Vehicle Tracking and How It Works

Hello and welcome to February’s first blog where I will be talking all about vehicle tracking and how it works and how you can best use the tracker for whatever it is you need.

In this blog I wont be talking about the legalities too much as this is a whole another blog topic completely! What I will be talking about will include how you can use the tracking panel on your smartphone with some tips and tricks we use on a day to day basis which can lead to concluding your investigation case sooner.

What is a Tracker?

There are many different vehicle trackers on the market today and within that market there are a lot of different categories of tracker. Every type has its own purpose for example fleet tracking for farm vehicles would need to be built very differently to trackers for vulnerable persons. The way they are working will be completely different but both essentially serve the same purpose; tracking an asset.

The simple way trackers work at the moment in 2021 is they use the Global Positioning System (GPS) to get their location within the world and then simultaneously use a data SIM card via phone masts to relay that position to a receiver. Some trackers now are able to nearby WiFi to enhance their location on the ground.

Some trackers use the data SIM cards and an SOS type button which can be used pressed by a user for safety reasons for example high risk expeditions or vulnerable persons. Our Prime 3G tracker has this brilliant function.

Vehicle Tracker

How Do We Fit a Vehicle Tracker?

The trackers used for surveillance and investigations are mainly used for the vehicle tracking to aid the mobile surveillance we carry out on a subject of investigation. Built to attach to a vehicle with magnets we usually look to place them covertly so as not to attract attention to themselves, especially should the vehicle be taken to a garage, lifted onto ramps and worked on by mechanics. This can sometimes be difficult as the vehicle tracker still needs a fairly clear line of sight to the sky for the GPS connection.

An extensive map recce will be carried out beforehand usually using Google Street view to locate a safe parking spot which will try and give a good approach route and extraction route which wherever possible should always be different so we are never going back on ourselves. This will eliminate the chance of a compromise should a neighbouring house have CCTV or someone be taking notice of passers-by.

On the day of the race the vehicle tracker will or should be fully charged and ready to go, checked via the smart phone app. Then at the agreed time we will look to move and place the vehicle tracker swiftly and covertly leaving no one none the wiser, ready for the surveillance team to deploy.

When Do We Carry Out the Fit?

Usually done during dark hours but the time of day is always dependent on the individual case circumstance but we will always weigh up the risk versus reward of attaching the trackers we use. If it is a day time fit lots more factors need to be considered for operational safety which is for Delta 74 Private Investigations paramount at all times.

There is no too early or too late in the day when it comes to vehicle tracker deployments and there will be many a private investigator driving around the motorways at the dead of night to collect and deploy these devices.

The Tracking Panel and the Buttons

The most widely used app by the private investigation industry at the moment in 2021 is TrackServer as it the best tracking panel to use whilst carrying out a surveillance task. The functions it lets you carry out are fantastic and it is very easy to use and navigate around.

The desktop version is just as good and even gives more functions. Always prior to deploying a vehicle tracker the tracker should be set up on the desktop panel and then the mobile app used for monitoring. The Desktop version of TrackServer can be accessed here.

The tracking panel which is used by Delta 74 Private Investigations lets you receive text alerts when the vehicle moves off, enters a certain area that has been pre-determined as a ‘geo fence’ and will alert you when the battery is getting low.

One of the best functions on the tracking panel is the viewable history by each calendar day which shows exactly where that vehicle was at what time. Even despite the tracker missing data live the history is taken from the GPS so is captured regardless of phone signal. This means the trackers enable private investigators to see exactly where that tracker was to build a clear evidence picture.

Vehicle Tracker
A view of the tracking panel on a smartphone
Vehicle Tracker
A view of the tracking history on a smartphone

How It Works For You

One main benefit to choosing Delta 74 Private Investigations over other agencies is that you can decide yourself with the best knowledge and advice whether to directly purchase a vehicle tracker for your own use or rent a unit and let us do all the hard work throughout.

We have two fantastic vehicle trackers for sale;

The Prime 3G

The D3000 Vehicle Tracker

Which both boast amazing reaction times and for their size their battery life is fantastic for a covert unit.

Vehicle tracking

We Can Help

Whatever it is you need a tracker for we can assist you with;

  • the purchase or rental of a tracker
  • the deployment and retrieval
  • whether you can legally track the desired asset or not
  • best practices on the tracking panel

 

All you need to do is get in touch with us. Whilst reading this blog please note the date because technology is moving so fast and things are going out of date very quickly. As always thank you for reading and reach out should you have any questions or enquiries.

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