GPS tracker for the bike?

rodgers73
rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
edited February 2013 in Road general
I'd like a GPS tracker that can allow others to track my whereabouts via their smartphone or a website.

I have a Garmin Edge 705 but I have no idea if this allows 3rd parties to see where I am.

Any ideas on devices to purchase or how my Garmin could be used here?

Comments

  • Froomes Edgar
    Froomes Edgar Posts: 359
    Think the new 810 does it - failing that a smartphone will be able to do it somehow.
  • rodgers73
    rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
    Damn, was hoping to get something with a longer battery life than a smartphone offers, and a bit smaller too
  • Froomes Edgar
    Froomes Edgar Posts: 359
    Well whatever it is needs to connect to the internet, so thinking about it yer 810 must go via your phone anyway.
  • rodgers73
    rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
    Looks like there are some devices that rely on a SIM card sending regular texts to a set list of phone numbers. Sounds good but reviews are mixed. Anyone had any experience of these?
  • birdie23
    birdie23 Posts: 457
    You should just be able to use your Edge 705. What site do you want to use?

    In the case of Strava just download the Garmin Connector plugin and hook your Edge up via USB, go to Strava's upload page and it should find your Garmin and any activities on it.

    Happy riding!
    2012 Cube Agree GTC
  • Froomes Edgar
    Froomes Edgar Posts: 359
    birdie23 wrote:
    You should just be able to use your Edge 705. What site do you want to use?

    In the case of Strava just download the Garmin Connector plugin and hook your Edge up via USB, go to Strava's upload page and it should find your Garmin and any activities on it.

    Happy riding!

    Thats not what was asked
  • birdie23
    birdie23 Posts: 457
    Froomes Edgar wrote:
    birdie23 wrote:
    You should just be able to use your Edge 705. What site do you want to use?

    In the case of Strava just download the Garmin Connector plugin and hook your Edge up via USB, go to Strava's upload page and it should find your Garmin and any activities on it.

    Happy riding!

    Thats not what was asked

    Ah my bad, I misread and didn't get the live update aspect. Sorry :(
    2012 Cube Agree GTC
  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 17,496
    haven't tried one, but these have been around for a while now...

    http://www.integratedtrackers.com/GPSTrack/Spybike.jsp

    they do others as well
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • tiredofwhiners
    tiredofwhiners Posts: 598
    rodgers73 wrote:
    Damn, was hoping to get something with a longer battery life than a smartphone offers, and a bit smaller too

    I doubt this will be an issue unless you are planning a truly dawn until dusk ride. An old iPhone will last 8+ hours in your back pocket, doing nothing but feeing Location information. No Apps, no battery drain - just install FindMyPhone and you can treat it as a lost phone and anyone with your information can log in and see where the phone is.

    Not sure about how a smartphone is too big either - it'll slide into a back pocket and you wouldn't know it was there.

    Or are you talking about other reasons, like having a dog collar with GPS tracker bult in ?
  • rodgers73
    rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
    No its for riding with but for longer than 8hrs - more like 2 days
  • Bustacapp
    Bustacapp Posts: 971
    install GYLMPSE onto a smartphone. Then anyone can track you LIVE via websites/phones etc.

    www.glympse.com

    As for the battery - recharge it when it runs out.
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    rodgers73 wrote:
    No its for riding with but for longer than 8hrs - more like 2 days
    External battery pack - weighs little and if you get a suitable sized one it can recharge a phone 2 or 3 times...
    If you don't use the phone for anything except location finding and that isn't hammered (ie those at home aren't refreshing every 30 seconds) then it'll last quite some time - 2 days would be fine.

    Just ensure you turn off everything that chews data except location then you're good to go.
  • navrig
    navrig Posts: 1,352
    I am just back from a skiing holiday during which I trialled using Strava to record a day's skiing. Couple of things to note:

    1. I couldn't start the app without having an internet connection so I had to turn on Data Roaming or start the recording before I left the chalet Wi-Fi zone. Not sure if this is the caes with other apps.

    2. The battery on the phone easily lasted all day just using the inbuilt GPS to track my location and progress. Almost 8 hours continuous logging used less than half a battery charge. That was with wifi and Data roaming both off, making no calls and sending only a few texts. This was an HTC One S.

    From my previous experience of a Blackberry, the minute you switch on the data connection the battery charge will plummet. I switched on Googles location application and drained my Blackberry battery in about 18 hours. Normally I would get 2-3 days out of a Blackberry (ours are not call enabled, SMS and Email only).

    I suspect that with current smartphone batteries you wont get more than one day of GPS tracking and location sharing without a recharge. Better to use GPS tracking and when possible send an SMS to those who want to know where you are.

    If you can get an app which allows you to control how often your location is shared and automatically turns the data connection on and off you may be able to achieve more than one day.
  • rodgers73
    rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
    I don't have a smartphone and don't want to use one. I'm looking for a device that allows others to track me either using a computer or their smartphone.

    Sorry, should have made that clearer.
  • Froomes Edgar
    Froomes Edgar Posts: 359
    rodgers73 wrote:
    I don't have a smartphone and don't want to use one. I'm looking for a device that allows others to track me either using a computer or their smartphone.

