“Update speed” refers to how often a GPS tracker sends its current location to a receiver. The receiver can be either a specialized physical device or a companion app like the one used by Spytec GPS. The companion app then receives the signal, processes the location information, and displays it on-screen for you, the user.
Why is GPS tracker update speed important?
There are a couple of reasons why tracker update speed matters: battery life and precision.
Battery life
Battery life is heavily affected by a tracker’s update speed. Generally speaking, the faster the update speed, the lower the battery life. That’s why it’s important to set the update speed to something appropriate to the purpose.
As an example, let’s compare Tracker A with Tracker B. Tracker A is used to monitor a kid’s bus ride home from school. A faster update speed would be better in that situation so that parents always know exactly when their child gets to the bus stop.
Tracker B is used to monitor an RV that’s in long-term storage. That motorhome isn’t going anywhere, and so it doesn’t need to update very often. Once every few hours is enough. The long-term battery tracker can then last months–maybe even a year or more–without charging. No extra trips to the RV storage yard just to charge the tracker’s battery.
Hard-wired GPS trackers like our Pulse OBD don’t have to worry about battery life, so they have super fast update speeds of 1 per second.
Note that you can’t always change your tracker’s update speed yourself. Spytec GPS lets you change your tracker speed any time you want. Other brands may require you to call customer service to have it changed. In fact, some companies will charge you different rates depending on what update speed you use.
Spytec also offers special battery cases for our Atlas GPS model that can extend the battery life by 60 days or even 90 days. The cases themselves are waterproof and impact resistant; tough enough to spend half a year exposed to the elements.
GPS tracker precision
People often confuse “accuracy” and “precision.” All GPS trackers have an accuracy of 5 to 15 meters. This is a limitation of GPS technology and varies depending on location, weather conditions, geography, and if the trackers have a clear line of sight to the satellites.
Precision is how close the updates are to each other. So a tracker that has a 5-second update speed will have updates closer together on the map than a tracker with a 30-second update speed. The tracker will have travelled much farther in 30 seconds vs 5 seconds, which makes it less precise.
Aren’t GPS trackers always connected to satellites?
Yes, but that’s different. GPS trackers are constantly picking up radio signals from GPS satellites in orbit–usually six or seven at the same time. That’s how GPS satellites work and how they always know where they are in real-time. That’s just part one.
Part two is actually transmitting the location to the receiver. All active GPS trackers come with a SIM card and rely on 4G cellphone carrier networks to send updates.
Is this why GPS trackers need a subscription?
Yes. This is why most GPS tracker brands charge a subscription fee. They’re not charging for the GPS satellites; they’re charging for cellular access.
Which is the best update speed for my GPS tracking device?
Honestly, it depends on a lot of things. What are you tracking? Why are you tracking it? Will you be able to charge the tracker often, or will it be tough to recover?
Whatever final answer you arrive at, rest assured the Spytec’s GPS trackers are flexible enough to accommodate your needs. Whether it’s tweaking the tracker setting for faster updates or buying a case with an extra rechargeable battery. The sky’s the limit!
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