GPS Tracking Tech: The Difference Between 4G and LTE

Almost everyone today walks around with a cellular device in their pocket, but few actually understand how they work–or how it’s related to GPS tracking technology. In this post, we’ll cover the basics of 4G and LTE and their various applications related to GPS tracking.

What’s the difference between 4G and LTE?

3G and 4G are standards laid out by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for cellular network speeds. LTE is the name for the technology in between 3G and 4G (better than 3G, but not as good as 4G). It’s a way for phone companies to market 4G speeds without actually having reached their full potential. 

The development from 2G to 3G to 4G to 4G LTE—and eventually to 5G networks—is what allows you to watch videos and listen to music on your phone using cellular data as quickly as if you were connected to WiFi, when years or go you were only about to text and call. 

Why couldn’t cell phone carriers just go straight from 3G to 4G?

The standards for 4G laid out by the ITU were put in place in 2008, before 4G speeds were a real possibility. 4G LTE is how cell phone carriers differentiated their current technology from 3G and improved upon it over time until they could approach the standards laid out by the ITU.

Is anything older than 4G LTE now obsolete?

Some countries still use 3G and even 2G. In 2020, the Netherlands was the first European country to sunset its 3G networks as more people switched to LTE-enabled phones. 

Another factor worth considering is the impact of WiFi. Many people around the world use WiFi because free or low-cost WiFi is common, while mobile data plans are comparatively expensive. That way you can download or stream content quickly without using cell networks at all. Here in America, 4G LTE, 4G LTE-A, and 5G will be the norm, but the infrastructure for older systems will likely be with us for the next decade or more.

Why do GPS trackers use cell networks? Don’t they use satellites?

The way GPS trackers like Spytec work is they send and receive location information from satellites, and then use a cellular network to transmit that information back to you. 

You’ve probably heard of something called a SAT phone–a phone that connects via satellites instead of cellphone towers. SAT phones work anywhere on the planet, especially remote locations where there are no cell towers available. 

GPS trackers are similar in that they connect to satellites to give you a latitude and longitude. The problem is that satellites aren’t the best way to send data from the tracker to the user’s computer or phone. SAT phones rely on a clear line of sight to the sky. You can’t make SAT phone calls from deep inside a concrete building, or from the basement of your home, but you can make a cellphone call. Cellular tech is more convenient in modern urban environments. 

Do GPS trackers use 4G LTE?

While we can’t speak for every GPS tracker on the market, Spytec GPS currently uses LTE Cat M1, which is basically a small “sliver” of LTE. The data the tracker transmits is fairly simple and short, which is good because sending a lot of information as regularly as the track does (once every 1-30 seconds) would be a serious battery drain. Cat M1 has the speed and availability of LTE without demanding power requirements.

What about 5G?

5G technology is generally faster and has lower latency than 4G LTE. However it falls behind LTE in one important aspect: coverage.

You want your GPS device to be able to track and send you updates from as many different locations as possible. A GPS running only on 5G would be limited to very specific areas, which defeats the purpose of the device.

We’ll eventually see GPS tracking devices shift over to 5G as the network coverage area grows. 

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