Types of Trackers.. What's the difference?
When it comes to selecting the correct type of tracking device for your tracking requirements, the main contributing factor between the 2 main types of tracker is whether or not the asset you wish to track has a steady 9-36 Volt power source.
As we will discuss, even though the end goal is to provide a reliable GPS location of your asset, powered or unpowered tracking devices work very differently..
Powered Trackers have a direct connection to a power supply usually ranging from 9 – 36 Volts and transmit location information at a specified time or distance interval under a range of event triggers such as a change in state of an Ignition on status, vehicle moving detection using an internal accelerometer that senses movement and triggers a vehicle moving status, or other event type such as a battery supply disconnect or other power interruption. We can even send you a ‘shock alarm’ that can even notify you if someone has opened your car door, or if someone has bumped into your car at the local supermarket carpark.
The main thing here is that the GPS Tracking Device is in a 'Live' state, and ready to enter a working mode at any second.
Unpowered Trackers have a long life, large capacity internal battery that is designed to be installed on equipment or assets that don’t have a dedicated battery supply. These devices are designed to be programmed to wake up and upload position information at a specified time 1 to 4 times per day and can also be commanded to upload at a more frequent interval in the case that the asset is stolen.
These long-life unpowered trackers are ruggedly designed to be used in harsh environments ranging from -20℃ ~ +70℃, have an IP rating of IP67 and can provide up to 10 years of service at 1 position per day.
You may wonder why these long life trackers are only designed to upload only a 1 or a few locations a day? These trackers are engineered to maintain a high level of internal battery life over extremely long periods of time while still maintaining the ability to provide reliable tracking of the given asset. Most times, (lets use a shipping container as an example) the asset will travel to multiple and far reaching locations, so the ability to remove the unit for charging is very limited.
To learn more read our GPS Trackers and Power Consumption article.
If you would like to know more, or have any further questions, then call us directly on 1300952530.
Thankyou for your time!
Matt Penhall