5 Tips on What to Look for When Buying a Vehicle Tracking Device
GPS technology has gained unprecedented popularity and acceptance ever since it became available for public use. Talking specifically about the last decade or so, the technology has reached to the pocket of every single person who owns a smartphone. During the same period, GPS technology has undergone tremendous advancements and has found numerous applications across industries. Today, its scope isn’t merely restricted to navigational use but has gone beyond its realms to make it a much-needed safety tool for you and your vehicles. Yes, the GPS vehicle tracking devices have become common these days, and are predominantly being used by businesses that run the fleet.
Primarily designed with the idea of gathering real-time location of a vehicle, the GPS vehicle tracking devices also ensure its safety. No wonder more and more school and college buses have the tracking devices installed these days, so as to ensure the student safety. Besides, these devices are being increasingly used by individuals for domestic use as well. With a rise in automobile theft cases being reported, people are turning towards such tracking devices to ensure their vehicles’ safety. However, it is never easy to find the right vehicle tracking device for your personal vehicle or business fleet, as there are a lot of factors to be considered before you buy any device.
These tracking devices work best for you when collaborated with a GPS-enabled app installed to your smartphone. And this blog helps you find the perfect such combination for you in terms of different parameters such as compatibility, and user experience, among others. Read on to find out what to look for before you buy a vehicle tracking system.
- Compatibility: To begin with, check whether or not the vehicle tracking device you are planning to buy is compatible with your vehicle. This is extremely important, because having a device that’s incompatible with your vehicle is of no use. So, first things first, you must confirm about the device’s compatibility with the type and model of your vehicle. See to it that the device’s hardware and software meet the highest quality standards, and the vendor has a dedicated customer service team that is available to serve you 24×7. You must also check whether or not the device collects all the information as promised, and all its features can be used in a hassle-free manner.
- Offline tracking: Live tracking a vehicle with internet connectivity is fine. But what happens when the internet connectivity goes for a toss? You’d ideally want a vehicle tracking system that can operate offline, so that you do not lose any critical trip data. So when you plan to buy a vehicle tracking device, see whether or not it supports offline connectivity, i.e. logging in the trip data even in the absence of internet, and allowing tracking of the vehicle through local database.
- Alerts & notifications: That’s a different thing if you want to buy a vehicle tracking device for passive tracking of your vehicles. But if you don’t, and instead want a device that can live track your vehicles, real-time alerts and notifications come into play. In fact, such alerts and notifications are an integral part of GPS vehicle tracking devices for active tracking of your vehicles. If we talk about businesses like logistics & transportation, or schools, hospitals, etc. that maintain a fleet, devices are used for active tracking. The managers managing such fleets get real-time alerts for different events such as geo-fence breach, over-speeding, hard braking etc., which allows them to make quick decisions, maintain fleet safety, and avert any untoward incident.
- Anti-theft feature: Another important feature to look for when buying a vehicle tracking device is the anti-theft These days, with the spiraling auto theft rates all over, people are increasingly concerned about their vehicles’ safety. Most vehicle tracking devices, in sync with a GPS-enabled tracking app, offer an anti-theft feature to the users. In the event of an attempted theft, this feature either automatically triggers an alarm, or allows the user to cut-off the ignition with the simple tap of a button from his phone, depending on the app’s model. Additionally, by the live tracking feature, the stolen vehicle can be recovered.Most app and device’s combinations also generate alerts in case of an emergency situation, sending the GPS coordinates & vehicle details to the user’s family/ friends along with the alerts. If you are planning to buy a vehicle tracking device, the theft prevention feature is a must-have.
- User experience: The package of GPS vehicle tracking device installed to your vehicle as well as the GPS-enabled app on your smartphone will offer you numerous exciting features. Right from tracking live location on maps, getting real-time alerts, to studying & analyzing the driver behavior, it does everything for you. So, it is recommended that you research and wisely pick the app & device’s combination that gives you an intuitive and smooth user experience and provides you with critical data on the vehicle effortlessly. For the same, you can either visit the physical store & ask the salesperson for a demo, or read the app reviews online before buying it.
Concluding thoughts:
Mentioned above are the five key points you must consider when buying a vehicle tracking device. Two such products that check all the boxes and meet all the parameters listed above, are Autobond, and FleetPro. While AutoBond fulfils your domestic tracking needs by helping you track your own cars and two-wheelers, FleetPro is a tailored solution to track business fleets that are always on the move. Both these solutions work as a GPS vehicle tracking device and a GPS-enabled app’s combination, and ease your stress by transforming your vehicles/fleet into smart connected vehicles. To know more about them, write to us at support@basecampscout.com