[random @ Dec 19th 2005 1:38AM]

Engadget needs to start calling out the lies made by most of these GPS tracking companies. Like most of the other manufacturers of these devices, QinetiQ is lying like a dog. What they have is not a GPS tracker, it's a cell phone.

The truth is, most companies advertising "GPS" trackers are lying, they are not selling GPS trackers. Most of these them are using stripped down cell phones to triangulate position. Any cell phone can triangulate the users position by referencing the known position of 3 or more cell phone towers. But used as an illicit tracker, cell phones have real problems.

GPS works Everywhere, cell phone networks do not. And you can only suppose they've contracted for service with a single, specific cell phone provider. Leave the range of that provider, and the tracker would be worthless. I guess because these devices can return location coordinates in the "GPS format", they must think it's ok to call them GPS trackers. But the devices never ever gather any data from the constellation of GPS satellites, and have absolutely nothing to do with GPS. It is horribly false advertising for them to call these things "GPS trackers".

The number 1 way to identify a Non-GPS tracker is to read through the marketing spiel. We can look at QinetiQ's claims to see a common example:

"QinetiQ proven HS GPS Q20 technology delivers a high degree of availability, both indoors and outdoors".

There it is, "indoors". If it works inside, underneath, or out of sight, it's not GPS. Real GPS doesn't work inside or underneath cars. Real GPS Requires an antenna in direct visual contact with the sky. I have seen a very few devices that use both GPS and the cell phone network. But this device, it's small size, and low power claims make me think there is no way in hell it's using real GPS.

As for the posts above referencing Phrak's GPS jammer, it's not really necessary. Since it seems most of the market in GPS trackers is being overrun by these cell-phone things, one should only need to buy a regular old cell phone jammer to shut them down. (commonly available outside the US) And I would gather that most law enforcement types would prefer the cell phone trackers because they can be placed under or inside cars. And because most criminals are not sophisticated enough to know how to jam them.