Personal GPS tracker advice
| Author | Date | Message |
|---|---|---|
| Graham Champ | May 24 2017, 6:06pm | I am looking for a relatively cheap personal GPS tracking device so that when I am on a long run or cycle that my other half can see where I am (she worries too much). The spot is too expensive & ideally I don't want a monthly subscription. On the other end of the scale I know with Google maps you can share your location with someone but with 3G Internet & location active on the phone it eats the battery & I want to keep the phone for emergencies. Any thoughts, advice or experience is all welcome. |
| Mike Jordan | May 24 2017, 10:40pm | Viewranger is free navigation/GPS tracking app (though you have to pay for maps) for using on a smartphone. It has something called 'buddy beacon' which sounds exactly like what you're looking for. Maybe someone who uses it could advise as to how well it works? http://www.viewranger.com/buddybeacon/v2/#userbar_top |
| Jason Dowling | May 24 2017, 11:09pm | Hi Graham, As Mike has suggested, I use the Viewranger app. with the Buddy Beacon. You setup a PIN and a person can track you by entering your e-mail address and PIN. It's very good for the Wicklow mountains (I'm with Vodafone) and I can get well over 8 hours out of a full battery (Galaxy S5). I also carry a spare phone battery with me just in case. I've looked into personal GPS trackers etc. and to be honest, I think the viewranger option is the best one. When I started using it, I would ask the person tracking me to send me a screenshot of the map to confirm where I was and it was spot on every time (even at places like Art's lough and Kelly's Lough). They rarely lost coverage of where I was but there are a few 'dead' spots with no coverage but they're relatively small. Would definitely recommend trying it out. |
| Paul Smyth | May 25 2017, 12:51pm | If you have an iPhone you can turn on Share My Location and they can track you online once they have an Apple ID (Free). |
| Graham Champ | May 26 2017, 11:58am | Thanks for the advice guys. I think I will have a play about with Viewrange so. |
