They reviewed five trackers which would suit different needs and people.  Their favourite was the Snooper My-Track SPT200 and they awarded it 5/5.  They voted it best for adaptability and liked it because it doesn’t have monthly fees.

The Retrieva was, obviously, the winner for dog owners and they awarded it a respectable 4/5.  I think they see it more as a rich person’s gadget or nervous dog owners, rather than a sensible every day item.

Next was the Spot Satellite Tracker which was best for outdoor types.  I feel that it should have beaten the Snooper My-Track for functionality, but believe the yearly subscription means it could only be a 4/5 star product.  This is a little unfair considering the Snooper requires a SIM card and you pay per text (which could cost the same as Spot’s yearly subscription).

InGear wasn’t as fond of the NIO.  It is a bit more limited as it only works with bluetooh but was said to be best for personal items, but only was given 2/5 stars.  I think the low score doesn’t imply it is a bad product, but it doesn’t have all the functionality of the other GPS trackers (but then it costs about a quarter of the price).

Finally they reviewed the RoadScan video event data recorder and this was correctly best for car drivers.  It was awarded a relatively low 3/5 stars for such as useful tool.  InGear did acknowledge that though it might be seen as pricey it “could save you a packet in the event of an accident”.

The GPS tracker article has some useful legal advice from Simmons &  Simmons in regard to GPS tracking.  If you can find a copy of a friend it is worth having a read!

Commercial Tracking

GPS trackers come under the Data protection act (1998).  The data protection act does not apply to individuals or family members so this section is not so relevant.  The data protection act gives rules about how personal data can be used, stored and processed.  Personal data is anything that can be related to a living person.

If you wish to track someone you must give them information on why you are tracking them and what it is for.  It is important to comply with the data protection act if you are using GPS tracking to monitor employees.  If you wish to track your staff you will need to take an ‘impact assessment’.  The impact assessment will make you look into how it will effect your staff and makes sure that their personal privacy is not impacted on too much.

You are not obligated to tell a person you are tracking if you are genuinely doing it to try and stop or prevent a crime.

Personal Tracking

If you want to use a GPS tracker to help protect family members then you do not need to comply with data protection act regulations.  This is because the data protection act does not apply to personal decisions.  Therefore if you want to use a GPS tracker in your household you do not need to worry as much.

Using a GPS tracker to covertly monitor someone would be a breach of their privacy.  GPS trackers should not be used to help stalk people!

Can GPS tracking data be used in court?

To a degree yes.  If you had a GPS tracker in your car, and you tracked the person who stole it they do have some legal rights to privacy.  However, as the GPS tracker was there to track your car (all above board) then their ‘privacy’ has arguably not been breached.  As long as the data you provide has been legally obtained without harming others you are okay.

Now what?

I hope you’ve found this quick over view useful.  If you are looking into tracking commercially (such as at work) or are worried about personal tracking, then you should consult with a lawyer in regard to all the data protection responsibilities and paper work.

Best Breakdown Cover – Find the best breakdown cover.

GPS trackers have come down in price, with some costing as little as £40, but a good one costing around the £150 to £300 mark. GPS trackers are a popular way to monitor your vehicle encase it gets stolen (or maybe when you forget where you’ve parked after a late night out!). The next two popular uses are to check children are safe, such as when they go on school trips as well as to be able to track pets encase they go missing! Modern GPS trackers are very compact and come built for different purposes, so they could be used to help monitor anything you own which you would want to get back if it went missing or got stolen.

Some of the most popular GPS Trackers include the Snooper My-Track SPT200, Retrieva, Spot Satellite Tracker, NIO and Roadscan video event data recorder.

If you are after a good notebook laptop then you should look at the Nokia Booklet 3G.  It is made by Nokia and is light weight and powerful!

Book a Lambo experience and get to drive a 500bhp supercar!

These sorts of adventures can make perfect Christmas presents.  The photos taken on driving days could be turned into fantastic photo Christmas cards.