With so many GPS tracking companies having flashy websites with lots of jargon, it is easy to overlook the basics of the hardware and installation.
My advice is to ignore the testimonials and sales spin and take a good look at what you are actually purchasing.
Very few GPS brands actually disclose all the details about the GPS tracking hardware and installation. In this post I will cover the following:
- Where is the GPS hardware manufactured?
- How much current draw does it put on your car battery?
- How large is the unit?
- Is the installer trained?
Where is the GPS hardware manufactured?
Is your GPS tracker made by a reputable company? Or is it one of the many re-branded units from China made in questionable working conditions? Do you even care? Maybe you want a cheap tracker, but even then I’d suggest doing some homework and asking the supplier where it comes from. Most of the cheap systems are not reliable or even that cheap after the product has been marked up and re-branded.
How much current draw does it put on your car battery?
There are a large number of GPS trackers (including well-known brands) that put a unacceptably high parasitic draw on the car battery. This can result in the vehicle being unable to start if left undriven for more than 1 week. A vehicle that won’t start is not really meeting “increased productivity” claims!
I suggest that you check how many mA (milliamps) your GPS tracking hardware draws when the vehicle is not in use. Most should be under 10mA when the vehicle is switched off.
If the current consumption data is higher than 10mA or not published by the manufacturer, then I recommend looking elsewhere.
I have a pile of GPS trackers that I have removed from various vehicles that I’ll wire up on the Obsessive test bench for a real world test.
GPS tracker parasitic draw tests can be found here
How large is the unit?
Many trackers are old technology and needlessly bulky. This makes them harder to install and less effective if being used for vehicle security as they are much easier to find and remove.
Again, I’ll be publishing as much info as I can here when I get the time to do so.
Is the installer trained?
Most GPS installs are a simple 3 wire installation so should be easy, right? Yet you’d be shocked if you saw how bad many of the so-called professional installs I come across are.
When I started out installing GPS Trackers in the UK, I recall having to attend a training day to understand the basics of a good installation. This was a requirement for being an approved installer. I’ve only come across one GPS retailer in New Zealand that offers any form of installer training.
The result is often a tracker fitted in a compromised location where both the GPS and GSM signal are restricted. Twisted wires without solder or insulation, and a crows nest created by 3 wires alone. I would not believe it was possible to create such a mess had I not seen it with my own eyes!
I’ll cover the basics of how a good install is done in detail in the near future and post it here.
