Bluetooth Trackers Vs. GPS Trackers: What’s the Difference

There are two types of locators on the market to monitor and track objects, people, or animals: Bluetooth trackers and GPS trackers. While they may seem similar at first glance, the operation of these devices has important differences.

What are Bluetooth trackers?

Bluetooth trackers are small devices that attach to important objects that should not be lost from sight. They are usually used to avoid losing your keys or wallet.

The tracker works thanks to an App on which you can view the position of the object to which the device has been hooked. Smartphones and trackers are connected to each other via Bluetooth.

If the object on which the device is attached falls and disappears from view, it is possible to activate from the App an alarm sound coming from the tracker that will help those who have lost the object to find it. Some devices record on a map the last position the device was in before losing the connection.

In this way, returning to that area, it may be possible to find the object. A useful feature of the Bluetooth tracker is to send an alert notification to the Smartphone if the object on which the device is placed has been forgotten.

It is a very comfortable device, but with limitations. The common idea is that you can use it to track objects from any distance. It is not so. The range of action of the Bluetooth tracking device is about 30-40 meters, outside of which it is no longer possible to connect with the App for monitoring.

It is therefore impossible to use it to monitor your company’s vehicles. This type of device is best suited for everyday objects that must always be at hand.

How to choose a Bluetooth tracking device?

Given their very simple nature, the factors to be evaluated before buying the best look for keys for your needs are not numerous. However, they all have great importance for the user experience that you will have with a particular model, so it is important to be able to have all the bases to be able to evaluate them with knowledge of the facts.

Battery

Battery life is also very important because using a key finder with a dead battery is just like not having one at all. Some models, especially those that use Bluetooth, are even sealed and must be completely replaced at the end of the integrated battery charge. Generally speaking, the average duration of this type of key finder is about one year: our advice is to choose a model that includes a low battery warning.

Dimensions

Size is also important, as it is inconvenient to use an oversized key tracker. It is also true, however, that larger models correspond to more performing batteries, and it is, therefore, important to be able to choose a product that is characterized by the right balance between these two factors.

Scope

Before buying a key finder, it is also important to evaluate its range. The models currently on sale have a range of about 40m: it is an essential factor to evaluate, in order to be sure of succeeding in finding what has been lost.

Sound Emitter

It is important that the key finder is equipped with a speaker or a sound emitter that is able to emit a sound signal powerful enough to be heard even if it is hidden under pillows or inside a piece of furniture. It is a vitally important factor, especially if the product is to be used by people with hearing problems.

How does the GPS tracker work?

The GPS device, on the other hand, works over long distances and is used to track people or animals in motion and, more frequently, vehicles. This type of tracker is also small so that it can be easily installed on any type of object.

To work, the device must be integrated with a SIM card for the tracker to connect to the Internet. Then, the GPS locator, once installed on the vehicle, communicates its position, visible thanks to an App for Smartphones or via PC. In the most sophisticated devices, the GPS signal is uninterrupted and the coverage is international, so, for example, if the vehicle is stolen and leaves national borders, its owner can also track it abroad.

There are many models of GPS trackers available on the market. The best GPS trackers are the ones that guarantee these services:

• Complete monitoring: The device must detect the position in real-time 24 hours a day, collect the mileage history for analyzing the vehicle and future routes and stops
• Cloud service: Which must include all the data collected by the complete monitoring service and be safe and accessible at any time;
• Worldwide coverage: To be able to track vehicles even outside international soil at no additional cost;
• Engine block: In case of theft or anomaly to remotely inhibit the ignition of the vehicle;
• Technical assistance: It is always useful to have a support service to ask for;
• Guarantee: In case of unexpected malfunctions of the tracker.

Bluetooth Trackers and GPS Trackers – Which One Is Better?

If you are wondering which is the best device, consider that both can be useful, but for different purposes. So, before buying them, you need to understand what activities you will need them for.

If you want to keep track of keys, wallet and valuables, the Bluetooth tracker is the right choice. If you want to track objects over long distances such as moving vehicles, it is better to opt for a GPS tracker. Once you have identified the most useful device for you, you will only have to think about choosing which GPS tracker to buy.