Looking for the best way to secure your assets with GPS tracker?

GPS tracking devices are now commonly used by consumers for auto-theft security, or to track high-risk drivers such as newly licensed teenagers, senior citizens and companies looking to track their fleet assets. The same location-based technology is also critical in assisting businesses with GPS fleets management applications such as routing, mileage documentation, and job costing. The truth is GPS tracking systems are now frequently called upon for a variety of reasons, leaving some drivers concerned a GPS tracker might be attached to the vehicle they operate.

That same wonderment also results in the following question being asked: Is it illegal to track someone without their knowledge? First of all, it is highly recommended that anyone who believes they are being tracked illegally to contact the proper law enforcement authorities. Secondly, if a person believes a GPS tracker is on their vehicle, they should start by scanning the automobile and searching for the most popular places GPS tracking devices are placed on cars.

Whether it's to make sure of your teen driver's safety, to ensure that your spouse is not cheating, or to know where your vehicle is in case it is stolen, you must place your tracking device in an inconspicuous area. Once the person finds out that they're being tracked, your device will be broken, and a family conflict may arise because they will think you don't trust them. To avoid this scenario, you have to know where to hide the GPS tracker on a car.

How GPS Tracking Works

GPS, or the global positioning system, is a tool that transmits live location information to your computer or mobile phone. The pieces of information you receive in your cellphone are from the 24 satellites that revolve around the earth. The triangulation method is used in validating the location of the transmitter before the information is sent to you.

When using the vehicle tracking device, it should be positioned in a way that the antenna can detect satellite signal. The tracking device is the same navigation tool you use in finding location while hiking or driving.

Things to Consider Before Installing a GPS Tracker

The most important thing to bear in mind when installing your GPS tracker is signal strength. If it cannot receive an adequate GPS satellite or cellular signal, the device will not work.

Most GPS signals travel through plastic, fibreglass, foam, wood, and glass, but not all solid materials, so it's usually a good practice to allow your GPS tracker to have a line of sight to the sky. Places like the roof, dashboard, or windscreen are obvious choices, but whether you want your tracker to be visible or not is the real decider. Let's look at the options.

Where to Hide a GPS Tracker in a Car?

If you are looking for covert positions, there a few possibilities available:

The Front Bumper

While it's certainly true that the front bumper is a less-than-ideal location for a hidden GPS tracking device (as it often houses a great deal of wiring for things like your car's lighting system, the temperature sensor and more), it isn't impossible to install such an item in this location and, as a result, should be one of the first places you check.

Unfortunately, this also brings with it a bit of bad news - because this area tends to be on the "complicated" side, you probably can't check for a GPS tracking device here yourself. Even if you have the skill necessary to pull such a critical component of your car apart and put it back together again, you likely don't have the equipment needed to do so. Because of that, you're probably going to want to call your trusted mechanic to make sure the job gets done properly.

Once you do pull apart your front bumper, look for a little black device (or a series of wires) that don't belong. If someone installs a GPS tracking device here, it's probably connected to the power supply on your car - which means that it can transmit for a very long time from nearly any location.

 

Your Wheel Wells

Although this is the location that DEA Agent/Brother-in-Law Hank used to track criminal mastermind Walter White on the hit AMC show "Breaking Bad," this is another one of those locations for a hidden GPS tracking device that isn't that popular for a variety of different reasons. For starters, it's very easy to spot something that has been covertly installed in a wheel well - your brakes should be the only thing back there, and anything else will very clearly not belong. Secondly, because this area is located on the outside of your car, there's a lot that could go wrong, and the device itself could easily become damaged or lost.

Having said that, if you do suspect that you're being tracked without your permission or knowledge, you'll still want to check all four-wheel wells of your vehicle. Get down on your knees, get out your trusty flashlight and be on the lookout for anything resembling a tiny box, a cylinder or something that looks out of place. Again, your brakes should be the ONLY item behind the wheels. Anything else that you find will likely be worth a closer look.

Your Rear Bumper

This is a very similar situation to your front bumper and is not the world's best place to install a hidden GPS tracking device for a variety of reasons. Again, your rear bumper houses a lot of important wires for your vehicle's electrical systems - mostly those that handle your lights and the other external sensors that your car's computer uses to help you out while you're driving.

To complicate matters a bit further, if your car has a rear backup camera (and if it was purchased within the last few years, it probably does), there will be additional cables devoted to that unit in this location as well. Once again, you're likely going to want to call your local mechanic to help you out if you suspect a hidden GPS device may be in your rear bumper.

If you do decide to proceed on your own, get out your car's instruction manual and take a look at the wiring diagrams. Compare the manual to what you're seeing and look for something that was added after the fact. But do not, under any circumstances, remove any wires unless you're sure you know what they do. Making the wrong move at this stage of the game could result in a car that you won't be able to use for quite a while.

Your Dashboard

This is one of those places that presents something of a mixed bag for people who are trying to track your every move. On the one hand, hiding a GPS tracking device under someone's dashboard is tricky because you need physical access to the inside of the car in order to do it. Once you've got that taken care of, however, it's the perfect location for such a hidden device because:

1. 1. It's already filled with so many different wires and components that it can be hard to keep track of it all

 

1. 1. People rarely take a closer look at this part of their car in the first place

 

In order to be sure that nobody has installed a hidden GPS tracking device in this area, remember the fact that all of the wires you see should be tied together in groups. If you see a wire or cable that is completely separate from everything else, doesn't match the existing colour scheme of all the other wires or looks like it doesn't belong, you may be onto something worth a closer look.

Your Glove Compartment and More

If you're the type of person who often forgets that you even have a glove compartment in the first place, you may be looking at one of the most common places that a GPS tracking device might be hidden on your car. Again, this is a tricky one because it requires physical access to the vehicle's interior, but provided that someone can achieve that, they can hide a GPS device easily without you noticing. Take a look inside your glove compartment or any other storage area within your vehicle. Look for small devices that almost look like television remote controls and be very wary of any component that you can't remember placing yourself.

Other Common Locations

Suppose yours is the type of car that has a sunroof, a moonroof or is a convertible of some type. In that case, unfortunately, it also offers a wide range of additional places to hide a GPS tracking device potentially. Remove any and all covers that are designed to protect these areas and take a look around for strange wires. While you're at it, be sure to check under your car's carpets, beneath the floor mats, under and in between your seats, and in similar areas.

On the exterior car, be sure to examine your vehicle's undercarriage closely. Use a flashlight to peer into ALL inaccessible areas of your car's frame. As you do so, remember that a GPS tracking device probably won't be able to transmit data (at least not in any reliable way) if thick metals cover it. The antenna needs a clear, unobstructed way to send and receive computer signals. Thankfully, this means that you can write off certain areas right away. Any GPS device hidden on the undercarriage of your car will probably need to be near the edges, so look there first.

How Can A Fleet Management Company Benefit From Using GPS Tracking?

In the long run, the survival of a fleet management company is decided by its level of productivity. You can end up losing large money in any case your employees are not working during their allotted working hours.

When you install GPS devices for tracking on the fleet of your vehicles, you can find out who is really contributing his working hours to work and who are simply wasting time regularly. This update on the motions of work helps you decide the perks, wages and other advantages that you offer to the employees.

Save Money With Vehicle GPS Tracking

When you track employees on a regular basis, it becomes easier to find out the most productive one. You can notify the employees that all the vehicles are on GPS tracker, which will indirectly pressurize them to elevate their overall performance and contribution to work. It is an established fact that employees work with 100% focus when they are being observed or judged by their superiors. It directly increases your level of production and with just small investment in tracking device; your profit is automatically increased.