How GPS Tracking Devices Work
SO, HOW DO GPS TRACKING DEVICES REALLY WORK?
Actually, it’s fairly simple and utilizes readily available technology:
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- ALL GPS tracking devices are simply a bare bones smart phone, without a display, dial-pad, speaker, microphone or power switch.
- They have a GPS receiver installed on the printed circuit board that receives location signals (Latitude & Longitude) from the US Government Satellites in a geo-synchronous orbit approximately 22,000 miles above the Equator. The location data is transmitted every few seconds and stored in the memory chip on the printed circuit board.
- Like a smart phone, GPS devices have a cell phone radio installed on the printed circuit board. The radio allows communication to the devices embedded in the vehicle.
- When location or communication is desired, the user accesses the cloud-based interface to send a data packet to the radio. The “brain” causes the radio to respond to the communication request, interprets the stored Latitude & Longitude and the cloud-based mapping software shows where the unit is located, using Internet-enabled PC, tablet or smart phone.