GPS Trackers
How to choose a GPS tracker
Start with what you are tracking
A vehicle tracker can be hardwired for permanent power or magnetic for quick placement on your own car. A tracker for a child or an older relative is usually a watch or pendant with an SOS button and two-way calling. A pet tracker attaches to a collar and needs to be light and waterproof. An asset tracker prioritises battery life over update frequency, because equipment does not move most of the time. A Bluetooth tag is the cheapest way in, but it only reports when a phone passes nearby.
Reporting interval decides the battery
A tracker that reports every ten seconds tells you almost exactly where something is. One that reports every ten minutes tells you roughly where it was. The radio is the part that empties the battery, so quoted battery figures almost always assume the longest reporting interval and a handful of position fixes a day. A unit advertised at several months on a charge may run for a fortnight at live tracking rates. Read the stated interval alongside the stated battery life, and size for the interval you will actually use. Hardwired vehicle trackers avoid the question entirely.
Compare the types
 Car and fleet |  Kids and elderly |  Pets |  Equipment |  Bluetooth tags | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitted to | Wired in, plugged into the OBD port, or magnetic | Worn as a watch or carried as a pendant | Clipped to the collar | Fixed or magnetic on the item | Keys, a bag, a bike |
| Power | Vehicle power, or a battery on magnetic units | Rechargeable, a few days between charges | Rechargeable, days to a couple of weeks | Battery sized for months to years | Replaceable cell, no charging |
| Reports | Live map and trip history over 4G | Live map, SOS and calling over 4G | Live map and a leaves the area alert over 4G | On a schedule, with tamper and movement alerts | Only when a phone passes nearby |
| Needs a SIM | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Suits | Your own car, ute or fleet | A child walking to school, a parent living alone | A dog that roams, a cat that wanders | A trailer, machine, container or toolbox | Things that get misplaced rather than stolen |
| Range | Car GPS trackers | Kids and elderly | Pet trackers | Asset trackers | Bluetooth tracker tag |
Buying guides
GPS Tracker Buying Guide AustraliaHow it gets power decides everything
The battery numbers, and why they disagreeJump to this section of the GPS Tracker Buying Guide
Related
Car GPS Trackers Asset Trackers Pet GPS Trackers Personal GPS Trackers GPS Trackers for Elderly GPS Trackers for Kids Kids GPS Watches GPS Tracker Detectors
Common questions
Does it need a SIM card?
Every tracker that reports over the mobile network needs a SIM with data, and that data costs something. Some units include a SIM and bundle the cost into a plan; others take any Australian prepaid SIM, which usually works out cheaper but means you manage the top ups. The two questions that matter are what happens if you stop paying, and whether the SIM can be replaced. A unit that takes any SIM keeps working as long as there is credit on it. Bluetooth tags have no SIM at all and rely on phones passing nearby.
How accurate is it?
Typically within a few metres outdoors. Accuracy drops indoors and under dense bush canopy, and a tracker with no view of the sky, deep inside a steel body or a container, may report the nearest cell tower instead.
Will it work in the back country?
Only where there is mobile coverage. Coverage is good on main routes and thin in parts of the back country. A tracker out of coverage stores its positions and uploads them when it reconnects, so the history survives even when the live view does not.
Will an older 3G tracker still work?
No. Australia no longer has a 3G network, so a 3G tracker cannot be reconnected. Every tracker on this page that uses a mobile network is 4G.
Is it legal to use a GPS tracker in Australia? Australian law
Tracking your own vehicle, boat, trailer, tools or stock is lawful, and so is tracking a child or a dependent adult you are responsible for. Surveillance devices laws differ by state and territory, and tracking another adult or their vehicle without their consent is generally not allowed. If a vehicle is shared, tell the other driver the tracker is fitted, and only use a tracker's microphone for conversations you are part of.