How To Detect A Gps Tracker On Your Car
Have you ever felt suspicious that an employer or significant other from the past may be monitoring your vehicle? Tracking every location you go, how long you were there, and everywhere in between? Well, you are not alone in this type of thinking. In fact, every single day businesses, parents of teen drivers, and even those creepy ex-lovers use tracker devices for spying purposes. In many cases, the application of GPS is a positive one utilized to elevate personal safety or raise the efficiency of workplace vehicles. However, nobody but the person placing the GPS monitoring device on the target automobile knows the real reason for car tracking. That means a person could be tracking your car for malicious reasons, and it is why people who believe a GPS tracking system is on their vehicle need to know how to find the tracker.
Track Your Car And Your Teen Driver
Overprotective and worried parents can put their minds at ease with a GPS tracker. With the right device installed in a teenagers car, they can monitor his or her locations in real-time.
There are some Phone Apps that may help you track a car, but they will quickly use the battery on your phone. See our related article.
What You Need To Do To Track The Car
Notably, not every other car has this feature. Those cars with this attribute have higher costs which are not affordable by everyone.
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Locating A Stolen Car
The key question I suspect most people want answered is could the AirTag help track down a stolen car. Id give that a qualified yes.
Lets be clear about the AirTags limitations right up front. This is not a great device for live tracking. Dont think that if you see your car being stolen off the drive, youll be able to see a little dot moving across Apple Maps, plotting the cars live journey. Its not a GPS tracker and the updates provided from an AirTag are sporadic.
The AirTag works by connecting to nearby iPhones or iPads using ultra-wideband technology. That has a maximum range of about 30ft . The key thing is that the AirTag doesnt have to lock on to your iPhone to provide a location it will latch onto any modern iPhone or iPad. If your car thief happens to have an iPhone on them, the updates might be regular. If not, you could be waiting ten minutes, half an hour or even hours between location updates, because it will need someone to pass close by with an iPhone/iPad.
This obviously means that the AirTag is a much better tracker in busy urban environments than it is in rural areas. If your stolen car is dumped down a quiet country lane or in the middle of nowhere, the chances of your AirTag locking onto a nearby iPhone are obviously greatly reduced.
The location of a parked vehicle is clearly marked
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We hear from organizations periodically requesting our information, he said.
Know What Youre Looking For
If you are suspicious that someone is monitoring your movements with a GPS or cellular tracking device, there are three ways to find the unit if it is being used.
Most tracking devices are intended for legitimate tracking purposes and arent meant for concealment. Ones that are specifically made for concealment are usually placed on the exterior of the vehicle and require thorough checking to find them.
Tracking devices look different depending on their manufacturer and purpose, but some general guidelines can help you locate one on your vehicle. It will typically look like a small box with a magnetic side. It may or may not have an antenna or a light on it. It will be small, usually three to four inches long, two inches wide and an inch or so thick.
Be sure you have a flashlight for peeking into dark spaces in your car. You may also want to purchase an electronic sweeper as well as a telescopic mirror.
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Famisafe Is Reliable At Smartphone
I bet you would agree with me that there is no other better program that can perfectly and actively serve as a reliable smartphone-based vehicle tracking tool. With its GPS location feature, you can track the location of your car in real-time to know where exactly it is at a particular time.
- Let’s say. For example, your car is in use by someone else. You can monitor where they have visited with your car. You have the right to know that it is your car, after all.
- If the car in question is in use by your children old enough to drive, you can set a Geofencing zone for the car so you will get an alert when they go to restricted areas.
- You can also know when they move past where they actually said they were going so you can burst them easily.
FamiSafe offers a reliable experience using their program for a 3 days free trial as well to track a car with GPS for free.
Why Install Gps For Fleet Management
Nearly all fleets have some sort of vehicle tracking device, and those that donât likely will very soon. This is due to the upcoming ELD compliance deadline on December 16, 2019, which requires all fleet vehicles to have an ELD installed to track driver HOS . This safety regulation is mandated by the FMCSA . While this particular regulation only requires ELDs for HOS tracking, many ELDs also provide other functions.
In addition, many fleet managers have seen the benefits provided by fleet tracking software such as cost reduction, improved driver safety, and greater operational efficiency. These factors, as well as the benefits below, are why every fleet should install GPS tracking systems.
