GPS tracking device for vehicles?

[Tim K]

I want a GPS tracker I can discreetly put in or on my work trucks. I have one employee in particular who's movements I'd like to see. I don't need real-time updates, I'm happy to just download the data when the vehicle returns. In a perfect world, it'd be easy to move it from one vehicle to another since we have 4 trucks.

Tell me what you know!

[Wulf202]

Smart phones and any of a dozen apps

[Zach O]

My wife has one on her car. It's from the insurance company to lower our rates I . It plugs into the OBD2 and you can log on to a computer and see where it's been.

[SuperiorDG]

http://www.amazon.com/Spy-Tec-STI_GL300-Portable-Tracker/dp/B00JG8KCLO?ie=UTF8&keywords=gps%20spytech&qid=1461785344&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

I use this one. It's $25 a month to get a real time location on the truck from the internet. Tracked my truck for a couple of weeks and then told my guy about it and asked why he was taking so many long lunches and running around doing other shit. Being real time you can go get the truck when they are doing BS and have them find a ride home.

[bside303]

https://www.thetileapp.com/buynow?giftbox=1

tiles are 25.00 each, i bought two. got them at lowes or best buy has them 4 for 68.ish??

[Irving]

I bought tiles for my wife to use. They aren't very good and you can't hardly activate the tile inside your house, let alone track anything with it.

[bside303]

you cant track a vehicle with them? i think you are somewhat correct.


Tracking Moving Objects
Tile locations are updated using the Bluetooth radio connection between the Tile and the Tile app running on your phone. The Tile app "discovers" the Tile using the Bluetooth signal and then uses the services of the device to update the location information for that Tile. The Tile needs to be within the Bluetooth range of approximately 100 feet of a device to be discovered.
The main issue in locating a moving Tile is whether or not it is near a phone or tablet running the Tile app. For example, if your Tile-tagged item and your phone are in your moving car, the Tile and the phone are near each other and the Tile's location will be updated. But if the Tile is moving "on its own" then location updates will depend on whether the Tile comes into contact with a device running the Tile app.
This is where the "Community Find" feature comes in to play. If any Tile community member running the Tile app comes in range of a Tile, their app will send an anonymous update of that Tile's location to our system, helping the owner to locate that item even if they are not nearby. It typically takes only a few seconds for a nearby Tile to be discovered.
As the Tile Community of users running the app grows, the more effective our network will be in finding your lost item.

[Tim K]

if you have to track them, isnt it really time to fire them?

It's gives me another data point in the event we get into a dispute over unemployment if I fire him. Plus, I don't know he's a problem. I only suspect at the moment.

[Monky]

I looked at it a few years back for company vehicles, because as we suspected people were using them for personal.

Yoga classes, running to the store.. you name it.. 3 of the employees did not have personal vehicles. How'd they ever get anywhere?

Verizon was the best one that I found.. they're pricey, and they're installed in the vehicles. But real time tracking, speed alerts, erratic driving.. gets them all.

Fuel costs are down, mileage is down.. no other vehicle totaled, or even an accident now that they know they're being watched. They all think I'm an asshole, and they're right.

Verizon NetworkFleet (http://networkfleet.verizon.com/?s_clid=c1c3a813ec15e1a5d849a17a7855c3db)

I looked at many... even some from the local car stereo shops.

[TheGrey]

http://www.pigear.com/store/GPS-Trackers-c52/

Plenty of options, both live and passive...

[cstone]

Do you track mileage on your vehicles for maintenance purposes? Figure where you are sending them + or - for miscellaneous, and your mileage should be close.

Many of the laws have changed in the past few years on GPS and cell phone tracking and I would probably let all of my employees know that "for their safety" I was going to begin tracking company vehicles. No need to be specific about when or how, but putting them on notice that tracking was going to happen, may save you some headaches later on. It also might cause your questionable employees to consider their behavior.

[Tim K]

Thanks for all the input. I was originally going to go passive, but decided on one that reports real time. As I thought about it, I thought of a number of other uses for it and those tipped the scales for me.

Actually, the use that got me was when I realized I could stick it to my little guy (3 yrs old and fearless) when we're all outside. If he wanders out of sight, I can find him instantly with my phone.

[Erni]

Verizon was pushing wrist phones/trackers for kids the last time I was in a store. About $70 plus monthly service. Probably the easiest way to actively track the lil'uns.