GPS Tracker For Cars

Yes. Every real time tracker needs one, because the SIM is how a location travels over a cellular network from under your bumper to your phone. Your SpaceHawk GPS will arrive pre-equipped with an International roaming SIM card inside that will work in USA, Canada, and150+ countries! Nothing to buy at a phone carrier, has nothing to do with your cell phone plan, and there is nothing to swap when you drive into the next state.

Under the rear bumper, inside a wheel well, or along a frame rail if you want the magnet doing the work. Inside the car works just as well. Glove box, under a seat, in the trunk, tucked into a door pocket. GPS signals pass straight through plastic, glass and fiberglass, so the only real mistake is burying a hidden GPS tracker under solid metal. SpaceHawk runs a high sensitivity receiver that holds a lock from underneath a vehicle, where the signal arrives after bouncing off the pavement. Plenty of good spots, very few bad ones.

You can learn more about the best places to hide a car GPS tracker in this article: https://spacehawkgps.com/blogs/post/where-to-hide-a-gps-tracker-in-a-car

An Apple AirTag is built for keys, a wallet or a keyring. A GPS tracker is built for vehicles and valuable assets, and the two are not competing features. The AirTag has no GPS chip and no SIM card, so it reports only when it passes a stranger's iPhone inside Apple's Find My network. On an empty road at 2 a.m. there are no Apple devices nearby and the tag goes dark.

SpaceHawk carries its own GPS module and cellular modem, so it reports its position anywhere it has coverage. Bluetooth trackers like Apple AirTags do not require subscriptions, and that is exactly why they cannot do real time tracking, speeding alerts or tamper alerts. Use a tag for keys around the house. Keys come back because someone walks past them, and lost keys are rarely far away. Use a GPS tracker for anything that leaves the driveway. Apple's Find My network is dense in a city and thin everywhere else, which is why keys come back and cars do not.

You can learn more about the key differences between an Apple AirTag and GPS tracking device in this article: https://spacehawkgps.com/blogs/post/gps-tracker-vs-airtag

Yes, if you want real time tracking. That monthly fee pays for the SIM connection, the servers behind the map and how often the device checks in. Trackers advertised as subscription free are usually Bluetooth tags, which only find your car when a stranger's phone happens to walk past it.

Want no monthly bill? Pay more up front instead. Our SpaceHawk No Monthly Fee GPS tracker is $249.95 with a full year of tracking included. That is unlimited updates every 3 seconds. Read the terms on anything similar before you buy, because plenty of trackers include year one and quietly start billing in year two.

Buying and owning one is legal. Tracking a vehicle you own or a fleet vehicle your business owns is generally lawful. Placing a tracker on a vehicle you don't own without consent can be a criminal offense in many states - check your state's law.

If you want to learn more about some of the laws and statutes we found online and organized, please read this article on GPS tracking laws by state: https://spacehawkgps.com/blogs/post/gps-tracking-law

No. A wired GPS tracker draws power from the car battery through our Hardwire Kit, so wired units do not require battery charging at all. Hardwired GPS trackers can be connected to 12-volt power on vehicles or assets like construction equipment. And the internal battery becomes a backup that keeps reporting for hours if someone cuts the power. The magnetic model gives one to three weeks of battery life per charge, or four to six months of battery life in power-saving mode. Both give the same features and the same real time alerts.

That is exactly what the magnet is for. Asset tracking on generators, light towers, trailers, skid steers, anything parked on a jobsite. No wiring, no power source, months of runtime between charges.

Yes, there are OBD2 GPS trackers. And no, the SpaceHawk GPS tracker does not get powered via onboard diagnostic port. Our GPS tracking device mounts with a magnet, which is why the tracking system works on a trailer, a generator or any vehicle. Plug-in trackers only work where there is a port to plug into and can easily be tampered with. However, if you prefer an OBD2 port tracker over our SpaceHawk vehicle GPS tracker, we recommend you check out Konnect GPS.

Only if that tracker runs on Bluetooth. Your iPhone or Android will flag an AirTag, a Tile or a SmartTag riding along with you, because those tags broadcast over Bluetooth and your phone is built to listen for them. A real time GPS tracker reports over a cellular network instead, the same way your phone does, so there is nothing for a detector app to hear.

Sleep mode makes it quieter still. Most hidden GPS car trackers power down after two or three minutes without movement, so a parked car has a tracker doing nothing at all.

GPS tracking detector apps in the app stores promise more than the hardware in your pocket can deliver.

Within six feet under open sky. You get a street address, not a general neighborhood. Parking garages, downtown high rises and heavy tree cover push that number out, because satellites need line of sight to do their job.