Introduction
Today, GPS trackers are moving from the professional to the everyday-used by parents to keep their children safe from school, by logistics companies to manage fleets, and by pet owners to reduce the risk of their pets getting lost, businesses use them to monitor valuable equipment in warehouses. But in the face of various products on the market, ranging from tens to thousands of yuan, with functions ranging from basic positioning to intelligent early warning, many people have stepped on the ground because of ambiguous information: for example, they bought indoor bluetooth trackers for outdoor explorers, or they ignore follow-up subscription fees, making them unaffordable. This article combines actual use scenarios to tease out 10 core shopping suggestions to help you avoid misunderstandings and accurately match needs.
First, clear use scenarios: first determine the“Purpose” and then select the“Product”
Advice
Clearly define your core goals first, and then match them to the filters to avoid“One size fits all” costing you money:
Personal safety scenarios: children/elderly need to choose the“One-button Sos + voice call” function (if the child is in danger can directly call the parents) ; Outdoor runners (hikers, cyclists) focus on“Waterproofing and shockproofing plus off-line positioning”(recording tracks even when no signal is available) .
Vehicle Management scenarios: private cars focus on“Real-time anti-theft + abnormal alarm”(such as push notification when the vehicle is pried) ; logistics teams need“Fuel consumption statistics + driving behavior analysis”(to avoid drivers accelerating and bypassing) ; Shared bikes require“Low power consumption + batch activation”(reducing operation and maintenance costs) .
PET anti-lost scene: Small and medium-sized pets (cat, Teddy) choose“Mini lightweight” equipment (weight ≤20g, to avoid affecting the activity) ; Large dogs or outdoor pets to be“Super-long endurance + bite-proof shell”(to prevent equipment damage) .
Asset tracking scenario: luggage check select“Bluetooth close positioning”(airport can quickly find the luggage) ; Warehouse large equipment (forklifts, generators) choose“NB-IoT low-power positioning”(a charge for six months, without frequent maintenance) .
Reasons
The“Core requirements” of the device vary greatly from scenario to scenario: the“Bite-proofness” of a pet tracker, for example, makes no sense for vehicle management, the“Fuel economy analysis” required by fleets is redundant for individual users. Explicit scenarios can directly eliminate 80% of mismatches, reducing selection costs.
Second, understand the positioning accuracy: according to the“Scene requirements” to determine the accuracy level
Advice
Do not blindly pursue“The higher the better”, according to the actual needs of the selection of precision range:
Basic requirements (elderly/children daily) : 3-10m accuracy is sufficient outdoors (can determine which neighborhood, which street) , indoor WI-FI assisted positioning (10-30m accuracy, can determine which floor in the mall) .
Medium requirements (vehicle theft/pet tracking) : preferred“GPS + GLONASS dual system”(accuracy of 2-5 meters, can determine the vehicle parking spaces, pets hiding in the bushes) .
Demand for high accuracy (valuable assets/professional scenarios) : select“GPS + Beidou + Galileo tri-system integration”(accuracy of 1-3 meters, suitable for tracking jewelry, art, or agricultural machinery precision operation) .
Note: indoor scenes to avoid pure GPS devices (satellite signals easily blocked by the wall) , the preferred“GPS + Wi-Fi + Bluetooth” triple positioning products.
Reasons
High accuracy increases the cost and power consumption of devices (e.g. a device with 1-meter accuracy may have a 30% shorter battery life than a device with 5-meter accuracy) , and“Excessive precision” in everyday situations doesn’t make senseー knowing that your child is in Building 1, for example, makes little difference to a parent who knows that he or she is next to the third tile in Building 1.
Confirm communication: match the“Usage environment” to the transmission technology
Advice
According to the distance and environment, choose the corresponding method of communication:
Remote real-time tracking (across cities/countries) : select“Cellular”(4G/NB-IOT) , where 4G is suitable for scenarios that require high-frequency updates (e.g. , location-per-minute)(e.g. , ride-hailing) , nB-IoT is suitable for low-power scenarios with low-frequency updates (hourly positioning)(e.g. outdoor asset tracking, 1 year on a single charge) . Note: avoid 2G communication equipment (domestic 2G network gradually withdraw network, may not be used in the future) .
Short and medium range tracking (indoor/community) : select“Wi-Fi + Bluetooth”, WI-FI is suitable for fixed scenes (such as shopping malls, office buildings, using the surrounding WI-FI hotspot location) , bluetooth is suitable for 10-50 meters close range (if a pet is lost near home, Bluetooth can be connected to a mobile phone for precise search) .
