GPS Locator for a Person or Vehicle

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We live in a time where you can track a car, a driver and even speed by using GPS tracking. This is a technology that is in huge demand, and it is not just because of higher rates of theft; but also due to technological advances and frankly, people “just want to know”.

vectuFBI reports show that in 2014, approximately 700,000 vehicles were stolen in the United States. This equates to a vehicle being stolen about every 46 seconds. Additionally, estimates from the U.S. Department of Justice show that approximately 2,000 children are reported missing each day. However, if you could track your vehicles and your children with one cheap, inconspicuous device, we can all change these statistics.

Tracking Devices are Available and Affordable

Fortunately, companies such as Aspenta’s Vectu Portable Vehicle Tracker have created a comprehensive range of products that include vehicle and personal tracking, and these products offer a high level peace of mind at an affordable price. People such as parents who have students abroad, the caretakers of children or the elderly, or even those who want to monitor their motor vehicles locally or far away, all can stay connected when using Vectu.

Today, your peace of mind is more affordable than ever, and these devices are some of the best portable GPS/GSM vehicle tracking systems. The issue with most of the tracking systems available is that they come with expensive monitoring fees. This is not the case, however, with the Vectu system.

Details About the Vectu Vehicle Tracking System

 The Vectu system is quite affordable, and there is never any monthly fee. The first annual service fee is included in the cost of the device, and after that, the cost is only $36 each year. This system has the following features:

  • Service fee includes free roaming and worldwide coverage.
  • Live vehicle tracking with updates every minute when the person, vehicle or luggage is in motion.
  • Small tracker that can be concealed when necessary. It is smaller than a smartphone.
  • Has an arm feature that creates an alert instantly should the vehicle move from where it was left.
  • The ability to connect several devices to your account with no limit.
  • Instant phone and email alerts for up to five people.
  • Alerts to notify you if excessive speed is discovered.
  • Easy to set up. This system works with both Android and Apple devices.

This is one of; if not the most cost effective GPS locators I’ve seen. It’s easy to set up, intuitive and it definitely works well.

How to safely travel in a Car

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Before embarking on a road trip with a car full of kids, make sure everything about the vehicle is in top working condition, including the windshield wipers, A/C, heat, fluid levels, seatbelts and lights (exterior and interior).

Hopefully you’ll have a GPS; make sure that works, too; they’ve been known to malfunction. Have a backup mobile GPS app too.

While on the road you may hear a lot of “Are we there yet”s. Feel free to announce, “Next one who asks are we there yet will have to do 20 pushups.” Just kidding, but seriously, come up some way to discourage any nagging if it bugs you enough. Kids iPads loaded with family moves and a good headset are the best tool ever invented for parents. My Aunt used to have a yard stick on the dash. Us kids still have scars from it. I wish we had iPads!

  • If you’ll be driving in a foreign country, make sure you have everything you need in the car that the country requires.
  • Have emergency supplies: first aid kit, nutrition bars, flares, flashlight, pepper spray (check laws), blankets, water, motion sickness tablets, etc.
  • Don’t load the kids empty-handed; give them coloring books, crossword puzzles and other age-appropriate word games, 3D puzzles that will keep them occupied for extended periods trying to figure them out, etc.
  • Give older kids (8-10) a long word that you can make a ton of words out of, such as “Transportation.” Arm them with a pencil and paper on a clipboard and give them a command to “Go” once you’re on the road. Who will have formed the most words by the time you get to your first rest stop? Every word formed gets them a dime. This will pretty much guarantee stillness and quiet among the participants.
  • Do not tolerate resistance to seatbelts. “The car won’t start till everyone’s buckled up.”
  • Pack snacks such as raisins, bananas, apples and nuts.
  • Take a rest stop at least every hour to 90 minutes. Not only do the kids need to get out and move, but remaining cramped in a car for extended periods can lead to a blood clot in the adults’ legs!
  • Sing-alongs? I don’t know. Not my thing.
  • Avoid loud music; the driver needs to hear sirens and honking horns. Unless it’s Led Zeppelin.
  • Forbid screaming, yelling and hitting. Such can cause you to lose control of the car or miss an exit. Issue all the rules before you even get the vehicle out of the driveway.
  • And last but not least, everyone must relieve themselves prior to traveling whether they feel a need or not…before getting into the car.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

Amber Alert GPS: Say Hello to Smart Affordable Child Locators

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The AmberAlert GPS,  is “The Intelligent Way to Keep Families Connected and Safe”,  today unveiled an infographic that explains how Smart Locators make it easier for families to stay connected and protected.  In the course of raising a family, over 90% of parents will at some point lose track of a child.  Kids are curious beings, so it’s not surprising that every 40 seconds a child goes missing in the US and close to 50% of autistic kids wander each year.  These panic stricken moments are usually the result of a child misunderstanding directions, being lost, running or wandering away.

With today’s busy schedules and dual-working parents, it’s not only about locating the whereabouts of family members that’s important, but also staying connected. Smart Locators, unlike tracking devices, have two key additional functions.  In addition to providing the known location of a person, they have 2-way mobile voice capability, and can be pre-programmed to send specific types of alerts to parents and caregivers.

“These are important distinctions”, said Alan Baratz, CEO of Amber Alert GPS.  “Tracking a set of car keys or a misplaced phone is very different from knowing the location of a person. The ability to receive an alert when, for example, your child is entering or leaving a designated area, or is within 500 feet of a registered sex offender’s home can provide invaluable information to a parent.  For little kids who are still too young for a cell phone, a smart locator allows them, with the push of a button, to get a hold of you or send an SOS alert if they feel threatened.  From a kids perspective, it’s like a modern day walkie-talkie, but so much more powerful”.

