If you are looking for a way to track your belongings, pets or vehicle, you will quickly come across two types of technology: the GPS tracker and the Bluetooth tracker. Both have their own way of working, advantages and limitations. In this article we explain how they work, what you can do with them and when each option is the best choice.
A GPS tracker uses a network of satellites that orbit the earth. The device receives signals from several satellites at the same time and, based on these, calculates its exact position on earth. That position is then sent via a mobile network, usually 4G, to an app on your smartphone or an online platform. All of this happens in virtually real time, which means you can see where the device is at any moment.
Because a GPS tracker uses satellites and mobile networks, it works worldwide. Whether the device is in the next street or on the other side of the country, its location is always available as long as there is mobile coverage. That makes a GPS tracker particularly suitable for applications where large distances need to be bridged.
A GPS tracker usually offers an extensive range of features. The most commonly used function is real-time tracking, allowing you to follow the location of the device continuously on a map. In addition, most GPS trackers store a history of routes, so you can see afterwards which journeys have been made.
Geofencing is another popular feature: you set a virtual boundary around a certain area, and as soon as the device crosses that boundary, you immediately receive a notification on your phone. Some models also have a motion sensor that sends an alert when the device unexpectedly starts to move, which is handy for theft protection. For vehicles, there are also models that monitor driving behaviour, such as speed and hard braking.
A Bluetooth tracker works in a fundamentally different way. Instead of satellites, the device uses Bluetooth to connect to nearby smartphones. When a phone with the accompanying app comes near the tracker, the location of the tracker is automatically passed on to the owner. With popular systems such as Apple AirTag or Tile, this happens via a large network of users: millions of phones act as anonymous receivers that relay the position of your tracker without the other users noticing anything.
Bluetooth trackers are small, light and affordable. They do not need a SIM card and often work for years on a single small button-cell battery. This makes them extremely suitable for hiding in a wallet, bag or key ring.
The features of a Bluetooth tracker are deliberately kept simple. The basic function is making the tracker ring via the app, so you can quickly find a lost item if it is somewhere in the house. Via the app you can also see the last known location of the tracker, including the time at which that location was recorded.
Some models also work the other way around: if you have lost your phone, you can press the tracker to make your phone ring. In addition, many Bluetooth trackers offer a separation alarm, which notifies you if you are about to leave the tracker behind, for example if you forget your bag in a restaurant.
This is where the big difference with a GPS tracker lies, and it is important to understand these limitations properly before you make a choice.
The most important limitation is the range. Bluetooth has an effective range of roughly ten to thirty metres. Outside that range you immediately lose the connection. The location you see in the app is therefore not the current position, but the last known location at the moment when a phone was still nearby. If your bike is stolen and the thief cycles a neighbourhood further away, you will only see where the bike was, not where it is now.
The operation of the crowdsourced network sounds impressive, but is highly dependent on the density of users in a particular area. In busy cities it works reasonably well, but in rural areas, forests or less densely populated regions the network can be too thin to provide reliable location data. A GPS tracker does not have this problem, as long as there is mobile coverage.
Another disadvantage is that Bluetooth trackers do not offer real-time tracking. You do not see a moving dot on a map, but only snapshots of locations at moments when someone with the app was nearby. For finding lost keys at home that is fine, but for tracking a stolen vehicle or a runaway pet it falls short.
Finally, Bluetooth trackers offer no geofencing, no route history and no motion alerts. The functionality is deliberately kept limited, which makes them easy to use, but also less versatile.
A Bluetooth tracker is ideal if you want to find small, valuable items that you lose in or around your home, such as keys, a wallet or a remote control. They are cheap, maintenance-free and work for years without attention.
A GPS tracker is the better choice if you want to follow something or someone over greater distances, or if real-time location is really important. Think of securing a car or motorbike, monitoring a pet outside the garden, keeping an eye on valuable luggage while travelling or watching over a child or elderly person. The higher price and the subscription or SIM card that come with it are then more than justified.
GPS trackers and Bluetooth trackers complement each other, but are not replacements for one another. A Bluetooth tracker is a handy and affordable solution for finding lost items close to home. However, as soon as you are dealing with greater distances, moving objects or situations in which every minute counts, a GPS tracker is the only reliable choice. Once you understand the limitations of both technologies, you will always choose the right device for the right purpose.
