International GPS Tracking

Getting the most out of global GPS technology

GPS has become such an integral part of our lives now that we often forget that the technology was first introduced for military use only. Since it’s evolved beyond military use only, GPS tracking technology has been integrated into many everyday consumer and business products. One of the main uses for GPS is tracking people, vehicles, or assets accurately and in real time. GPS products are sold in the U.S. with two different configurations: domestic and international. Here’s what you need to know about international GPS tracking.

GPS works the same no matter where you are, using Global Positioning Satellites to triangulate the position of the GPS tracking device and determine its exact location. The difference between domestic and international tracking is not the tracking itself, which involves satellites, but the reporting, which utilizes cellular signals.

In the United States, many popular cellular service providers utilize both CDMA and GSM networks that may be in a different frequency than the rest of the world. In order to work properly with the local cellular networks around your home country, we use GSM SIM cards that are designed for use by individual network providers. If you’re using a GPS tracker internationally, it’s necessary to purchase a tracker that is specifically designed for international use because domestic GPS trackers are only designed for use within the United States. Depending on where you’re traveling with your international GPS tracker, you’ll need to update your plan to ensure that it has been made compatible with all of your destination countries.

Safety is the primary goal of GPS devices. One of the most common and valuable uses for international tracking is personal car tracking. An example of when this could be useful, your teenager takes the family car across the Canadian border for a weekend trip. International GPS allows you to monitor where the vehicle has been, where it’s going, and how fast it’s traveling in real time. You can even get a text or email alerts if the vehicle exceeds any speed you’ve selected in advance. One of our best-selling GPS tracking devices, the Spark Nano International GPS Tracker, conveniently has a battery life of up to 6 months. Other devices, like TrackPort International, can be plugged directly into a vehicle, getting power from the car instead of requiring an external power source.

When you run an international business, you’re constantly moving business vehicles and assets among warehouses, stores, and out to customers. Placing international GPS trackers on your fleet increases your control over your assets and allows you to monitor your drivers in real time from anywhere in the world as they travel between and within different countries. GPS empowers you to pinpoint lost or stolen vehicles and improve productivity on the road by reducing fuel costs and drive times (by choosing alternative roads during heavy traffic periods, for example). In many cases, GPS-equipped vehicles qualify for some insurance discounts as well.

International GPS tracking is ideal for business shipping. If you use large containers for cargo shipping, GPS trackers can be easily positioned on the outside of the container allowing you to track its whereabouts as it moves through the shipment process.

The process for tracking your assets will depend on how they are being shipped. For example, boats or cargo crates that are traveling over the ocean will need pure satellite trackers because cellular service to report locations will not be available there. If your cargo container is traveling in open waters, it is always important to ensure that the satellite tracking device has a view of the sky. Some satellite trackers, such as the SatTrack Micro GPS World Tracker and the SatTrack GPS World Tracker use the same GPS tracking platform as other BrickHouse Security GPS devices, allowing you to log on and view locations and movements of your trackers. These devices can be set to send a number of “pings” per day to keep you informed about your asset’s location, using communication with satellites to report that information back to your app. Because these devices vary in features and capabilities, we recommend contacting the BrickHouse tracking Security experts with questions about which GPS or satellite tracking device will be best for your needs.

No matter where in the world you are, international GPS tracking devices are powerful tools that allow you to monitor the safety and whereabouts of family, business assets, and possessions.