Most tracking problems are not about the dot on the map. They are about the things around it: who owns the data, what happens when a device fails, whether alerts arrive. Here are ten questions that expose the differences between providers, written from our experience of building and running tracking platforms.
1. What exactly do you need to know?
Write down the questions you want answered. Where is my vehicle now? Did the driver go somewhere they should not? How long do vehicles idle? Is the trailer where it should be? The answer decides the hardware. A delivery fleet wants frequent updates and ignition data. A trailer wants a battery tracker that reports a few times a day.
2. Hardwired, plug-in or battery?
Hardwired devices are hard to remove and report ignition status. Plug-in devices install in a minute but can be unplugged. Battery devices suit assets without power but report less often. Choose per asset type, not per company.
3. Whose SIM card and data plan is it?
Some providers include the SIM and data in the fee, others expect you to bring your own. Ask what happens abroad: roaming works differently between providers, and a SIM tied to one country may not connect in another.
4. Which device protocols does the platform support?
If the platform supports many makes of device, you are not locked to one hardware vendor and can replace devices later. If it supports only its own, switching means replacing everything. A platform that is built on an open decoder base is the most flexible.
5. How fast and reliable are the alerts?
Ask how alerts are delivered (push notification, email, message), and what happens if the first channel fails. Alerts for geofences, speeding, ignition, long stops and device power loss are standard. Ask to see them working on a demo account before you buy.
6. How long is history kept, and can you export it?
Some systems keep only a few months of positions. If you need reports for audits, expenses or disputes, ask how long history is stored and in what formats you can export it.
7. Who owns the data?
Your vehicle positions are valuable and, when drivers are involved, personal data. Ask where the data is stored, whether you can export or delete it, and what happens to it if you leave. If you operate in the European Union, ask how the provider handles data protection and driver privacy.
8. What happens when a device stops reporting?
Devices fail: a loose wire, an empty SIM, a dead battery. A good platform tells you that a device has stopped reporting before you notice it yourself, and shows the last known position and the time of the last message.
9. Can it grow with you?
A system that works for five vehicles may be slow with fifty or five hundred. Ask about the largest fleets the platform runs, how the map loads many vehicles, and whether there are users and roles: a driver, a dispatcher and an owner should not see the same things.
10. Who do you call, and how fast do they answer?
Ask how support is provided, in which languages and hours, and what is included. A tracking system is something you rely on at the moment it breaks, so test the support before you buy: send a question and see how long it takes to get a useful answer.
A short test to run before you commit
- Ask for a trial with one real device in one real vehicle.
- Drive a known route and check that the history matches.
- Park in a garage or under a roof and see what the system shows.
- Set an alert for leaving a zone and check how quickly it arrives.
- Unplug the device and check whether the platform notices.
If you need something the market does not offer
Sometimes the right answer is not an off-the-shelf product. If you need a tracking platform around your own process, with your own reports, integrations and roles, that is the kind of system we build.
Written by the 22Softwares engineers who build and run GPS tracking platforms.