Very short distance (within 10 meters) : select“Radio location”(e. g. children’s wristbands with“Lost alarm” to alert parents when their child is within 10 meters) .
Reasons
How you communicate directly determines“Availability”: in remote mountain areas, for example, 4G trackers can be disabled when there is no cellular signal, at this point need to choose“Offline GPS + Bluetooth” device (first record the track, back to the signal area and then upload data) .
Consider battery life: factor in“Update frequency” to calculate actual usage time
Advice
Don’t just look at the“Maximum battery life” on the label, but convert it to actual battery life based on how often you use it:
High-frequency updates (such as real-time monitoring of the vehicle, positioning once a minute) : select the“Removable Battery + fast charging” device (1-3 days of life, easy to charge halfway) , or in-car power supply (directly connected to the vehicle power supply, no need to worry about running out of power) .
Medium frequency updates (like old people’s daily, every 30 minutes once) : select devices with 7-15 days of battery life (to avoid frequent charging) .
Low-frequency updates (such as asset tracking, positioning every 24 hours) : Select low-power devices with more than 3 months of battery life (reduced number of operations and maintenance) .
NOTE: Ask the business“Endurance test conditions”, such as“1 year” is based on“Positioning every 24 hours”, if you need hourly positioning, the actual battery life may only be 1 month.
Reasons
A lack of battery life can mean that a pet can not be used at a critical time: a lost pet can not be retrieved when the battery runs out, for example, or a vehicle can not monitor abnormal movements when the battery is out.
Software and app support: focus on“Hands-on experience” rather than feature count
Advice
Download a merchant’s App or try a web platform that focuses on three core areas:
Basic functionality: real-time location refresh is timely (delay ≤30 seconds) , whether the historical trajectory can be exported (Excel/PDF support, easy to do business reports) , electronic fence can be customized (such as the setting of“Children’s school-home” security area, out of alarm) .
Ease of use: is the interface simple (old/new users can learn how to use it in 10 minutes) , is it multilingual (e.g. foreign trade companies need an English interface) , and is there voice navigation (e.g. when looking for a car, can the App say“Turn left 50 meters forward”) .
Compatibility: support for iOS/Android dual system (to avoid family phone system mismatch) , web platform can be used on the computer/tablet (enterprise administrators need to bulk management) .
Reasons
Hardware is the foundation, software is the“Use of entrance”: even if the device precision is high, if the App frequently stutter, track export complex, will also affect the use of experience.
Subscription and data costs: count them as a“Long-term total” rather than a single purchase price
Advice
Ask about all follow-up costs and avoid“Buying equipment at a low price and using services at a high price”:
Subscription fees: basic positioning (such as 10 times a day) may be free, advanced features (real-time updates, electronic fences, historical track storage for more than 30 days) usually need to pay, domestic 5-20 Yuan a month, $3-$30 per month overseas. OPT for an“Annual subscription”(20%-30% cheaper than a monthly subscription) .
Data costs: some cellular devices need to buy a separate data card and ask“Does this include data?”(some vendors already charge 100 MB of data per month for a subscription, enough for daily location use) , avoid buying extra data later.
Hidden costs: is there a“Device activation fee” or“Data storage expansion fee”(e. g. additional charges for extending the storage footprint from 30 days to 90 days) .
Reasons
The GPS tracker is a“Long-term product”. If the subscription fee is 20 yuan per month, it is 240 Yuan for a year, which may exceed the price of the device itself (e.g. 199 yuan for the device, 439 Yuan for a year) , and the cost needs to be cleared in advance.
Check equipment durability and protection level: according to the“Use environment” look at the protection ability
Advice
Focus on“IP protection level” and“Physical durability” to avoid equipment easily damaged:
Waterproof and dustproof: look at the two digits after IP, the first is dustproof level (1-6,6 for complete dustproof) , the second is waterproof level (1-8,8 for long-term flooding) . Outdoor scenes (pets, outdoor sports) choose IP67 or above (IP67 can be soaked in 1 meter deep water for 30 minutes, IP68 can be long-term immersion) ; Indoor scenes (elderly bracelets, warehouse equipment) can choose IP65(anti-spill, anti-dust) .
Anti-fall and anti-bite: choose“Anti-bite shell”(such as silicone + ABS material to avoid being bitten by dogs) ; vehicle/outdoor equipment should choose“Anti-fall design”(if it can withstand a 1.5 m height fall) .