“Preventing the wandering away or loss of our kids is priceless,” said Robert Siciliano, a national expert on personal security. “A lot can happen in five minutes when dealing with a child. Making sure the device provides GPS reporting on a five minute interval without draining the battery, is crucial. Using an innovative tool like the Amber Alert GPS Smart Locator, enables families to easily locate loved ones and keep track of their kids anytime, from anywhere”.

The Amber Alert GPS Smart Locator is a trusted device used by thousands of families and caregivers nationwide, in a variety of ways.  It not only provides peace of mind for kids going to-and-from school, but is also used by families during sleepovers, after-school sports practice, playing on the beach and traveling internationally.  Furthermore, family members prone to wandering due to autism, Alzheimer’s and other disabilities, use the Amber Alert GPS Smart locator as an additional set of eyes and ears.

The same level of innovation that goes into the Amber Alert GPS Smart Locator is also used in the accompanying smartphone mobile apps. Available on iPhone® and Android™, they allow you to keep track of your kids anytime, from anywhere. Families can download the free mobile app and purchase the Amber Alert GPS smart locator here or at AT&T stores nationwide. In addition, Amber Alert GPS is making it more affordable than ever for families nationwide to purchase a smart locator. For a limited time, families who purchase an Amber Alert GPS smart locator from AT&T will receive $100 bill credit from AT&T when they activate a new line of service – at less than $30 dollars for the smart locator, it’s a great way for families to stay connected and safe.

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Geolocation Technology; Please Stalk and Rob Me

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Technology is meant to make life easier, safer and in some cases fun-er. Geolocation is supposed to make you save a few bucks on discounts when you “check in” at participating retail stores and gather “points”. It is also supposed to tell your friends and followers via geo-tagging that you just snapped a photo somewhere.  However there is nothing “safe” about this technology.

Geolocation can be used on a PC but is primarily used with a mobile phone. The geolocation software gets its data from your PCs IP address or your phones GPS longitude and latitude. It’s actually a nifty “tool” and a smart use of available technologies.

Some companies have even adopted the technology calling it “GPS Dating” for singles on the dating scene and help a person find someone local to them whenever and wherever. These same sites have photos and descriptions of the person which makes it that much easier to “find” the person. I did a spot on Good Morning America here discussing the security implications of GPS Dating.

With geolocation, the value in this technology for the bad guy is to determine where you are and where you are not. They can get a full profile of your itinerary all day every day. Someone who is paying unwanted attention to you gets every address you are at when you “check in”.

Extreme problems arising with these technologies as they pertain to GPS are with women in domestic violence situations when the woman heads to a shelter; the first thing the shelter does is take the battery out of the phone and/or turn it off so the abuser doesn’t show up at the shelter.

Thieves use geolocation to determine if you are home or not then use that data to plan a home burglary. I had a chance to appear on the CBS Early Show to discuss a gelocation site that revealed ones location away from home and its impact on personal security.

Stalkers who use the phones GPS are usually someone close to the victim like a family member or ex- boyfriend/girlfriend that has the capability of turning on tracking. If you suspect your phone’s GPS has been activated by the carrier then call to find out. If you don’t’ like the feature turned on, request it be turned off or shut it off in your phone.

The bottom line is geolocation could pose a privacy threat. Information collected through geolocation is particularly sensitive, since it can allow an adult or child to be physically contacted wherever he or she is, at any time.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing GPS Dating Security on Good Morning America. Disclosures.

Stalkers Exploiting Mobile Phones

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Mobile phone GPS (global positioning system) is often accurate in less than 100 feet. Many mobile apps work with GPS to inform you of local restaurants, banks, gas stations and attractions. Mobile phone GPS is also being used for driving navigation too, but I don’t find it as effective.

In this amazing age of progressive technology the uses seem unlimited. The good guy often finds out what he can do to improve his life with technology and the bad guy uses it to ruin others.

A U.S. Justice Department report last year estimated that more than 25,000 adults in the U.S. are victims of GPS stalking annually, including by cell phone.

The Wall Street Journal reports “The Federal Communications Commission required U.S. cellular providers to make at least 95% of the phones in their networks traceable by satellite or other technologies by the end of 2005. The agency’s intention was to make it easier for people in emergencies to get help. GPS chips send signals to satellites that enable police and rescue workers to locate a person.”

Mobile phone GPS can generally be activated in 2 ways. First, phone carriers offer a service to track the phone for a monthly fee. The service acts to find the phone if it’s lost or to be used by parent or a spouse to keep tabs on their families. Employers often activate GPS to locate employees. Once activated the carrier sends a text message to the phone alerting the person they are being tracked via the phones GPS. The person paying the bill who is responsible for the contract is usually the person who can turn on tracking.

Second, mobile phone spyware. Software is installed on the phone that allows for another level of “keeping tabs”. The software will locate the phone via GPS and also keep track of all the text messages and phone calls too. In this scenario spyware is most often installed manually by someone who has access to the device. Otherwise in rare instances it can be installed remotely.

“Stalkers” who use the phones GPS are usually someone close to the victim like a family member or ex- boyfriend/girlfriend that has the capability of turning on tracking.

If you suspect your phone’s GPS has been activated by the carrier then call to find out. If you don’t’ like the feature turned on, request it be turned off or get another phone under your own name. If you believe the phone has been compromised by spyware then call your carrier and request they walk you through the process of reinstalling the phones operating system. This will wipe away any spyware that tracks via GPS.

Robert Siciliano personal security expert to Home Security Source discussing mobile phone spyware on Good Morning America. Disclosures.