    Sorry, should have made that clearer.

    You could train a medium sized bird to follow you, and buy it a smartphone. Sorry - buy him/her a smartphone - after the training you'll develop a lasting bond.
  • chrisaonabike
    chrisaonabike Posts: 1,914
    Froomes Edgar wrote:
    Think the new 810 does it - failing that a smartphone will be able to do it somehow.
    Not without a phone as well it doesn't. It cannot connect to the phone network or tinternet on its own.

    For me, this is why the 810 is pointless - I can't do all that real time stuff without the phone as well, and I can do it with only the phone.

    I use Real Time GPS tracker on my S3, and then anyone I send the URL to can see where I am just by visiting the link.
    Is the gorilla tired yet?
  • Froomes Edgar
    Froomes Edgar Posts: 359
    ChrisAOnABike wrote:
    Froomes Edgar wrote:
    Think the new 810 does it - failing that a smartphone will be able to do it somehow.
    Not without a phone as well it doesn't. It cannot connect to the phone network or tinternet on its own.

    I know, which is why I posted just that about 20 minutes later
  • Gizmodo
    Gizmodo Posts: 1,928
    rodgers73 wrote:
    I don't have a smartphone and don't want to use one. I'm looking for a device that allows others to track me either using a computer or their smartphone.

    Sorry, should have made that clearer.
    GPS is a receive only system. A dozen satellites orbit the earth sending down a signal. A GPS device can listen for those signals and determine where you are.

    So now you need some other technology to send your position data to the Intenet to let someone else track you. The mobile phone network is the only data network that is portable and has very wide coverage. So you will need something that connects to the mobile phone network for data - something like a smart phone or tablet with a mobile phone SIM card (an iPad might look silly in your jersey pocket).
    Summer - Canyon Ultimate CF SLX 9.0 Team
    Winter - Trek Madone 3.5 2012 with UDi2 upgrade.
    For getting dirty - Moda Canon
  • Scozz76
    Scozz76 Posts: 27
    so how do animal trackers work? the ones they attach to birds or whales etc? These are small enough and presumably use hardly any power as they seem to last for months/years without recharging.
  • chrisaonabike
    chrisaonabike Posts: 1,914
    Froomes Edgar wrote:
    ChrisAOnABike wrote:
    Froomes Edgar wrote:
    Think the new 810 does it - failing that a smartphone will be able to do it somehow.
    Not without a phone as well it doesn't. It cannot connect to the phone network or tinternet on its own.

    I know, which is why I posted just that about 20 minutes later
    So you did, apols.
    Is the gorilla tired yet?
  • Gizmodo
    Gizmodo Posts: 1,928
    Scozz76 wrote:
    so how do animal trackers work? the ones they attach to birds or whales etc? These are small enough and presumably use hardly any power as they seem to last for months/years without recharging.
    They use UHF radio. The animal carries a GPS system that records their position and listens for a radio signal. When it receives the "go" signal by radio, the device transmits all it's data using UHF radio. That way the device isn't constantly transmitting, thus the battery can last for ages.

    So you need a person or fixed base station with a UHF transmitter/receiver in range to start and receive the data download.
    Summer - Canyon Ultimate CF SLX 9.0 Team
    Winter - Trek Madone 3.5 2012 with UDi2 upgrade.
    For getting dirty - Moda Canon
  • Scozz76
    Scozz76 Posts: 27
    hmm they sound expensive.... what sort of range would one of these transmitter/receivers have roughly?
  • Gizmodo
    Gizmodo Posts: 1,928
    Scozz76 wrote:
    hmm they sound expensive.... what sort of range would one of these transmitter/receivers have roughly?
    A few miles given line of sight, less if buildings etc get in the way.
    http://www.telemetrysolutions.com/track-wildlife/medium-mammal-gps-collars.php

    A smart phone is the logical solution for a cyclist.
    Summer - Canyon Ultimate CF SLX 9.0 Team
    Winter - Trek Madone 3.5 2012 with UDi2 upgrade.
    For getting dirty - Moda Canon
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    The animal ones send back via satellite link. You can get personal ones for this too - often used for offshore sailing. But it's possibly a bit ott for a bike ride. .

    I know someone who has a spot satellite messenger - he presses a button and it sends a text to designated contacts - he only needs sat signal - it doesn't rely on the mobile network at his end.
  • g00se
    g00se Posts: 2,221
    This lot do phone-enabled and stand-alone devices that track positions via GPS and satellite comms. A friend was looking at them for for use during a cycle tour across the middle east.

    http://www.findmespot.eu/en/index.php

    The devices are cheaper than some Garmins etc. but you may need to buy additional services on top.

    The devices look to be about £100-£150 and monitoring services about £100 per year (for personalised messages and online tracking).
  • Bustacapp
    Bustacapp Posts: 971
    Why don't you want to use a smartphone? It doesn't have to be that smart. It can be a little crappy phone that runs an app.

    Or is it because you covertly want to fit a tracking device to someone else?
  • rodgers73
    rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
    The cheap ones I've seen use a PAYG sim card to send text updates with a link to Google maps just not sure how accurate or reliable they are. Reviews are mixed.

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