A beginner’s guide to GPS trackers
For additional vehicle safety and security, the installation of a GPS tracker is an excellent idea.
With many on the market, it can be complicated, as someone with little knowledge of GPS trackers or cars in general, to find the perfect tracker for your vehicle. Providing an array of trackers for a number of vehicle types, FitMyTracker have made this a little easier for you by creating a beginner’s guide to GPS trackers.
How does a GPS tracker work?
The first thing you will want to know is what is a GPS tracker and how do they work? A GPS tracker is a small unit which, in most cases, you can fit yourself to your car without the need for expert installation. Thanks to their small design GPS car trackers are discreet, making it unlikely that a potential thief will spot them. Once installed, they use the Global Position System to monitor and track the movements of your vehicle at all times. This information can then be passed on to a server and viewed from an application which can be easily installed onto your tablet or mobile device. A tracker is installed to provide you the information of your vehicle’s location, providing you peace of mind. Most trackers on the market will allow you to set up an alert for unusual movement of your vehicle, without your authorisation. This excellent feature allows you to alert the police to any theft or damage to your vehicle.
Vehicles you can install a GPS to:
Most vehicles can be installed with a GPS tracker, offering a number of benefits.
- Cars
- HGVs
- Fleet vehicles
- Caravans
- Motorbikes
- Vans
- Plant/Machinery
A great addition of GPS trackers is that they can provide you information about your vehicle such as, the speeds being drive, fuel consumption, the direction and location of the vehicle in real-time, making them the perfect assistant to fleet managers and HGV drivers.
Types of trackers
Vehicle trackers are rated and categorised by leading vehicle safety tester – Thatcham Research. You can choose a GPS tracker from one of their categories, including CAT 5, CAT 6, S5, and S7. These have received insurance approval and may even help to lower your insurance premiums.
CAT 5 Trackers – Category 5 car trackers are some of the best trackers available on the market today, offering complete protection. CAT 5 trackers have been recommended by insurance companies, particularly for high speed, high performing cars worth high values.
CAT 6 Trackers – These are your standard day to day tracking devices, used most by vehicle owners to keep their insurance premiums down. A CAT 6 tracker will monitor your vehicle for 24 hours of the day for 365 days a year, allowing you to keep track of the location of your vehicle.
S5 Trackers – These trackers are now considered, by Thatcham, to offer the highest level of security for your vehicle. As the best on the market for theft recovery it is this tracker your insurance companies may be referring to when recommending you install a tracking device to your car
S7 Trackers – The S7 category trackers are the latest in Thatcham approved tracking devices. They have been used to replace CAT 6 trackers. Using the most recent ICPO technology the S7 trackers can be used to track the location of a vehicle in over 100 countries.
