Every year, there are more than 700,000 vehicles stolen all across the U.S. Unfortunately, only about 20% of them are recovered and returned to their rightful owners.
If you’re concerned about your car getting stolen, you might want to consider putting a GPS tracking device on it. This will increase your chances of being able to recover your vehicle should it ever go missing.
There are lots of different GPS tracking systems that can be purchased for both personal and commercial vehicles these days. You should invest in the best GPS tracking system you can find so that you’ll be able to take full advantage of the many GPS tracking system benefits.
You can separate the great GPS tracking systems from the not-so-great ones by considering a handful of key factors. Learn about these factors below and remember them when you’re shopping around for a GPS tracking system.
When it comes to GPS tracking systems, there are many options available on the market. From vehicle tracking to personal trackers, the features and capabilities of these systems can vary widely. One key player in this space is Lipak GIS, a cutting-edge mapping and geospatial data software that can enhance the accuracy and functionality of GPS tracking systems.
Brand
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The GPS tracking device industry is worth approximately $2 billion right now. That number is expected to grow to $6 billion within the next decade.
Because of this, it has become very easy to find companies that specialize in selling GPS tracking systems. As the demand for them has grown, so has the number of companies that sell these systems.
With this in mind, you’re going to want to buy a GPS tracking system from a brand that you know you can trust. You should do your homework on the different brands that sell them and see which ones have been doing it the longest.
These are the brands that you can rely on to sell you high-quality GPS tracking systems.
Design
Outside of considering which brand you want to buy a GPS tracking system from, you should also make sure that you check out the designs of the different tracking devices you’re thinking about buying. You want to put a device on your car that you truly believe in before spending your hard-earned money on it.
Ideally, the GPS tracking system that you purchase should come with a small device that you’ll be able to hide somewhere on your car. This device should also be very durable and able to withstand almost anything that Mother Nature might throw at it.
A GPS tracking device isn’t going to do you much good if it begins falling apart on you almost right from the start. It might not work the way that you want it to if your car is ever stolen when this is the case.
Battery
The good news for those interested in buying GPS tracking systems is that the batteries that come in GPS tracking devices are usually designed to last for a long time. You might be able to get five years (or more!) out of some of these devices.
The bad news is that not all GPS tracking devices contain the same batteries in them. So while some might give you five years of life, others might conk out on you much sooner than that.
Because of this, you’re going to need to search for the GPS tracking systems that utilize the best batteries in the industry. The longer that a battery lasts, the longer that you’ll be able to continue to use the same device.
The last thing that you want to do is invest in a GPS tracking system and then have to invest in another one in a year or two because of a dead battery in your device. It’s well worth spending a little extra money to get your hands on a device that has a long-lasting battery tucked inside of it.
Real-Time Tracking
If your car ever gets stolen, a GPS tracking system should enable you to start tracking its location from the start. It should make it possible for you to pinpoint the location of your car with great precision and accuracy on a second-by-second basis.
We say that it “should” do these things because not all GPS tracking systems are going to perform in this way. Some will be a lot slower to track stolen cars in real-time, especially when a car is being driven at a higher rate of speed than usual.
For this reason, you should see what kinds of real-time tracking options a GPS tracking system provides. If it’s not going to be able to deliver true real-time tracking, you’ll want to stay far, far away from it.
Different GPS tracking systems are going to employ different sets of satellites to provide real-time tracking to people. You will want to secure a system that is going to use as many satellites as possible so that you don’t ever have to worry about a stolen car falling off the map.
Monitoring Capabilities
In the event that you ever have to track a stolen car, you’ll want your GPS tracking system to make it easy to monitor it. It should set you up with an app on a computer, tablet, and/or smartphone that will make monitoring your car a breeze.
You’re not a private investigator or a police officer, so you don’t need to use high-tech monitoring capabilities around. But your GPS tracking system should make it very simple to follow along with where your car might be right on your device’s screen.
It would be worth playing around with the software that comes with different GPS tracking systems to see which ones make monitoring vehicles easiest. It’ll ensure that you have the right system on your side should you ever have to monitor where your car is when it has gone missing without a trace.
