It’s always good to see a product in action to get a feel for how it works. That’s why we tested out 3 of our most popular products on a road trip to Spain last weekend.
We used the 1,400 mile drive to Spain to put the DeLorme inReach and SmartOne satellite trackers and Queclink GL200 GSM tracker through their paces.
GTCTrack portal shows the three trackers en route to España! Click to enlarge...- set to transmit every 10 minutes when moving but not while stationary therefore saving battery power
- running off their own internal battery power although they can also operate on an external line power
- used inside the car and got a clear signal showing clear line of sight to the sky is not always necessary for trackers
DeLorme inReach
The inReach performed consistently throughout the trip seldom missing it's scheduled 10 minute transmission. It's great to know that the inReach would perform like this anywhere in the world as it has global coverage.
For faster journeys tracking intervals can be increased to every 30 seconds to show routes with increased accuracy. Tracking intervals range from 30 seconds to hourly intervals.
SmartOne
SmartOne also performed well and tracking points were extremely accurate. With message charges from just £0.05 the device can be used to transmit location messages frequently without running up large airtime bills.
The SmartOne is the most flexible of the three devices. It can be configured with many different rules e.g. to only transmit when it moves out of certain co-ordinates.
The SmartOne has the best battery life of all devices and can easily track the return journey without replacement batteries. It could probably go on to track other journeys for at least another couple of months using the same tracking configuration, or years using a lower tracking transmission setting.
Find out more about SmartOneQueclink GL200
The GL200 performed well in open spaces. However, it did miss a few tracking points when travelling through remote areas in the mountains.
Although it is not essential for messages to transmit even in areas with no GSM coverage, the Queclink is a great value option as the device and airtime are low priced compared to satellite options.
The GL200 is the best device for covert tracking. The small size of the tracker could easily be placed underneath a car using its magnetic mount without the driver knowing to track the journey.
Find out more about the Queclink GL200
All three devices proved to be reliable throughout the trip. Additionally, they could be used in a wide variety of situations whether you are travelling on foot, by bike, car, plane or hang glider. This is incredible useful for some of our more adventurous customers!
