Hacked Gadgets has been asked to provide a paid non-biased opinion of this technology. LandAirSea Systems has developed a remarkable USB GPS Tracking device. Toss in a few AAA batteries and it is ready to stash in whatever you want to track! It has a magnetic base for easy mounting to the undersides of vehicles but it is small enough to stash in a gym bag or other small items. The device is also water-resistant so there is no worries about damage from puddles or rain. The device is constantly recoding data to its internal storage for retrieval later. The accuracy of the device is 2.5 meters! With accuracy like that you could determine what side of the street it was on… Viewing data from the device is also made easy since it links into Google Maps and provides a highlighted map layout of where the device has been. Once the device has been retrieved from the item you are wanting to track all you need to do is load in the custom software. Plug the device into your USB port and have a look at all the places the device has been, the device is also recording time so you would also know how long the device was not moving and when it was on the go. I could imagine that rental car companies would have good proof of abuse when they suspect that the vehicle was driven off-road. If you think the device is just a gimmick guess again, the video above demonstrates how this device proved that a murderer was not telling the truth about his actions on the night a young girl was murdered.
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December 20th, 2007
250 bucks on thinkgeek
December 20th, 2007
I don’t know if this was mentioned in the video but did they say why the tracking device was in his car to begin with?
December 20th, 2007
Does this worry anyone else?
December 20th, 2007
Those unfamilier with GPS might like to read Jakerich’s excellent GPS 101 primer here:
http://www.aximsite.com/boards/vbarticles.php?do=article&articleid=85 and his follow up article GPS201 linked from the site.
December 20th, 2007
Doh! that should read unfamiliar
December 20th, 2007
Hey Michael,
He was keeping track of his wife.
December 20th, 2007
He was keeping track of his wife? So he knew his vehicle had a tracking device? I’m confused.
December 20th, 2007
What a collision of good and bad. Solving crimes and saving lives with this thing would be great. To have everyone tracked all the time is bad.
Put another way, I don’t care where my employees go on their own time. I am probably better off not knowing. But on my time and in my vehicle I have a right to know. Especially if there are some unscheduled detours.
I am suspicious of the claim that it will work munted under the vehicle. Every GPS I have seen needs a line of sight to the sky. Unless it gets a fix before you stash it under a car then uses accelerometers and timers to record a track.
Hey Alan! Any way that I can borrow one to play with? I’ld like to see it take on Manhatten with it’s really bad GPS environment, potholes, detours and things we won’t mention.
Bob
December 21st, 2007
Michael, his wife thought he was cheating on her, so she bought the device and put it in the car without him knowing. The detailed article on their website on the news section. They posted the actual article written by NBC.
December 21st, 2007
aha! So his wife was keeping track of him! This works really good as long as you can prove that the suspect was driving the tracked vehicle (which was obvious in this video).
December 21st, 2007
Sorry, I was wrong. Yes, he didn’t know it was there…
December 22nd, 2007
Bob funk: While most gps’s say they require a line of sight to the sky I’ve installed several hand-held units in overhead consoles in cars where the only line of sight to the sky is threw the sheet metal roof and they still work fine. Not to mention most cars have plastic shell bumpers with a metal bumper strip perfect for sticking a gps to. Now how long will it be till someone starts rolling out gps ditectors?
December 23rd, 2007
im gettin one for xmas!
January 2nd, 2008
Yeah the device needs to be at a certain orientation. I believe the magnet should be facing towards the sky.
January 16th, 2008
or gps scramblers?
January 17th, 2008
This is a good product although it’s pretty expensive for a data logger. They do make a real-time GPS tracking unit that retails for $695. Vehiclepath makes a low cost GPS unit that companies are using to manage their fleets and help with easier dispatching. Plus with the rash of fuel trucks being stolen on the East Coast installing a GPS unit is a MUST right now. Not only will you be able to track where your stolen vehicle is, but you can be notified via text message if a truck leaves the yard.