What is mobile tracking?
Mobile tracking, also known as mobile phone tracking or cell phone tracking, is technology that identifies the location of a mobile phone, whether stationary or moving. The signal a mobile phone emits is used to communicate with nearby towers to find its location.
Due to privacy concerns, consent is typically a major issue for cell phone owners. Service providers often require that customers know about the system before they give personal consent to being tracked.
For businesses that operate via delivery or make use of some type of vehicle like construction or landscaping services, fleet management software is ideal. Fleet management tools include mobile components to support on-the-go updates and communications surrounding changes, allowing managers and fleet employees to work together for maximum efficiency in delivery operations.
How mobile tracking works
Most cell phone tracking apps work by accessing global positioning software (GPS) and providing location information in the app or software. Put simply, GPS is a U.S. satellite navigation system that provides three-dimensional location data to receivers through a network of satellites. Although originally used for military purposes, GPS technology is available today for everyone to use.
A cell phone’s signal strength is the main element used to determine a phone’s location. A strong signal reveals that the phone is close to the cell tower, whereas a weaker signal indicates that the phone is further away. In GPS tracking applications, the user’s location is communicated to a remote software application via Wi-Fi, SMS texts, or a traditional wireless connection.
Mobile tracking works best in an urban area populated with antenna towers. In fact, cell phones can typically be located within an area of about 50 meters in urban areas. Conversely, rural areas or locations with few people tend to offer less precise mobile tracking since they have fewer towers.
Benefits of mobile tracking
Although cell phone owners raise questions over the privacy and ethics of mobile tracking, the benefits generally outweigh the disadvantages. A few benefits of mobile tracking include:
- Emergencies: Police or firefighters may be able to find an individual using information gathered from the phone’s GPS receiver or by contacting the phone’s service provider to determine the device’s position relative to nearby cell towers.
- Location tracking: Some mobile phones offer applications with tracking features that allow people to track each other’s locations (such as iPhone’s “Find My Friends” app). This type of application is useful for locating people in crowded places, such as concerts and fairs.
- Child safety: Cell phone tracking software makes it possible for parents to track their children’s locations. This type of software sends periodic updates on the phone’s current location to a central server via the cell phone network.
- Business management: For employees who are issued company phones, cell phone tracking data allows businesses to track where employees spend time while on the job. Besides locations, some software allows companies to track how fast an employee is driving, a feature that comes in handy for delivery services.
Amanda Hahn-Peters
Amanda Hahn-Peters is a freelance copywriter for G2. Born and raised in Florida, she graduated from Florida State University with a concentration in Mass Media Studies. When she’s not writing, you’ll find Amanda coaching triathletes, cuddling up with a good book, or at the theater catching the latest musical.
