When looking for a tracker for your car, motorbike, van or motorhome, it’s easy to get daunted by the sheer number of options available to you. Do you want an S5 or S7 tracker? Can it be transferred if I change vehicle? What alerts do you get? How do I track my vehicle if it gets stolen?
Like almost any product you can buy, when there is a range of them available, there will be features in one product that isn’t in another, whilst many others will be standard across the line. Car trackers are no different.
When choosing your device there will be features that might be particularly attractive to you, but there will also be some features you should look out for, some you just might not have considered and others you didn’t know were possible.
Here we wanted to take a look at the 5 key features we think you should be aware of when choosing your device. They might not all necessarily be vital for you and your circumstances, but are very useful to know about and, if relevant, have in the device you buy. Let’s start with…
1. REAL TIME TRACKING
Whilst it might seem an obvious feature, not every tracker on the marketing has real-time tracking. It may well be able to show you where your car was at a various points in time, but not all can track your vehicle in real time.
Real time tracking means the you can literally see your vehicle move along roads, turning corners and crossing bridges with a delay so small that’s it’s practically unnoticeable. This is a massive help when you need to recover your vehicle quickly as it will help lead the police directly to where you car is, even its still moving!
2. JOURNEY HISTORY
Most of us will share our car with other drivers in our family. Whether it’s your partner or your grown-up children, the car is often at the heart of the family’s independence. As such, having a tracker than can keep an eye on the vehicles movements can be a fantastic option.
With fuel costs so high, making sure your vehicle is being driven as you would expect, on a route that’s optimal and within parameters helps you know your vehicle is being looked after and that your drivers are doing so safely.
Journey history also works well if you’re monitoring company vehicles so you can see exactly where employees are taking them and how they got there!
3. DRIVER BEHAVIOUR
Building on from the previous feature is the option many trackers have to not only monitor journeys to see WHERE the car is being driven, but to also look at HOW the car is being driven.
Many trackers now have the option to be able to monitor driver behaviour to keep a eye on things like speed, routes, braking and drive time, etc.
This can offer a fantastic insight into exactly how your car is being driven to minimise maintenance costs, even if you’re not the one behind the wheel.
4. VEHICLE MAINTENANCE
This is another great feature that helps both the residential and commercial customer. Some trackers have a maintenance module built into them that keeps an electronic eye on the car in which it’s installed.
Whilst probably more suited to fleet vehicles, the device, once connected to the OBD (On-Board Diagnostic) port of the car can monitor aspects of the vehicle to help reduce preventative maintenance costs and prolong the life of the car, truck or van!
5. TOTAL COST
Not a feature as such, but definately something you should bear in mind when choosing a tracker.
Whilst the price you buy the tracker for is obviously one consideration, there are sometimes additional costs to be aware of.
Most trackers will also come with a subscription fee to pay, either annually, bi-annually or sometimes one payment to cover the lifetime of the device. The subscription covers the cost of the cellular signal the device needs to connect to satellites and its control centre. The costs and inclusions do vary, so make sure you know what you’re getting, and for how long, before you buy.
⚬ Buy a tracker that’s right for YOU!
⚬ Ensure you’re aware of all the costs before buying.
⚬ Decide on what you need, not what manufacturers think you want.
We hope this has helped you and when you’re ready to buy, please take a look at our fantastic range and we’re confident you’ll find something that’s perfect for you. If you need any advice our team is available from 9 am – 6 pm, Monday to Friday on 0330 043 3993 to find the best tracker at the right price with installation available throughout the UK.
We hope that, once you’ve browsed our huge range of tracking and security devices in our store you’ve found the one for you, but that begs another question. With all the options available, what’s the best tracker for you???
It’s easy to fire up Google, or any other search engine, and type “what’s the best vehicle tracker?”. The algorithm will go away and find you hundreds, if not thousands, of results all promising to answer that question for you.
In reality, there’s no way for lines of computer code to know the best one for you specifically. Sure it can look for articles that promise the answer, but the question is much more nuanced than that.
Most people associate ‘the best’ with the tracker that has the most features, or is the most expensive product, but those are rarely the same thing. When it comes to finding the best tracker, you really need to ask what’s the best tracker FOR YOU and YOUR circumstances and you won’t get that from any search term.
EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. EVERY CAR IS DIFFERENT.
What might be the best tracker for you, might not be the best tracker for me. Whilst they are incredible pieces of technology designed to keep your car, van, motorhome or motorbike safe and secure, to find the one that will offer you the most benefits, you need to be clear about what you want from it. Not least the vehicle you have and how much you have to spend.
Because of that, it’s vital you do your research and understand your budget. Car trackers, like anything you can buy, range in terms of pricing and features.
Trackers come in all shapes and sizes and range from very reasonable to very expensive, so it’s important you understand the costs associated with them and not just the initial price that comes with buying the product in the beginning.
Many come with monthly or yearly subscription fees to enhance your device which you need to be aware of and, as such, may affect your budget.
RESEARCH THE MODELS
Not all trackers are created equally. Whilst many share similar features, there are often some key differences.
Whichever one you ultimately choose, it’s important you buy one that comes from a reputable manufacturer. As you would expect, all of the trackers we sell here at Infiniti come from some of the best manufacturers available.
When looking at the various options, take time to research the trackers you’re interested in. Does it include features that, whilst powerful or interesting, and might seem cool to have, do you actually really need them? Do they support how you use your vehicle or are you just paying for something you just don’t need?
It’s also useful to look into the manufacturer themselves. In many cases, they may produce systems that are or have been, specifically approved for use by various car manufacturers. Whilst not necessarily a reason to buy, knowing that a company that makes your car approves a particular device from a certain manufacturer might go some way to helping you choose.
In many cases, the price for the tracker is just the start. Vehicle trackers often come with monthly or yearly (or sometimes lifetime) subscriptions which means you’ll have to factor that into the cost.
WILL IT DO WHAT YOU NEED, WHEN YOU NEED IT
Let’s not lose sight of the reason why you need a tracking device in the first place.
Should the worst case happen and your vehicle is stolen, will it be able to be tracked and recovered quickly and easily? When you really start to drill down into the features, think about the process to report it stolen.
Some trackers, for example, might need you to report it to the Police BEFORE it can be activated, whilst others can just be done from the app.
In addition, if your insurance policy requires a tracker to be fitted, does it need to be installed BEFORE the policy becomes valid? If you drive regularly into mainland Europe, or even further afield, are you covered geographically?
We don’t say any of these things to put you off, simply to arm you with all the facts and to be as transparent as possible when it comes to buying a tracker from us.
⚬ Our store stocks only the very best systems from leading manufacturers.
⚬ Get your device installed anywhere in the UK at a time and place to suit you.
⚬ Decades of experience in this fast-moving sector.
Our team is available from 9 am – 6 pm, Monday to Friday on 0330 043 3993 to answer any questions you might have. We will be more than happy to help you choose the right tracker for you. Don’t be swayed by fancy marketing or grandiose-sounding terminology, get the facts from the team with over 20 years of experience in selling and installing trackers up and down the UK.
