Attached to a key ring, tucked in the bottom of a bag, securely fastened to a bicycle, scooter or motorcycle, hidden in the glove box of a car or dangling from a pet’s collar, trace it GPS (also called an English tracker) proves to be a very reassuring companion on a daily basis. It allows you to locate its location on a map, from a computer, smartphone or tablet. So handy for finding lost keys, a bag forgotten in public transport, stolen luggage or a bicycle or even an animal with a runaway temperament. There are dozens of GPS trackers but not all of them are based on the same technology and do not offer the same services.
What are the different GPS trackers?
GPS plotters come in several forms but generally keep a very compact size to slip everywhere. Inside, they carry several devices. First of all, contrary to what their name suggests, GPS plotters do not all have a GPS module on board. The most common models simply house a Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) chip or a WiFi module. Others accommodate a GSM module to connect to the mobile network. These latest models therefore require a special subscription to operate. But they allow a better localization and especially a positioning in real time.
How do Bluetooth trackers work?
They represent the most widespread category. They are mostly small cases thin and compact enough to be hung on a keychain or nestled in the bottom of a handbag. They permanently or intermittently emit a Bluetooth signal (more rarely WiFi) and therefore have a limited range (about ten meters in Bluetooth, a little more in WiFi depending on the coverage of the area where they are) . Equipped with a smartphone and the application provided by the manufacturer, the owner of the plotter can therefore locate it quite easily, provided that it is within its perimeter. This is very practical, for example, for finding your keys at home or a handbag. Most plotters also have a small speaker. We can thus make them ring to locate them by the sound they emit. Note that some manufacturers have taken the device further. The iPhone can thus present on the screen the direction of the Bluetooth signal emitted by the house plotter (AirTag) thanks to its house U1 chip. It then indicates the direction to follow as well as the distance that separates the smartphone from the tracker. An almost similar principle is available on Samsung’s high-end Galaxy smartphones connected to SmartTags+ trackers.
Aware of the range limit of this type of tracker, several manufacturers such as Apple, Samsung or Tile also rely on the community of their users to help you locate your tracker and therefore the element to which it is attached. For example, when an iPhone owner passes close to an AirTag indicated as lost and enters its reception perimeter, the tracker will use the iPhone to transmit its position to its owner and therefore its GPS location. The operation is completely transparent for the iPhone used for this purpose, its owner will not even know anything about it (and will not be charged for this service either). Obviously, this system is effective as long as you stay in the manufacturer’s ecosystem. If only Android users miss the AirTag… nothing will happen. This observation is the same for Samsung’s SmartTags for which a smartphone or tablet from the Galaxy range equipped with the SmartThings app is essential for mute detection. At Tile, it is the community of keychain users equipped with the eponymous app (available on Android and iOS) that meshes the network.
How do GPS trackers work with a mobile network connection?
These small boxes are distinguished from models simply equipped with a Bluetooth chip by the presence of a real GPS module accompanied by a connection to the mobile network. With them, there is no longer any need to rely on the community of users of this or that brand of device to locate them on a map. The box transmits its position through a network connection. For this, it embeds either a SIM or eSIM card like a smartphone or a module for connecting to low-power radio communication networks such as LoRa or SigFox. These are networks specially designed for connected objects and rather well extended as shown in the map for LoRa and the one for Sig Fox. These boxes are mostly larger than Bluetooth trackers. Moreover, using a different mode of communication, they are necessarily linked to a subscription. They are therefore not only more expensive to buy but also to use. However, they allow real-time location of the object to which they are attached, especially since the network connection also works indoors.
Which GPS tracker to choose?
If you spend your time losing your keys, your purse, your backpack, in short, small everyday objects, a Bluetooth tracker will do just fine. Small, sturdy, waterproof and dustproof, they tick all the boxes of simple and practical tool. Most also offer decent battery life. For power, they rely on a battery (and not a battery) in button format capable of holding between several months and a full year.
If, on the other hand, it is a question of monitoring larger objects, such as a bicycle or a scooter for example, or even of ensuring the location of a child, an elderly person or a pet , all likely to move without you, a tracker with a GPS chip and network access is more appropriate. Manufacturers have understood this and offer suitable models and these specific uses.