As businesses that want to track their vehicles/employees begin their search for information on GPS vehicle tracking devices, many are finding what appears to be an easy and affordable solution. For the buyer unfamiliar with how GPS systems work, GPS cell phone tracking seems to offer the most affordable way to start tracking your employees and fleet.

For the buyer new to GPS equipment, GPS phones seem like an easy way to start reaping the benefits of GPS tracking, but as the old saying goes, “You get what you pay for.” The following are the main problems with GPS phones:

  • Controller manipulation
  • Drastically reduced battery life requires the phone to be constantly recharged
  • incomplete reports
  • Nextel coverage and cost

Over the years we have heard several complaints from companies that have tried to use GPS phones to track their vehicles/employees. Some of our clients tried to use cell phones with GPS, but after a few weeks they began to realize the disadvantages of the phone tracking solution versus the phone tracking solution. cable GPS tracking offered by Global Tracking.

If you’re considering trying a GPS-enabled phone, take a moment to do some comparison shopping.

1. tamping

The first and most obvious problem with GPS phones is that the drivers can simply turn off the Java applet that runs the GPS software on the phone or the phone altogether.

There are internet message boards where crafty employees are spreading the knowledge on how to disable phone GPS without detection. Going into docks or using a metal wrap around the phone, or placing it in a tool box will make it look like the phone just “lost signal”.

With a GPS phone, you put too much trust in the person carrying the phone.

The best way to ensure proper notification is to take these factors out of the driver’s hands. By using a wired vehicle tracking system that is discreetly installed in the vehicle, driver interaction is removed from the picture. The units are always on and can always tell where a vehicle is in real time via the web.

2. Battery life

When GPS tracking is added to the phone, the phone’s battery life decreases by 50-75%. What this means is that the GPS phone will not last a full work day without requiring at least one recharge. This is just another excuse the person carrying the phone can use if they don’t want to be tracked.

3. Incomplete reports

The reported difference is another area where the phone falls short. Although GPS-enabled cell phones can generally report in 3-15 minute intervals like their dedicated counterparts, the fact that a GPS signal is so easily lost dramatically affects the Start-Stop reports it can produce. Business owners rely on accurate reporting so they can feel confident comparing their employees’ timesheets to the GPS software report.

Using a system that is only accurate 50% of the time only raises doubts from employers. When a technician insists that he was at a location, but the report isn’t there to back it up, the fleet manager doesn’t know if he should trust the employee or the GPS data.

Wired GPS systems take this problem out of the equation. Because they are “always on” and have the best ability to maintain a GPS lock with the satellites, the reports a manager must refer to are always 99% accurate.

4. Coverage and Cost

Phones with GPS require a minimum $39.00 monthly Nextel voice plan, plus a minimum $9.99 monthly data plan. When you add in the monthly tracking services, you easily get into the range of $60.00 or more in monthly services, and that’s minimal voice usage on the phone. Finally, Nextel has the weakest coverage of any wireless carrier.

In conclusion, businesses that use a GPS phone to track vehicles/employees invariably run into the same critical performance issues that can only be overcome by installing a real-time GPS system.

We hope to help educate the buyer to help you avoid the hassle of buying something that will be a waste of time and money. If you are interested in obtaining more information about our GPS tracking systems, do not hesitate to contact us through our web form or give us a call. We currently sell several proven GPS systems for businesses with one or thousands of trucks in their fleet, and we’ll help you select the right system for your business.