If you’re considering placing a tracker on your vehicle, there are many factors to take into account to ensure that you get the best results. In this post, we’ll take a look at some tips for effective placement of a Cobra tracker, the type of GPS tracking device that can be easily attached to your car.
The first thing to keep in mind is that you need to do some testing before you place the tracker on your vehicle. Vehicles are made in different ways, with some having more plastic and others having metal frames. Doing some testing on your own vehicle will give you a good idea of what challenges you may run into when you start placing the Cobra tracker.
One factor to take into consideration is the height of the vehicle. If you place the tracker underneath the vehicle, the signals from GPS satellites have to travel underneath the vehicle to be received by the antenna in the device. The angle of that signal reflection off the ground is impacted by the height of the vehicle. Therefore, the lower the vehicle, the harder it may be for the GPS unit to receive a signal underneath the vehicle.
You should also consider the location where you’ll place the tracker. Don’t just stick it anywhere without proper consideration. There are several options for placement, such as underneath the rail, inside the vehicle, or on top of the vehicle. For example, you could stick the device underneath the rail, but that’s metal which is going to block a GPS signal. However, the signals will go underneath the vehicle and reflect around and get picked up to determine a location on this tracking unit.
One good option is to place the device in the metal bumper if there’s enough room. By doing this, you can tuck it back in and the casual observer would have no idea that there’s a tracker there. By placing the tracking device in different locations on different vehicles, you can start to understand where it’s going to work and where it’s not going to work before you try to deploy the device in a cobra tracking scenario.
When it comes to adhering the device to the vehicle, there are a couple of different options. You can use rare earth magnets or attach it with epoxy. Some devices on the market come with Pelican cases that you can put the unit in, but the Cobra tracker is rugged and can be equipped with a solar panel, which will help recharge the batteries and keep them going for a longer period of time.
In summary, the most important thing about covert tracking is to test it on different vehicles and get a feel for where it will work best. You don’t want to put it in a place that gets marginal reception and then lose the subjects you’re trying to track. If you’re interested in using a Cobra tracker, we’d be happy to talk to you about it. Give us a call at Fleetistic or visit us at ForaGPS.com.