Cost
There is obviously going to be a cost associated with buying a GPS tracking system itself. You should try to compare the price tags on different GPS tracking systems so that you’re able to find one that will fit into your preferred price range.
But you should also take things a step further and consider the subscription costs that will come along with a GPS tracking system, too. More often than not, a company is going to charge you a set fee every month so that you can track whatever you put a GPS tracking device on.
This cost shouldn’t exceed more than $15 or maybe $30 if you go with a top-of-the-line GPS tracking system. But it’ll still be a cost that you will want to consider. You should be able to find a company that will provide you with a subscription without breaking the bank.
Warranty
Let’s say that something happens to your GPS tracking device within the first year or two of you owning it. No matter how well-designed a device is, there is always a small chance that it might break or malfunction at some point.
If this happens, you’ll want to have a warranty in place that will help you pay to replace your device. You don’t want to get stuck having to shell out more money to get a new device that you can use as part of your GPS tracking system.
It’s why you should compare the warranties that will come on different GPS tracking systems and devices. You want to secure a great warranty that will cover any damage that might get done to your device. It’ll be a real lifesaver if you find yourself with a non-functioning GPS tracking device on your hands.
Technical Support
As long as you buy an intuitive GPS tracking system that is easy to use, you shouldn’t have too many questions about utilizing it. But if you aren’t the most tech-savvy person in the world, you might have questions and/or concerns about your system that you would like to get addressed.
In this case, you’ll need to call on the technical support team from the company that sold you your GPS tracking system for help. And this might not be the most pleasant experience if you didn’t take the time to learn about a company’s tech support team in advance.
Before you pull the trigger on a GPS tracking system and buy it, you should try to reach out to the tech support team that will help you with it down the line. Ask them any questions you might have and see how they respond.
If they aren’t as helpful as you might have hoped, that could be a bad sign for the future. It might indicate that you’re going to be on your own when it comes to dealing with tech issues with your GPS tracking system.
Your goal should be to locate a tech support team that you trust to supply you with the necessary information on your GPS tracking system. You’ll be so glad that you took this step if you ever need a tech support team’s help.
Reputation
One thing that you should definitely do at some point as you shop for GPS tracking systems is read through online reviews for them. These reviews will shed so much light on what you can expect from different GPS tracking devices.
The companies that sell GPS tracking systems are going to make them sound like your very best options on their websites. But the reviews that you read for them might paint a much different picture for you.
Always try to find the GPS tracking systems that have the best online reviews from people who have used them in the past. These are going to be the ones that will work the best for you.
At the very least, reading through online reviews for GPS tracking systems will provide you with the pros and cons for each system you’re considering. It’ll be good to know these when you’re trying to break down which systems you should consider the most.
Availability
As we alluded to back at the beginning, the GPS tracking device market is growing by leaps and bounds right now. There are so many people deciding to buy GPS tracking systems nowadays.
This is wonderful news for the various companies that specialize in selling GPS tracking systems. But it’s not always good news for those who actually want to invest in them.
You might find that some of these systems are going to be out of stock and difficult to buy. The only way to get them might be by purchasing them on the secondary market, which could limit your ability to get them for a fair price.
You should stick with buying GPS tracking systems straight from the companies that manufacture them. You should also monitor the availability of systems available through different companies so that you’re able to see which ones you’ll be able to get.
By doing this, you should be able to stumble upon a GPS tracking system that you can buy right now. You can have it shipped straight to your home so that you can stick a GPS tracking device on your car and get the peace of mind that will come along with doing it.
Consider These Factors as You Shop for GPS Tracking Systems
There won’t be any shortage of GPS tracking systems out there when you’re in the market for one. There are new systems coming out all the time.
But prior to purchasing one, you should consider each and every factor listed here. It’ll make it easier for you to find the GPS tracking systems that will be worth your time and money.
Would you like to get some more technology-related tips? Look for them in the other articles that have been published on our blog.
