Many people think that it is necessary to hire a private investigator (costing thousands of dollars) when you want to know where someone is spending their time. However, if you are willing to put modern technology to work for you can find out the same information without the huge expense of hiring a P.I.
It is now possible to track someone using a small device that uses military satellites to find someone’s location to within feet of their actual position. There are basically two types of GPS Units.
GPS Logger (Historical GPS)
Think of a logging device as a sort of video recorder that records the locations, speed traveled, and time spent at locations and so on. So if you want to know where your partner is spending his/her time this device can be very helpful. It is also a great tool for verifying that your partner is being truthful as to his/her whereabouts. For example your partner is spending time at someone’s house or meeting him or her at a motel, with the logger you will know exactly where he/she has been and for how long. This device is very small and totally self-contained.
I have used many different models and the most reliable and easiest to use is the Professional Mini Tracker..
Simply place the tracker in or on the target vehicle. When you are ready to get the information off of the unit you take it off or out of the vehicle and plug it into a USB port on your computer and download it. You can then view the route of the vehicle on a satellite image, on a map or in a text format. You can also save the information on your computer or burn it to a compact disk to present as evidence later.
Real Time GPS Tracker
With real time GPS you can get all the same information that a GPS logger will provide but through the use of website based software accessed via the internet or even a cell phone you will be able to see where the unit is right now in real time. For example your partner calls you and says he/she has to work late. You could simply log onto the website and see where his/her car is right now. This can come in very useful when you want to catch your partner red handed.
There are may models of real time GPS on the market. One of the main things that you want to be aware of is the monthly subscription fees. When you purchase the unit you will have to subscribe to a website to access the software to get locations and history reports. The monthly fee can range from $19 per month to $69 per month depending on the company used and the amount of usage.
Some units can text the current location to a cell phone without having a subscription. The only problem with this is that the global coordinates are all that you get in most cases. If you are near a computer you can go to Google Earth and enter the coordinates to view on a map, but if you are not the info on the text will probably not be useful. The website can be accessed by most modern smart phones making it unnecessary to text GPS coordinates.
Two of the best and most cost effective GPS units on the market is the Sleuthtek 1 GPS Tracker and the Sleutek 2 GPS Tracking Device .
Where to place a GPS unity on a vehicle
All GPS devices must be able to communicate with the satellites to work properly. Therefore proper placement is crucial. Below is a diagram showing ideas on where to place the tracker. Most tracking devices also come with detailed instructions where to place them and proper operation.
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