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GPS Tracker For Car Hack shows you how to use an old mobile phone
as a GPS tracker for a car, truck, or any other object you wish to track
where an old mobile would be suitable.
Let's face it, who doesn't have an old mobile phone sitting in a draw
somewhere. Perfectly good, but we've now got a better mobile phone.
The GPS Tracker For Car Hack is a hack, as it is using a device
that is no longer used, but in a different and useful way.
Summary
For the GPS Tracker For Car hack you'll need:
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An unused mobile phone with a GPS feature.
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Suitable mobile phone plan.
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Google or Apple account depending on device.
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Use Apple's Find My Phone or Google's Find My Device.
Steps
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Don't install the SIM card from the telco at first, or you may end up using
data from your plan. If you want to, connect your mobile using a Wi-Fi
hotspot, but this shouldn't be necessary.
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Delete every application from the mobile phone you can. These will
mostly be applications you've installed. You often can't delete
system applications, or applications which came with the mobile.
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Delete any email accounts from your mobile. With Android you need
a Google account. Don't delete the Google account, but delete the
account from the email client.
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Put the mobile into silent mode. If you use Google's Find My Device
the mobile will make a noise when you're trying to find it.
If your car is stolen you don't want
to alert the thief there's an mobile in the car that could track them.
If you're close to your vehicle but can't see it, you can still play
a sound by ringing the device even if the mobile is set to silent.
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You need to test the mobile to see how long it will last on standby.
Fully charge the mobile phone and once fully charged, disconnect the charger.
Once each day check the mobile to see how much the power has been reduced, until
the mobile is flat. Ideally you want the mobile to last a week or more.
If you know the battery will only last a few days, you need to keep that in
mind, as you'll need to recharge the mobile regularly.
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Determine the best plan for your needs. Click on the Plan menu option
where plans are discussed. Prepaid plans with long expiry periods, low
data cost are preferred. Postpaid plans aren't a good idea, as it leaves
you exposed to incurring unexpected charges.
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When ready, activate the SIM and insert the SIM into your mobile phone.
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Test using Find My Phone (Apple), or Find My Device (Google), that you can locate
your mobile.
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Now place the mobile in the car you wish to track in case the car is stolen.
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It's a good idea to again test that you can find the location of the mobile
if the car is in another location.
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Based on your testing of how long the battery will last on standby, you
should regularly charge the mobile making sure the mobile will have a number
of days left at any time, so if the vehicle is stolen, you have a number of
days before the mobile will go flat. For example, if your battery will
last 7 days, perhaps charge the battery every fourth day, giving you at least
three days of battery life left, should the vehicle be stolen. Don't wait to
recharge when the battery is nearly flat, as a flat battery won't help you
find your mobile.
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Plans
On the plans page plans are discussed and suitable plans for using a mobile phone as a GPS
Tracker for a Car are listed.
Use the Plans option in the menu above or click on the following
link.
The Plans page includes our recommendation on what we consider to be the best mobile
phone and plan to use.
Calculator
A plan calculator has been provided to help evaluate mobile phone plans. You could purchase
a monthly plan but this isn't necessary. For GPS Tracker For Car a prepaid plan with
a long expiry and sufficient data is all that is necessary and much cheaper. Monthly plans
can cost hundreds of dollars a year, but a suitable prepaid plan may cost as little as $10 to
$15 a year.
The plan calculator is a handy tool to work out how long the data allowance for a 365 day plan
may last. Use the calculator option in the menu above or click on the following
link.
The calculator really highlights the large difference in the amount of data an Android
based mobile uses compared to an Apple iOS device. The data usage is very important when considering
which plan to use.
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