Track Any IPhone, Android or Car GPS Tracker

Using this guide you will be able to track any iPhone, Android or Car GPS tracker at zero cost, apart from your devices SIM card data usage.

Supported devices:

• Android Phone (Galaxy, OnePlus, etc)
• iOS Device (iPhone)
• GPS Tracker (Magnetic, Battery, OBD, Wired)

Your device will need to GPS enabled and have a SIM card with credit Most devices will be able to achieve this.

GPS is to obtain the positioning co-ordinates of the device
The SIM card is to send those co-ordinates to the user interface which is used to view the co-ordinates.

Android Devices

The Traccar Client app for Android performs the tracking.

iPhone/iOS Devices

The iOS Traccar Client app(s) performs the tracking. You can choose a visible or hidden version.

Dedicated GPS devices

Car GPS trackers will not need anything installed, as that is what they are configured for already.
You can check to see a list of supported devices here:https://www.traccar.org/devices/

However, please note that they will require configuration over SMS, USB or Bluetooth, depending on the devices capability.

This guide will cover the iPhone/Android in one step (Option 1), and another step for the dedicated device (Option 2).

After following this guide, you will be able to track your phone or vehicle through a web interface, or an app; the apps are called Traccar Manager (iOS), and GPYes Tracking Portal (Android).

- Android, iOS phone or gps tracker device (The tracked device)

- Another device connected to the internet in which to track the above with. (The viewer)

- SIM card with credit loaded (Inserted into the tracked device)

The first part of GPS tracking is to determine your requirements.

Do you just want to test the system and how it works without spending any money?

Do you want to track an iPhone, or an Android device?

Do you want to use a hidden app that cant be detected?

Is it a person, car, truck, van or boat you want to monitor?

Here are some options for devices:

iPhone
- Cheap. App is easy to install.

Android Phone
- Cheap, App is easy to install. There's also a hidden app version

Battery tracker
- Can be placed in a vehicle. Has a bigger battery than a phone, so it will last longer between charging.

OBD GPS tracker

- Great option for tracking vehicles, very portable, set and forget. It's also possible to hide up in the dashboard where it cannot be seen.

Wired

- Ability to be hidden very well, but does require power. They're compatible with extra sensors such as ultrasonic fuel senders, fuel cut, temperature sensors for monitoring delivery trucks. This device is one of the more difficult to set up as it requires wiring into your vehicle.

This step is Option 1

Stay on this step if your device is an iPhone or an Android device.

If you wish to configure a GPS Tracking Device (non iPhone/Android device), you can skip to the next step.

iOS Client App

Designed for use with iPhone, iPads.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/traccar-client/id843156974

Android App

Use on all Android-based phones such as Samsung Galaxy, OneNote, etc.

Visible App

If you are just testing, the visible tracking app will be the best option. You can experiment later with the hidden app.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.traccar.client&hl=en_CA&gl=US

Instructions

Also the same for the hidden app

1. Open the app.
2. Set the following details: Device ID:
3. Your cell phone number with dashes, like this: 222-333-4444
4. Server URL: http://portal.gpyes.com.au
5. Frequency to 60 seconds (The quicker, the more accurate. Uses more phone data)
6. Distance to 100 (meters)
7. Angle to 15 (degrees)
8. Location provider: 'HIGH'
9. Disable offline buffering
10. Enable the Android screen lock
11. Close the app completely. (sometimes, changes to the configuration do not 'take' without closing and reopening).
12. Open the app.

Hidden app

The hidden app is available as an APK to be downloaded. You won't find it on the Play store, so please take note of the link below.

Same instructions as the visible Android app.

https://github.com/traccar/traccar-client-android/releases/download/v6.14/app-hidden-release.apk

To open the hidden app after installing, you can dial 8722227 (TRACCAR)

This step is Option 2.

If you have a GPS tracker from the list of supported devices as shown in the introduction you can proceed to configure it.

Note: If you are configuring an iPhone or Android, please go back to Option 1 in the last step.

You need to configure your device by setting the parameters (another word for settings)

Instructions

Find the instruction booklet that came with your tracker and set the following on your device.

SMS

Setting device parameters requires 2 devices. The mobile which will be sending SMS commands (ie. your personal phone), and the device which will be receiving the commands (ie. your tracker).

When the device has successfully received the SMS and set the parameters you will receive a text back.

APN: The APN can be found on your carriers website. Example would be yesinternet (Optus Australia), vzwinternet (Verizon USA), or TM (Global SIM, working in any country)

Server: portal.gpyes.com.au

Port: Between 5000-5300. You will set the port depending on what device you are using. (Find the port within the traccar.org/devices page.)

Any issues with determining your device, please leave a note.

In the example below you can see an SMS command list to set a device which uses the Freematics protocol.

Configuration Tool

Some manufacturers supply a configuration tool for setting parameters for your device.

An example of this is iStartek with their Parameter Editor tool. A Windows computer will connect to a device using an RS232/USB Serial cable and a program will run to set the apn, server and port (the parameters).

Explanation of the common parameters:

APN: The Access Point Name is the name of a gateway between a GSM, GPRS, 3G, 4G or 5G mobile network and another computer network, frequently the public Internet. It's comparable to your router at home. You know, the one which you always have to restart because it drops out.

Server: The Traccar Server which receives the data from your device and stores in within a database. It also has the web interface for viewing the tracked devices on a map.

Example: portal.gpyes.com.au

Port: In computer networking, a port is a communication endpoint. At the software level, within an operating system, a port is a logical construct that identifies a specific process or a type of network service.

Example: 5111 (port for the gpyes obd tracking devices).

The above are the most common parameters. There are more you can set such as upload times, alarms, sleep settings, but that will not be covered in this topic.

Create an account here https://www.gpyes.com.au/product/gpyes-portal-subscription-demo

There is a limit of 1 device per person.

There will be an email with your GPYes Portal login details & credentials. You can use the details in this email when you get to step 6 in this guide.

iPhone/Android App

If you are using the iPhone or Android apps, you can start moving around. Go for a walk, place the phone in a car.

Dedicated GPS device

If you are using the dedicated gps tracking device you can install it within your vehicle, an example can be found here: youtube.com install

Notes

Remember that GPS requires line of sight to satellites overhead, and can take 30-60 seconds before it manages to provide a location.

More information about GPS and how position tracking works.

Once your position has been determined by your device, a connection will be made to the tracking server (which you set in step 2 or 3) and your co-ordinates will be saved there, displayed on a map overlay for easy viewing.

Your username and password would have been emailed to you after creating an account in Step4.

You should now be able to log into the GPYes Demo Tracking server using the links below:

Remember, there are multiple ways to view the data. You can use a web application, which is accessible from any device, as well as dedicated mobile apps for Android and iPhone.

Currently there is a limit of 1 device per Account, with all device positioning data removed after 1 month.

Computer, Surface, Laptop

Web application which can be used on any device.

https://portal.gpyes.com.au

iPhone App

Traccar Manager Apphttps://apps.apple.com/us/app/traccar-manager/id1113966562

Android app

GPYes Tracking Porta (Traccar manager app)l: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org...

There are currently two interfaces for viewing the data.

Current:

The current interface is attached as a picture. This will be superseded by an updated, modern-looking user interface.

Modern:

Contains most functionality of the current portal. If you want to check to see what the tracking portal will soon look like then switch over to the modern interface.

If you've logged in already and don't know how to switch, you can just add /modern to the end of the URL, like so: https://portal.gpyes.com.au/modern