We are all concerned about our personal cars. A slight scratch could give us sleepless nights. That is why its safety is of utmost priority. GPS technology is a perfect solution just to know where the car is. Various car tracking devices inform the owner about the car’s location. Now, that is an advantage for both car owners and fleet management service providers. Before investing for a GPS tracker for your car, get a detailed idea about what it can cost you. And, whether the device is worth your penny or not.
There are two types of GPS devices- one assists you with real-time GPS assistance and the other has no monthly fee. Now, the second one may sound alluring but it has a few drawbacks. No monthly fee GPS can track the movement of the car perfectly and store enough data to give you an impression of how fast the car was moving. But it provides no alerts or other advantages. This makes it quite ineffective in case the car gets stolen. The device is basically a GPS logger that stores data about the car in its internal memory, which the user can download later to get the needed information.
People who are planning to opt for a real-time GPS tracker would be amazed to know that some of them come with a feature that can shut down your car if it senses any unauthorized tampering.
Sounds perfect for your car, right?
But that is not all. These GPS trackers can alert the user about several things like fuel consumption and the state of the car. Fleet management service providers can benefit from these features as this can help them in maximizing their profits. Also, logistics service-providers can gain remarkably. They can optimize their service by studying various analytics and finding the right track to ensure safe delivery.
When such things are of huge importance, then considering a few more factors would assist you in making choices.
To buy or to rent?
Many car owners find this question a bit puzzling. Buying one can cost you a huge sum as it would also incur installation and other monthly-fees. In that case, renting would be a good alternative. As its cost would be way less than purchasing. On the other hand, if you have a fleet service and you are planning to buy GPS tracking devices in bulk, then you may get a discount, which would be beneficial for you.
What is the type?
You have to think about the purpose of the tracker. If it is a simple car tracking device, then the cost would not be much different from the asset-trackers. But their monthly service fees would differ greatly.
Some service providers would offer you lower monthly rental packages. But you have to understand how reliable their data is. For you, the safety of your asset or car is important. You would not want to compromise there. You also have to note the update frequency as that may incur some additional cost. GPS trackers with updates in 3 seconds would cost more than the one that updates per minute. The total cost would be around $299- $499.
How much does the tracker cost?
The hardware for a real-time GPS tracker for a car would cost around $99-$199, whereas, the heavier fleet tracking GPS systems can cost somewhere around $299 to $499.
How much would the installation cost?
The GPS tracking device needs a perfect installation. The service providers often opt for a network that would assist the customers with the process. But it comes with a price tag that the customer has to bear. This increases the cost of the total package. If you are planning to buy one, then you have to look for the product cost, the monthly service rent, update cost, and the installation cost. The last would cost you somewhere in the range of $75-$100. But it would depend on where you would like your device to be placed.
The total GPS tracking device service may sound costly but if you consider its ability to curb the cost of car maintenance, you will get a brief idea of how the return of investment would be. It would be better than you can imagine.
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