Recently, there has been tremendous growth in the world of GPS tracking in various applications, from fleet management to personal asset tracking. However, one crucial aspect that new entrants in the market often overlook is the data usage associated with GPS trackers. Understanding how much data your tracker uses and how to optimize it can lead to significant cost savings in your business and better performance overall. Today, we’ll delve into the factors that influence GPS tracker data usage, such as report rate, and give you insights into the best configuration settings for various tracking needs.
Factors Influencing GPS Tracker Data Usage
The data usage of a GPS tracker depends on several key factors:
- Report Rate (Update Frequency)
- Speed Delta (Speed Change Reporting)
- Angle Change Reporting
- Ignition Off Report Rate
By fine-tuning these parameters, you can optimize your GPS tracker’s performance while minimizing data consumption.
1. Report Rate (Update Frequency)
Report rate refers to how often the GPS tracker sends location updates to the server. This is the primary factor that influences data usage.
- High Frequency (e.g., every 10 seconds): The tracker sends data more often, which increases accuracy but also consumes more data. This setting is ideal for real-time tracking scenarios, such as monitoring a fleet of vehicles in high-traffic areas.
- Low Frequency (e.g., every 5 minutes): Less data is transmitted, which reduces data usage but may result in less precise tracking. This is suitable for scenarios where constant monitoring is not required, such as tracking stationary assets.
Best Practice: For most applications, a report rate of 30 seconds to 1 minute strikes a good balance between data usage and location accuracy. However, this should be adjusted based on the specific needs of your business.
2. Speed Delta (Speed Change Reporting)
Speed delta is a setting that triggers the GPS tracker to send an update when a significant change in speed is detected.
- Low Speed Delta (e.g., 5 km/h): The tracker reports any slight speed changes, leading to higher data usage.
- High Speed Delta (e.g., 20 km/h): The tracker reports only when there is a substantial change in speed, which reduces data consumption.
Best Practice: A speed delta of 10 km/h is often recommended for most applications. It ensures that significant speed changes are reported without overloading the server with minor fluctuations.
3. Angle Change Reporting
Angle change reporting is a feature that sends an update when the vehicle or asset changes direction beyond a certain angle.
- Low Angle Threshold (e.g., 10°): Any slight change in direction triggers a report, increasing data usage.
- High Angle Threshold (e.g., 45°): Only significant changes in direction are reported, conserving data.
Best Practice: An angle change threshold of 30° to 45° is usually effective for maintaining accurate tracking while keeping data usage in check. This is particularly useful for vehicles making frequent turns.
4. Ignition Off Report Rate
The ignition off report rate determines how often the GPS tracker sends updates when the vehicle’s ignition is off.
- High Frequency: Frequent updates are sent even when the vehicle is stationary, leading to increased data usage.
- Low Frequency: Fewer updates are sent, conserving data while still providing essential information.
Best Practice: For fleet management, setting a low report rate when the ignition is off (e.g., every 1-2 hours) is sufficient to monitor parked vehicles without excessive data usage.
Balancing Data Usage and Tracking Accuracy
The key to optimizing GPS tracker data usage lies in balancing the need for accurate, real-time information with the cost of data transmission.
- For High-Precision Needs: Such as real-time fleet tracking in urban areas, configure your trackers with a higher report rate (10-30 seconds), lower speed delta, and lower angle change threshold. This will provide detailed movement data but at the cost of higher data usage.
- For Low-Precision Needs: Like monitoring stationary assets or vehicles in rural areas, opt for a lower report rate (1-5 minutes), higher speed delta, and higher angle change threshold. This reduces data usage significantly while still providing essential tracking information.
Conclusion
In the rapidly evolving world of GPS technology, staying informed and making data-driven decisions about your configuration settings can lead to substantial savings and improved operational efficiency.
You may need expert input in setting up your configurations for the perfect balance between data usage and tracking accuracy to bring down your business running costs. Sign up for a free trial on our website and reach out to our experienced team members. Your free trial account will have full functionality including; demo units, integration with actual devices, full web app re-branding, technical support, and training.
Whether you’re managing a large fleet or tracking personal assets, we’ll help you understand these factors will help you make the most of your GPS tracking system.
