How To Install A GPS Tracker In Your Car Like A Pro?
Well, there are numerous reasons for installing a Global Positioning System (GPS) tracker in the car. Not just for tracking purposes but even as an anti-theft system. GPS trackers are even used to monitor a driver’s driving habits and skills. It has various professional uses like for ambulance emergency services, for businesses like car rentals, etc.
For me, the purpose behind installing a GPS tracker in a car was to track my car when I rented it to an Uber driver. It was not only used by me but also by UBER Company to keep track. I was a little worried at first because I was renting my car for the first time, so I installed the tracker to ensure that no flaws were left.
Why should you use a GPS Tracker?
Whatever the purpose may be behind using this device, it would work flawlessly. These tracking devices are incorporated with Global Positioning System technology that would fetch the real-time location of your vehicle and also provide you with different information like the speed, directions, location, and movement of your car.
The unique feature of this advanced technology helps you even know the time spent while stopping at different locations. There is also a feature called ‘geo-fencing’ that would ring an alarm when the car moves out of the previously defined routes.
General Facts!
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Global positioning tracking devices are available in two forms: Hard-wired and portable. If you choose the portable one, you need no talent or special skill to install the device. You need to place it anywhere simply you want in your car and even change its place as per your comfort.
The hard-wired tracking systems are more complicated than the portable ones as you need to make a few connections and even provide power from the car’s battery.
The hard-wired one is the best and most sustainable, and it will never give you wrong data until its power is disconnected. It remains fixed in a place, and it’s hard to be removed. I chose the hard-wired one because the portable one could be thrown at the place, and I wouldn’t be able to track the actual position of my car while the hard-wired one would remain fixed, and upon hampering, I would come to know. So, let me guide you through the installation of the hard-wired tracking system.
Locations for Installation
The first step before installing any device is finding the location where you would be placing your tracker in your car. There are many factors to consider before installing. I would select a place that is nearer to the supply line and protected from bad weather.
Well, you can place it anywhere, and my favorite place is underneath the dashboard, as it is made from fiber and won’t block signals, unlike metals. So you should not place it under the trunk. Try to keep it away from radios or other electronics so that the signals don’t get distorted.
A GPS signal can easily penetrate plastic, fiberglass, foam, wood, and glass. So, I chose to place it underneath the dashboard and mainly closer to the windscreen so that it can get easy access to incoming and outgoing GPS signals. And the trackers normally need the battery changed after a few months, so you should place them such that it is easily accessible.
Installation Process
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GPS Tracker Options
1. Brickhouse Car Trackers for Your Vehicle – Spark Nano 7
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This concealed car GPS tracking device guarantees uninterrupted 4G coverage across North America. Effortlessly monitor your vehicle’s whereabouts across borders with our long-range car tracker device. The Spark Nano 7 operates on high-speed 4G networks in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, ensuring that vital information is readily accessible at all times.
Subscription required: 3 plans –$17.99 (BASIC), $27.99 (PLUS), or $34.99 (PREMIUM). (01/2024)
2. Bouncie – GPS Car Tracker [4G LTE], Vehicle Location, Accident Notification, Route History, Speed Monitoring, GeoFence
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The auto-refresh feature ensures that trip information is updated every 15 seconds. In case of accidents, notifications will be sent promptly. There are no activation fees, hidden fees, or return fees associated with this service. You have the freedom to cancel anytime without any penalties.
$9 per month is the cost for the required service. (01/2024)
3. Optimus GB100M GPS Tracker for Vehicles
Real-time Tracking Accuracy: Take advantage of real-time updates from the GPS tracker every 30 seconds, ensuring the most up-to-date precision.
Alerts via Email and Text Message: Receive alerts for various events such as movement, speeding, entering or leaving specific areas, and energy disconnection. Extensive Coverage: Benefit from reliable GPS tracking coverage throughout the entire United States, ensuring a seamless and robust tracking experience regardless of your vehicle’s location.
A monthly subscription at USD 12.95, with the freedom to cancel at any time. (01/2024)
The First Basic Step
So, the first thing before you install the GPS tracker in the car is to ensure that you find a good place where a power source is easily available. You can power your device either by connecting it directly to your car’s battery or by using a dedicated battery for it. Well, to make contact with a car’s battery, you would need the help of a professional, while using a dedicated battery, you just need a weatherproof and magnetic-resistant case.
What I did was I found a constant DC voltage of 12 V and drew a connection from the ignition wire. Then, I connected the red wire of the tracker with this 12 V supply white with the ignition wire and the ground one with the ground of the tracker. This will directly draw power from the ignition without disturbing other connections, and you should also not take a connection from the radio or connect white and red wires together.
An important instruction is that I also connected dedicated batteries for security. In case it loses power from the car’s battery or is hampered, it will immediately shift on emergency batteries and will send you the last known location along with some alerts.
2nd Step
Secondly, I checked whether all the connections were perfect or not. I also taped it with electric tape to avoid leakages. You should place your tracker to the place you decided such that no one can find it easily.
The Final Step
It’s time to test the installed tracker. Once I had placed it underneath the dashboard, I took my car out for a drive. To check whether the data were accurate or not, I jotted down the stoppage timings, location, and the speed. On my return, I used the mobile application to fetch the data of my travel. Lastly, I compared the online data with the notes and found that they were same and completed the installation of a GPS tracker. Do everything to make this sure.
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After a few months, I came across the new tracking system that used the OBD port available in the car. It was used for the same purpose and even for speed control. There are OBD ports underneath the dashboards and the ignition column. This tracker even has the best dash camera that gives the rear view on the panel of the GPS tracker and helps while taking a reverse turn.
They have an inbuilt accelerometer that checks sudden breaks, collisions, and acceleration. It would even notify you of a car crash or even theft. I find them very intriguing, you should find them too.
Conclusion
I hope that you were able to get proper guidelines about the installation of these trackers. It is one of the best car technologies that one could ever build. Find the safest place, and make sure that you wire properly and make a good connection. I would always prefer it beneath the dashboard. Also, the modern ones can be replaced with radios and have a big front panel.
If you still have doubts about the whole installation process, do let us know. We should reply back soon. Also, don’t forget your valuable review below. Go, you can do it, save your car!
