The Complete Handbook of GPS Tracking Devices

Chapter 1: Understanding GPS Tracking Devices

The global positioning system is a constellation of satellites that broadcast time-stamped signals. A GPS tracking device, in its most basic form, is a radio receiver that captures those signals. It calculates its own position by measuring the time it takes for the signals to travel from multiple satellites. This is the foundation of a system that has evolved from a military navigation aid to a ubiquitous tool for managing vehicles, equipment, and even people. The hardware is the part you can touch, but the entire system is what makes the device useful.

Consider a typical example: a service company with forty work vans. Each van has a device installed under the dashboard or tucked into the engine bay. This device does two things simultaneously. First, it listens to the GPS satellite network to determine its current latitude, longitude, and speed. Second, it uses a separate cellular modem to send that positional data, along with a timestamp, to a central server over the internet. The company's dispatcher views the positions on a computer screen, seeing a map with small icons for each van. That map is just the user interface; the real work is happening in the receiver, the modem, and the server.

The Core Components

It is easy to think of a tracker as a single black box, but it is helpful to understand the distinct functional blocks inside that box. Every tracker, regardless of price or manufacturer, contains the same fundamental components.