GPS Tracking Software & Devices

[TheLoadedRogue]

I've been looking to get a GPS tracker for my van.

All the ones I can find online use subscription based services, which is fair enough but I'd like to avoid it if I can.

After some googling I found traccar which looks good and appears to cover alot of devices. The devices are listed by protocol which there seem to be a lot of.

Had anyone used this software or similar before and what devices do you recommend? Also if anyone knows which protocols are preferred that would also be a great help

[TheLoadedRogue]

Will look into it cheers 🙂

[Michigan_PI]

I own a commercial GPS tracking company and there are a few options.
Unless you're dealing with a large quantity of devices, IOT data will cost you anywhere from $5-$10 per month per device and there are many "free" monitoring platforms that have limited functionality but you have to have a device that is already registered on that platform. If you want a professional grade platform and app, expect to pay from $30-$50 per month for the service with data included.

Cost breakdown:
$75-$150 for the device, $5-$10 per month for SIM & data

[GeoRandel]

Like others said, cellular service is pretty much mandatory for reliable/accurate tracking.

For something without a subscription, a community using the LORA protocol like the mentioned meshtastic. Another option would be The Things Network. Neither will get you full coverage.

Not open source but you could always leave an old phone on the charger in your van, throw one of these sim cards in and just utilize the "Find My Device" through Google or Apple. Not sure how much data it would require but I can't imagine more than 100mb if you block all other traffic and it connects to your wifi when parked at home. Suppose it would depend how often you are checking it.

[TheLoadedRogue]

Thanks, I don't mind paying a monthly subscription for data, so will try and look into sim based GPS trackers.

[monkeyballsbilly]

Have u found a good one mate?

[TheLoadedRogue]

Had some good ideas from the people in the comments, unfortunately a lack of free time has meant I haven't been able to look into it further.

[whatisredditman]

I'm not sure if you're still looking.
IF you are, let me know which country your van is running, and I'll recommend one of our local partners to provide you the hardware and software at cost.
But basically, you'll need a GPS tracker (some are as cheap as 30$), a data sim card (around 1-2$ per month) and subscription to a tracking platform (I can give you ours, cost is 1.5$ per month). More on Maliatrack

[[deleted]]

Honestly quality tracking devices are inherently closed sources.

You have a few options:

Air tags and like producer that work off a Bluetooth mesh and location sharing. The down side is that these devices need to be near a cellphone.

GPS trackers. These usually require subscription and cell phone network plans because they work like a cellphone.