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When To Seek Professional Help
Some GPS trackers are harder to find than others, but with the right counter-surveillance tools, finding even the most expertly hidden GPS tracker is possible, especially if you know where to look. If you find nothing but are still suspicious, it may be a good idea to have a professional car mechanic that you trust to examine the vehicle in search of a hidden GPS tracking device.
If you have questions about GPS trackers or counter surveillance tools like bug sweepers, the BrickHouse Security team is here to help. We invite you to contact our team for more information and assistance.
What To Do When You Find A Hidden Gps Tracker
Most hidden GPS trackers are battery-powered and held on by magnets or tape. If you find one of these, all you have to do is pull it loose, and you’re done. The same is true of trackers that plug into a car diagnostic tool connector or the cigarette lighter socket.
In rarer cases, where a GPS tracker is hard-wired into power and ground, you may want to seek professional assistance. Cutting the wires may do the trick, although wires cut like that may short out in the future. It’s also important to make sure that the component you’re cutting out is actually a tracker, which is something a professional will know.
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Where To Hide A Gps Tracker On A Car
With the recent increase in demand for both live GPS trackers and GPS data loggers, many people are beginning to wonder if the vehicles they are driving are under surveillance. This makes perfect sense given that many businesses call upon car tracking technology to boost fleet management, and consumers use the location-based technology for everything to teen driving safety to auto theft security. But how to detect a GPS tracking device on your car is a lot easier than most people think!
What To Do If You Find A Gps Tracker Hidden On Your Car
Once you have found the GPS tracker hidden on your car, now its time to remove it. A battery-operated tracker doesnt require any wire, so simply pulling out the unit will stop the tracking. However, with a hardwired GPS tracker you should unplug all the wires attached to the unit, then remove the device carefully by cutting it loose if its taped or tied. In the process make sure you dont damage any internal wirings of your car.
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Visually Inspect The Vehicles Interior:
The OBD2 connector is the most frequent way to connect a GPS fleet tracking system to a car. Other popular places to hide a personal car tracker inside a vehicle include:
- Underneath the driver’s and back seats
- Hidden in the glove compartment
- Squeezed into a seat cushion
- It’s tucked away in a speaker compartment.
- Inside the automobile’s central console
- The area behind the seats
Do You Know Gps Trackers Are As Small As A 9 Volt Battery
GPS trackers can easily be hidden under a seat, glove box, or deep under the dashboard. Some trackers can also be hardwired to your vehicles electrical system eliminating the need to recharge batteries.
A GPS tracker can also be easily attached to the underside of your vehicle without you ever knowing it! The tracker can be placed in a waterproof magnetic case and can be easily attached to a rear bumper. We can help find gps tracker.
Live GPS trackers transmit a signal every 5-60 seconds, some even transmit much slower such as every 2-5 minutes, even once an hour. Our technicians will utilize a spectrum analyzer, a non-linear junction detector, and a video borescope in addition to conducting a comprehensive physical inspection of your vehicle, inside and out.
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Where To Look For A Hidden Gps Tracker: Exterior
While it’s possible to hide a small GPS tracker almost anywhere, these devices are usually hidden in a location that is relatively easy to access. So the first step in finding a hidden GPS tracker on your car is to perform a visual inspection of hiding spots that someone could reach quickly and without too much difficulty.
A common place to hide a GPS tracker is inside a wheel well, and this is also an easy location to inspect. Using a flashlight, check inside both the front and rear wheel wells. You may need to use a telescoping mirror to get a good look, and you can also feel around with your hand in places that you can’t see.
If the hard plastic wheel well liner is loose, attempt to peel it back and look or feel inside. Someone may have loosened the liner to attach a magnetized tracker to the frame or body behind it.
Your flashlight and telescoping mirror will also come in handy in checking underneath the vehicle. If you have a creeper, and the ground clearance is high enough, slide under the vehicle to perform a thorough inspection. Focus on areas someone could easily hide a tracker without taking too much time or effort, and keep in mind that the tracker could be covered in road dirt and grime.
Trackers can also be hidden under, or inside, bumpers. You’ll need a flashlight and mirror to perform a thorough inspection here as well. In some cases, you may have to reach up and inside the bumper to feel around.
How To Find A Tracker On Your Car
Wondering how to find a tracker on your car? Or what should you do if you ever find a hidden GPS tracker on your vehicle? Learn all about GPS tracking devices and how to find these small devices when hidden on your car to track your movements.
