Tuesday 27 September 2011

Need to Track Employees or Family? Use Their Phone

By Tom Smith


While the latest smartphones include GPS features and the unit might "be aware of" exactlyits location, however it is not able to "notify" others its location, unless linked to a wireless network. Making use of mobile phone GPS as a individual demands third-party software programs to benefit from features and functions inherent to GPS Phone Tracking and Cell Phone Location. Third-party software systems use the capabilities of smartphone to track and monitor the cell phones and takes care of the many issues associated with Cell Phone Spying.

In regards to Cell Phone and Cell Phone Location, it was once that determining reliablelocation with GPS Global Positioning System technology required buying expensive and sophisticated software and hardware. Now, complete solutions can be obtained through cellular providers and the newest mobiles.

A Mobile Phone is really a modern and refined two-way radio. Of course they don't work alone, they are a part of a cell network. The backbone of the system are towers and base stations, positioned into a network of cells, that transmit and receive radio signals. Mobile phones include low-power transmitters that connect to a nearby tower.

As someone moves from one cell tower to a new, the cell base stations check the strength of the smart phone's signal. As the smart phone goes toward the edge of one cell, the signal strength weakens. Concurrently, the next cell base station within the cell being approached calculates the strength of the signal increasing. As smartphones move from cell postion, to cell postion, the towers exchange the signal from one to the next.

In remote areas, cellular towers can be too far apart to provide a dependable signal. Even when cellular towers are plentiful GPS satellite signals could be interrupted by large buildings, or possibly mountains. Signals usually do not get to building interiors very well and frequently people have trouble getting very clear signals inside of structures, in particular inside elevators.

Even without a GPS receiver, or when a satellite signal is not available, mobile phones can provide information about phone position. This method of calculating smartphone position is referred to as Triangulation or Mobile Location Services (MLS). Cell Tower Triangulation uses signal analysis data, including signal strength, to estimate the time it takes signals to travel from your phone to at least three cell towers to estimate smartphone accurately where it is. There are many variables affecting calculations and this method is inherently less reliable than GPS techniques.

In order to meet the with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requirements, cellular phone network providers decided to incorporate GPS equipment into smartphones, rather than revamp the cellular tower network. But the GPS in most smartphones are not like those in a typical GPS receiver that you take hiking or biking. The majority of smartphones do not give the user direct access to the GPS information; reliable position estimation requires the involvement of the cellular network. Under FCC rules for emergencies (e911) GPS information, is sent only during an emergency 911 call.

It is worthwhile to note that Wi-Fi complements the cellular network grid with supplemental conduits for position data to pass along to the web. Smartphones have a distinctive electronic identifier and if enabled can pass this information, locating smartphones within the geographic area covered by the wirelesss hotspot.

Using smartphone GPS as a consumer requires third-party software to take advantage of capabilities intrinsic to GPS Cell Phone Tracking and Mobile Location. In general it comes down to what location tracking system is available, and the requirements for accuracy. Hybrid methods are becoming available that use various techniques in tandem to offer best available location given available resources. It may be critical to consider how GPS location software programs handle the data and controls smartphone settings. Having real time tracking on demand, or preferring to minimize battery use and data transmission should be expected. Generally the application determines the location with a GPS receiver and transmits the tracking data to a server through a cellular packet data connection. The data connection to the server is usually made using the Internet. How often GPS samples are taken and how often and by what method the data is sent to the server affect effectiveness and costs.




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