Duke of Edinburgh supervisors and activity providers now want to provide additional protection for their expeditions, in response to demands from local education authorities and, at times, internal and government pressure. Many have found that some of these needs can be met by supplementing their existing best practices with GPS tracking technology. There are three main types of GPS tracking devices; GSM, Iridium and SPOT. They all have different capabilities and each have different costs of ownership. This is the third of three articles discussing the merits of each. This one is about GSM trackers for D of E.
GSM devices, such as SPOT and Iridium, triangulate your location from satellites, but broadcast your location over mobile networks. Some stream only on 2G and other trackers stream on 2G and 3G networks. 3G networks transmit data quickly, but the range of 3G masts is only a few km, while the range of 2G can be up to 10 km. Also, while it may appear that your mobile phone has no usable signal on a given mobile network in an area, a good quality GSM tracker will still be able to function normally as it only requires a weak 2G signal to work.
It is crucial for GSM trackers to be combined with a multi-network SIM card to give great performance. If, instead, you were to install a GSM tracker with a standard mobile SIM that is locked to a mobile network, then you won’t be able to broadcast if you go to an area where that network doesn’t have coverage. This is where multi-network SIMs come into play; depending on their type they will transmit on 2 or more networks, some 2G and some 2G and 3G. It is essential to ask your GSM tracker provider about the SIM cards they use.
1) Does the SIM card work on all mobile networks in the country where it is intended to be used?
2) Does the SIM work abroad?
3) Does the tracker/SIM work only on 2G, or does it also work on 3G?
In terms of UK usage, the 4 Network Multi-Network SIM GSM Trackers will work in all popular dispatch areas for D of E; such as the Lake District, Peak District, Dartmoor and Exmoor. There may be small gaps in coverage, but they are usually small. Only very remote areas, such as the more remote areas of the Cairngorms of Scotland, would get good value for money from an Iridium or SPOT.
The next question comes down to hardware. There are many GSM trackers, and not all of them are good. First let’s deal with those of questionable reliability and operations. People are often tempted by a bargain; tempted to buy a cheap tracker from an auction site or Amazon marketplace, for less than £50. These units are often advertised as pet, child or “senior” trackers. Almost all of them are of Chinese origin, and the instructions that come with them often make it difficult to set them up. They usually fall short of expectations when users realize that they can often only share their location when sent an SMS, resulting in a reply SMS, providing only a link to a static view of Google Maps. There are some devices that provide a login to a website, where the location can be viewed on Google Maps. The reliability of these devices is usually very intermittent. Sometimes the servers they send the data to are not available, because most of the tracker data is sent to servers hosted in China. Due to the nature of location-based data and protection concerns, Duke of Edinburgh supervisors should seek the advice of a school security advisor and check their LEA policy to see if it is appropriate for data from location about your charges being stored off. from the EU
If you rent or buy your trackers from a reputable retailer, which hosts data within the EU, a major security hurdle is immediately cleared. Expedition Tracking GPS retailers will host the data on UK or EU servers and then display that data on Google, Openstreet Maps or Ordnance Survey Maps. Some of those types of maps require additional licenses that are typically covered by rental fees or may require an additional monthly premium.
Mobile data is considerably less expensive than satellite data, so a typical monthly contract will cost less than £10 per month (versus £25 – £35 for SPOT and Iridium). Some companies’ GSM trackers can be used on a pay-as-you-go basis, so you only pay for the months that are used, and the contract can be “hibernated” for a small fee outside of those months. So a typical D of E season should cost the school less than £70 per tracker, which is a fraction of the cost of a SPOT or Iridium over a year.
GSM trackers update much faster than SPOT and Iridium; usually every 90 seconds, but can be set to update as fast as once every 15 seconds, although that’s more common for fast-moving cycling or motorsport events. GSM trackers will transmit when under dense tree cover and often while still in buildings. They can also be remotely reset or programmed, which SPOT and Iridium cannot. GSM units have an SOS button that can be programmed to perform any action required. A good provider will usually associate the SOS button with a multi-recipient SMS service of your choosing. Each recipient will receive the SOS SMS, detailing the time and location of the GPS unit requesting help.
Garmin Iridium trackers are powered by built-in lithium batteries. It is set to update once every 2 minutes, a standard 1300 Mah battery unit will last 4-5 days. A 2000 – 2600 Mah battery powered GSM tracker will last 6-10 days. All GSM trackers can be recharged from mains USB, solar chargers or power banks, usually in less than 3 hours.
GSM trackers are the most popular option for the UK Duke of Edinburgh GPS expeditions Schools deploy hundreds every day during the D of E season. The low cost of renting or owning makes them attractive, along with their fast update speeds and high reliability. The key to remember is not to buy into the myth that GSM trackers don’t work in remote areas of the UK. That is simply false in most cases. Always check with a supplier that retails all models, and they will tell you which one is best for you.