty.

GPS Maps: GPS maps are great for fishing expeditions, and will assist you in locating hidden coves and following coastlines. GPS maps ensure you travel safety .

In conclusion, there are many different kinds of GPS systems, and you only need to decide what you would need a system for before venturing out to purchase one.