Where To Place A GPS Tracker

As a parent, your most valuable assets may be your children. Placing a real time GPS tracker on the child (such as in their backpack or mounted to their bicycle) can give you immediate access to their location. If your child doesn't return home when expected or leaves the designated area where you've allowed them to be, you can ensure that you're notified promptly. In the event that your child cannot be found, you will have the most important information: Where they were last. 

Given how essential a tracker is, where is the most effective location to place it to ensure not only child safety but also to minimize the device going missing?

In a Backpack or Bag: Some trackers are small enough to fit in most pockets of a backpack or bag; these can easily be concealed using various other items.

Hollowed-Out Book: An old book that is no longer necessary can be converted to store a GPS device; this works surprisingly well for concealment of the unit.

Bicycle Pack:  If your child rides a bike to school on a regular basis, installing a bike pack and placing a GPS tracker within it can be effective.

Pinned to Clothing:  Smaller tracking units are designed to clasp onto the child's clothing or belt. These much smaller units are ideal if your family is visiting an amusement park or other outdoor place.

What about using GPS tracking to monitor people other than children? 

Caring for the elderly can be a full-time job. If you have a loved one suffering from dementia, Alzheimer's disease, or another debilitating mental illness, the use of a GPS unit could save you a great deal of stress. 

It's not uncommon for an elderly person to go missing as a result of these illnesses. A GPS tracker is a perfect tool for tracking down a wandering person, cutting down on search and rescue time.

Locations to place a GPS tracking device in this situation could include:

Purse or Bag: Many GPS units can easily fit inside a purse or bag that the individual feels comfortable carrying.

Vehicles:  There are many ways you can attach a tracking device to an elderly person's vehicle. It could be anything from an actual installable unit to small handheld devices that can be hidden from view.

Wheelchairs: Smaller units can be easily attached to a wheelchair, whether it is strapped to the framework itself or hidden within a bag, pack, or other pocket that may be sewn into the seat. With a bit of sewing work and self-adhesive straps, you could even attach a mini GPS tracker under the actual seat of the chair.

Thousands of stolen vehicles have been recovered thanks to the use of GPS location technology. Hardwired real-time trackers allow you to check in on your vehicle's location without worrying about battery life, and battery-powered devices are smaller and portable. Both types of devices help you and the police track your missing vehicle with ease.

The question remains, however: where can you install the GPS tracker for a car that isn't an obvious location?

Under the Vehicle: When using a battery-powered GPS tracker, you have the option of a weatherproof metal case specifically designed for installation underneath the vehicle. Make sure you mount the case close to the edge, with the antenna pointing down.

On the Dash or Rear Shelf:  When mounting a battery-powered tracker, a clear line to the sky is the most important consideration. If you're not concerned about the tracker being hidden, the dashboard or the read shelf are perfect tracker locations, offering the best results. If you mount the tracker on the dash, make sure it's a few inches away from any other location-based devices to avoid interference.

Inside the Dash:  If you're looking for covert tracking, a hardwired tracker may be the solution for you. They're perfect for hidden personal tracking devices because they're installed within the dash, much like a car stereo. And, since they're powered by the vehicle, you don't have to worry about retrieving the tracker to charge it.

Within the Seats:  If you're feeling ambitious enough, you can pop the seams of any seat within the automobile and install the device within the seat itself. Once you have re-sown the material together, it could be completely hidden from view. An area along the sides or under the cushioning material may be an excellent place as it will be more difficult to feel the presence of the GPS tracker. This tracker positioning may cause some unreliability with location results; but, if you're looking to keep a battery-powered tracker hidden, few will suspect looking within the seat.

It's not uncommon for someone to lose a laptop bag or other kind of bag at an airport or public venue. Placing a small GPS unit within its pockets can help you quickly recover the item should you realize it has been taken; a tracking device sewn into the side of the bag is even less noticeable. While it may take you an hour of time to sew the covering in place, it's better than losing an expensive laptop and/or tablet. If you do sew the tracker in, however, make sure it can be easily accessed (through a Velcro flap, for example); you'll need to charge the tracker at some point.

Some briefcases can be refitted to house a small compartment for a GPS tracker. As mentioned above, you could also include a hollowed-out book to house the unit itself within the briefcase. If your case has a deep pocket, sewing the locator into the bottom of that pocket could keep the device from being obvious. The larger and more elaborate the briefcase is, the easier it will be to install and hide the GPS unit.

Through a mobile-friendly website accessed from your smartphone, you can locate a person or car within moments. Instead of waiting for local law enforcement to happen across your vehicle, a GPS tracker for a car can provide you with real-time information about its location. You can receive a text message the instant the automobile crosses a predetermined location threshold. This could be useful if you want to make sure your teenage driver is traveling to and from destinations without taking detours.

As always, the experts at BrickHouse are here to help with any advice you may need about GPS tracker placement and more. Call us at (800) 654-7966 for help placing your device.