Vehicle Tracking - Types of Devices and Their Functions

A large number of vehicles are now on the roads due to the various revolutionary inventions in the automobile industry and large-scale production of affordable automobiles. However, with the rise in production and consumption of automobiles are associated automobile security concerns. Vehicle buyers are not just looking for quality and  cost, but are also looking for safety and security features while buying a vehicle.  People are looking for a foolproof mechanism in their vehicles due to the growing car theft issues. However, having the knowledge of a vehicle’s whereabouts can highly increase the chances of its retrieval even after it is being stolen. In order to know all the happenings associated with a vehicle, vehicle tracking is important. Vehicle tracking devices are the best tools for monitoring a single as well as an entire fleet of vehicles.

How do these devices work?

Vehicle tracking is usually achieved through an installed tracking hardware that records the location, direction and speed of the vehicle. The tracking data is sent to the user and then transformed into useful information with the help of various software mapping applications and reporting tools. This information can be used by the owner of the vehicle in order to view the movement and other related information about the vehicle.

Types of tracking devices:

Vehicle tracking system can be categorized into two types based on their functionality, i.e. active systems and passive systems.

A passive system does not provide real-time information about the vehicle. However, it stores data such as speed, GPS location and reading on the tracking unit. This data is used for evaluation once the vehicle returns to its location. Passive vehicle tracking is usually used for verifying driver activity such as route, time, billing etc.

An active tracking system can be used for tracking more than one vehicle in real-time through the internet. It also provides the same data as the passive tracking system, however, it transmits it in the real-time through cellular networks and satellite to a data center or to a computer.

Certain systems come with the features of both active as well as passive tracking systems. One must analyze their needs before finalizing on an active or passive tracking system.

Whether you’re looking for a tracking device for your car or a caravan, the same tracking system can be used as a car tracker as well as a caravan tracker.

Areas of application:

Vehicles are usually tracked by commercial fleet operators for managing a fleet of vehicles in order to meet customer needs efficiently. Fleet management functions such as security, dispatching and routing are performed by tracking the vehicles. Most travel companies use these systems for monitoring schedule of buses, the location of a car and also for activating recorded announcements. Boat tracker can also be used for monitoring and managing a fleet of boats. These tracking systems also help vehicle owners to monitor the behavior of the system. Vehicle tracking also helps in stolen vehicle recovery and prevention of theft. It serves as an alternative for the traditional car alarm. A tracking device can also be used for monitoring the fuel and calculating the distance travelled by a vehicle.