Temperature Resistance: on-board equipment to pay attention to the“Working temperature range”(such as -20 °C ~ 60 °C, to avoid summer after exposure to death, winter low temperature can not start) .
Reasons
Durability directly determines the“Device life”: for example, if the pet tracker is not bite-proof, it may be bitten by a pet within a week; if the car device is not heat-resistant, it will be scrapped in the summer.
Historical trajectory and data storage capacity: how long and how much storage is needed
Advice
Choose how and for how long you want to store your data, depending on whether you want to go back:
Storage options: choose“Cloud storage”(data is uploaded automatically, not afraid of device loss) , followed by“Local + cloud dual storage”(device local storage for 7 days, cloud storage for 30 days, dual backup) . Avoid pure local storage (if the device is lost, the data is lost) .
Storage time: individual users (elderly/children) choose“Free to save 7 days, paid to save 30 days” enough (occasionally back track nearly 1 week) ; Corporate customers (fleet/logistics) should select“90 + days of storage”(for monthly/quarterly shipping analysis) .
Data Export: confirm whether the trajectory data can be exported (such as Excel, KML format) , so that the enterprise can do cost accounting or accident tracing (such as vehicle dispute, can be exported to prove the route) .
Reasons
Historical trajectories are the key to“After-the-fact” tracking: When a pet is lost, for example, it can be used to see where it was last seen; when a vehicle is rubbed against it, it can be used to prove its route.
Evaluating multi-device management capabilities: Enterprise/multi-target Focus
Advice
For managing more than 2 devices (e.g. fleet, multi-pet home) , focus on 3 features:
Group management: Can they be grouped by“Region/Type”(e.g. , logistics companies by“Beijing team” and“Shanghai team”, pet families by“Cat-mimibao” and“Dog-wangcai”) , avoid too much equipment clutter.
Permission Assignment: Can you set different permissions (E. G. Administrator can see all devices, driver can only see his car, to avoid data leakage) .
Statistics: Is it possible to generate reports (e.g. , “Daily mileage”, “Idle time” of the fleet, “Daily activity” of pets) to help optimize management (e.g. , reduce fuel consumption through idle time) .
Reasons
The core of multi-device management is“Efficiency”: if you manage 10 vehicles, you need to check the location of each device individually at a time, which will waste a lot of time; and the group Management + report function, can master all the equipment status in 1 minute.
Reference user evaluation and after-sales service: to avoid“Inferior products” and“Blind spot after sales”
Advice
Look beyond“Positive ratings” to analyze in-depth reviews and after-sales support:
Look at the real evaluation: priority to see“Follow-up”(use 1-3 months after the feedback, can reflect the stability of the device) , to avoid“Uniformly good”(may be review) ; Focus on“Bad evaluation reasons”(such as“Continuous virtual standard”, “App card”, “After-sales ignore”, if the bad comments focus on the core features, resolutely excluded) .
Check after-sales service: confirm 3 points: 1 warranty period (at least 1 year, 2 years warranty preferred) ; 2 after-sales channels (whether there are 400 calls, online customer service, avoid only wechat customer service and slow response) ; 3 maintenance policy (whether to support“Replacement repair”, such as equipment failure, direct mail new equipment, reduce waiting time) .
Look at software updates: ask about the frequency of software updates (e.g. every 3 months, bug fixes or new features) , avoid buying“Old products”(e.g. apps that don’t get updated and won’t work after a later OS update) .
Reasons
User evaluation is“True use of feedback”, after-sales service is“Follow-up security”: for example, some devices just use a month on the crash, if after-sales ignore, equivalent to a waste of money; Products with regularly updated software can maintain a good experience for a long time.
Summary: 3 quick steps to choosing the right GPS tracker
Set the scenario: identify the“Person/vehicle/PET/asset” and circle the core requirements (e.g. “Anti-bite + long endurance” for pets, “Real-time positioning + fuel consumption analysis” for fleets)
Screen core: according to the“Core requirements” to exclude non-conformity (such as the need for remote tracking, excluding pure Bluetooth devices; need indoor positioning, excluding pure GPS devices) ;
Calculate cost: combine“Equipment Price + subscription fee”, calculate 1 year total cost, avoid low price trap.
With these 10 tips, you’ll be able to pinpoint which GPS trackers are“Worth the trouble” and avoid“Feature redundancy,”“Fake battery life,” and“Poor after-sales.” Truly achieve the goal of“Safe guarding, efficient management”.
