In our article, we will talk about how to make a GPS tracker for a car with your own hands. We will use it potentially using an example of a personal car. However, it is worth noting that the considered scheme can be safely used to observe absolutely any objects that move. So, there are trackers for dogs, other animals or people.
What is it for?
Perhaps, having read our article, the male half of society will startle, because at present, distrustful or curious wives have the ability to easily track an “uncomfortable” location. However, we will not think about bad things, because new satellite technologies are designed to serve exclusively for the good. How to make a GPS tracker from a smartphone?
Choosing a GPS Monitoring Server
It must be borne in mind that the procedure for making a tracker for a child, pet or car begins with the choice of a server. Only after this procedure is the special software configured for its parameters on the phone. Next, we show the principle of the tracking system using a specific example. To do this, take a fairly well-known online service gpshome.ru.
Tracker settings
How to make a GPS tracker with your own hands? After choosing a server, it is advisable to proceed to the configuration of the mechanism. In our example, for these purposes we will use the most ordinary Android-based smartphone. So, you should install a certain program on it, which is called GPS Home Tracker.
It should be noted that it will become the link between the user device and the server intended for satellite monitoring. You can download it for free in the official online store. It must be added that the technical requirements directly to the device in question can be studied in the section entitled “Android Application” on the service resource.
A rather interesting point is that even a relatively old smartphone that does not have a GPS module is quite suitable. In this case, the system will determine the position of a particular object precisely on the cell towers. Naturally, this will cause an increase in error. However, what more could you ask for in this situation?
DIY GPS tracker setup
It should be borne in mind that the setup procedure is extremely simple. To do this, you need to run the downloaded and then installed application on the phone. Next, in the settings menu, you need to open a tab called "About the program." This is done in order to find out which device has a unique IMEI, which in the future will be necessary in order to implement binding to the server.
Then we proceed as follows:
You can use a similar system in a car on a “smart” mirror that does not have a SIM card slot. However, it should be borne in mind that GPS Home Tracker somehow generates this number. Interestingly, this approach expands the list of compatible gadgets several times (it is on them that you can distribute the Internet from the outside).
How to make a GPS tracker with your own hands? Further, it is advisable to activate the device through the appropriate switch, and on the mobile device to turn on the Internet, in particular, the geolocation function. After a short period of time, the position will be determined. Thus, it will be possible to monitor your location on a geographical map:
So, we learned how to set up a GPS tracker with our own hands. Now he is absolutely ready to go. It remains only to go to the monitoring service to finish the job.
Linking a GPS Tracker to a Tracking Server
So, we looked at how to set up a GPS tracker with your own hands for dogs, cars or people. It is advisable to proceed with binding the device to a server designed for tracking. It is worth noting that the procedure is also quite simple. To do this, go to the following path in your account: “Monitoring - Add an object”. Next, in the tab that opens (namely, in the line called “Tracker Model”), select “GPS Home Tracker + Android Software”, and indicate the IMEI that was previously generated by the program a little lower:
Fill in the remaining fields
It is worth noting that the remaining fields are filled in accordance with the example shown in the screenshot above. As it turned out, there is absolutely nothing complicated in the procedure. In the tabs of the additional type, the estimated fuel consumption can be noted so that it is possible to make a request regarding the report on spent liters, as well as on the distance traveled.
So, if everything is implemented correctly, then on the tab under the name “Monitoring” the necessary vehicle with detailed information regarding the location should be displayed. It is worth paying attention to the tab called “Info”. It is located on the left side of the window. The fact is that there you can find a lot of interesting information:
What else do you need to know?
In principle, an extremely simple satellite monitoring system is ready for use. However, it must be understood that we have considered only the basic functionality. It should be noted that detailed reporting and the history of car movement can be found exclusively on paid tariffs.
In the free version, it is possible to attach no more than one object in this service, be it a car, person or pet, and then, accordingly, view only the location of the GSM tracker in the current period. In other words, there is no archive. If suddenly this situation does not suit you, that is, you want to expand the functionality and capabilities of the system, you need to pay money.
For example, in order to study the system, a specific tariff plan called “Start” was tested. Its cost is 70 Russian rubles. per month. It is worth noting that the price is quite low. At the same time, the number of options that become available increases several times. So, there are such chips as SOS notifications by e-mail, storage of the history of movement during the day, landmarks, geo-zones and so on.
Final part
So, we fully considered how to make a GSM-tracker with our own hands. In conclusion, it is advisable to analyze the main advantages of the features listed in the article. So, SOS alerts are extremely good when other people are driving the car (for example, a wife or a child). After the system fixes the excess of the set speed, a person receives an email notification by e-mail or phone.
It is interesting to know that by means of geo-zones it is possible to draw certain areas on the map, upon exiting or entering into which the tracking system issues a message. So, it is extremely convenient to monitor, for example, whether the child reached the gym or not, and also what time he did it in terms of time:
It is worth noting that the theme of the tracker for a car, child or pet from the phone in any case smoothly turns into a global issue related to GPS monitoring of vehicles (this is a complex analytical system that is used in large enterprises; GPS transport monitoring of employees and stationary objects it’s nothing but a way to significantly save resources of the commercial structure, increase the productivity of the car fleet and, of course, increase the strength of discipline of the company’s employees). At this stage, it is impractical to “dig” too deeply, because at the amateur level such knowledge is unlikely to be needed.