Have you ever had that eerie feeling that you were being watched? Maybe, you’ve stayed at a seedy hotel or an Airbnb, where you just had this strange gut feeling that you shouldn’t trust the mirrors. Or, maybe you’ve even heard about how easy it can be for someone to plant a GPS tracker on your car to follow your exact movements about town, and now you’re paranoid about your crazy ex!
The fact is that spy and security technology can be used for the greater good of society, allowing us to protect our personal property, deter crime, and keep bad people out of good places. For instance, taxi companies often use trackers to keep tabs on their cars, ensuring their drivers’ safety and providing them with a better chance of theft recovery if any of their vehicles are ever stolen.
However, in the wrong hands, people can also use trackers and spy technologies, let’s say, for more nefarious purposes. So, if you’re still suspicious that someone is monitoring your location using a GPS tracker, this article is definitely for you! Below, we’re looking at everything there is to know about GPS tracking devices and even how to look for a hidden GPS device on your car.
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How To Search Your Car For Gps Tracking Devices
Although we outlined where a GPS tracking device can be installed on the car and how to perform a manual check, its important to point out some other measures you can take as well.
Theres no such thing as being too thorough planting a GPS tracker on a car one doesnt own is illegal, and you have every right to protect yourself from such bugs. Here, at SpyGuy, we value security and efficiency above all, and this guide will point out important additional methods for getting rid of GPS tracking devices if you happen to find them on your vehicle or asset.
Car vandalism is another big problem many face, so if you want to learn how to avoid and how to deal with this unfortunate issue, check out our guide on how to catch car vandalism.
How To Locate A Gps Tracker With A Bug Sweeper
Technology doesnt only have to work against you. To turn the tables against any tracking threat, you can deploy a bug sweeper to find and remove them. These miniature devices use a radio receiver to catch unwanted transmissions in the act.
Keep in mind, a bug sweeper will only be useful for detecting whats called active transmissions. This means beacons that only work when your car is moving wont be found except by locating them manually. You can purchase a variety of GPS bug sweepers from Amazon, but I personally recommend the Anti Spy RF Detector. Not only does this device find GPS trackers, but also hidden cameras and microphones that might be lurking around.
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Where To Place A Tracker On A Car When Monitoring A Vehicle
Vehicle tracking devices are a discrete and cost-effective way to protect assets, manage inventories, increase compliance, and monitor movements. These accessories use GPS to determine the location of a vehicle and the person driving it. However, the proper placement of a GPS tracker in a car can result in even more successful location insights.
Knowing where to place a GPS tracking device in a vehicle can be challenging. The tracker needs to be in a location where it can receive GPS signals with accuracy and, in cases of covert tracking, a place where other people can’t find it.
In this guide from LandAirSea , learn where to place a tracker on a car so you can identify locations in real-time.
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Because GPS trackers need to be placed by a person, theyre normally in a place thats hard to see but easy to access. Primary candidates are the inside of your cars wheel wells, up and under the bumpers, in the trunk, and on the underside of the car. Any trackers in place will likely stand out as not a part of the vehicle, but they may be hard to spot due to dirt and grime. A flashlight will help you pinpoint any problem devices a lot easier than with your eyes alone.
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How Do Gps Trackers Work Who Uses Them And Why Do We Need Them
These vehicle/asset tracking devices rely on the Global Positioning System that works via cellular networks and satellites, which is why theyre called GPS trackers. To an almost pinpoint precision, they can report the exact location of the vehicle located on planet Earth. That being said, locating the tracker’s exact position on your vehicle can sometimes be tricky.
Easily found online and in electronic surveillance markets, GPS trackers are accessible devices that can be purchased by anyone. Since they use cellular technologies, purchasing one requires a subscription service and monthly payments for data usage. Usually, theyre reasonably priced.
Precisely because theyre so easily accessible as well as affordable, theres a lot of space for abuse and illegitimate use. GPS trackers are small enough to go unnoticed by everyday folk, given that their size can be as small as a deck of cards.
Law enforcement officers, private investigators, and security agencies use them with legitimate approval, or in other words – warrants. Using them on vehicles one doesnt own, however, is generally regarded as illegal. For more on the legitimacy and laws/regulations on GPS tracking and consent, please refer to our guide here.
Heres a number of logical reasons why people use GPS devices:
