Cell phone tracking

Cell phone tracking, also known as GPS tracking, is the process through which a functioning cell
phone is detected and localized on the globe, using an advanced technology that measures the
power levels and antenna patterns of the handset communicating with the base stations it passes
nearby, which is then converted into geographical location.
First, the system detects the closest cell phone tower to the phone, estimating the distance between
them, and after that it interpolates signals between adjacent antenna towers to make a more exact
approximation.

In cities, the technology can achieve a more precise localization of down to 50 meters, compared to
rural areas, because the wireless traffic is higher, as well as the number of cell phone towers.
These days, people use the built-in GPS tracking module in their cell phones to detect friends
position on streets or in vehicles, record location history and watch it on a map online.
Cell phone tracking can be done either using a special software installed on your mobile phone, or
using an external device that connects to the handset, providing this optional functionality.

All telecommunication carriers offer this service on advanced cell phones including smartphones,
and the subscribers need to pay a monthly fee in addition the data plan. One example is TeleNav
Track on AT&T, available at a starting price of $12.99 including GPS Tracking, Location Reports,
GPS Timesheet, Geofence Alerts, Speeding and Stop Alerts, 2-way messaging, Text Directions and
Mileage. Such services are used mostly by companies that need to keep track of employees activity
at any time and in real-time.
At $15, Sprint provides the Mobile Locator service with the same tools.

Neosistec developed the Carfinder and Motofinder downloadable applications used by Vodafone
customers who own BlackBerries for tracking parked cars or motorbikes.

If you are subscribed to a contract at your telecommunications carrier, then adding one of the
available services for GPS tracking is the best solution when you want to be up to date with your
close one location. In case you are not subscribed then a GPS device optimized for navigation and
tracking is the tool you need. GPS devices are built only for this purpose and features included are
much many in addition to the tracking capability.

If you don't plan to get a GPS device because it is complex and takes some time to understand it and
learn how to use its interface, and you also don't like to track people on the small screen of your cell
phone, then what you need is probably an online solutions like free cell phone tracking.
There are free cell phone tracking applications that can be downloaded on your phone, with the only
condition to have a built-in or external Bluetooth GPS receiver.
Now I want to detail a bit two online free cell phone tracking services at one focused on locating
moving objects and the second for people detection.

Mologogo free cell phone tracking solution for the handset or the web not only shows where your
friends and you are but it can also send alerts when your friends are close, find points of interest,
and display traffic and weather updates. It allows you to chat with people in close proximity as well
as manage your online account by adding a profile photo, new friends, bookmarks or import your
location data on your own blog.
To enable it you need to be a subscriber of Nextel, Sprint, or Boost Mobile, because Mologogo is
free but you'll have to pay for the data consumed from the phone's plan. Another condition is to
have Java and GPS support on the phone.
If you don't use a compatible phone, Mologogo has the option to purchase an affordable pre-paid
tracking phone kit available at a price of $ 79.99. Having all these checked next you'll have to
download the application on your phone and run it.

Another free cell phone tracking service available online is LocateA.net. With it you can track
people carrying a specific mobile phone you have registered with the service. It can track moving
objects like vehicles and cell phones.
This can help you locate your child carrying your cell phone or a courier heading to leave a
package. All you need to do is setup your account online, download the software on the cell phone
and make some additional settings to your account.
On the website you can also create a Master Account and administer up to 20 subaccounts of people
you register, and locate them in real-time whenever you need. They can be drivers who work for
you and be displayed on a public map, on the company is non-public map, or on both.

You could try also Baeeo, another free cell phone tracking service, but this one doesn't require you
to have a GPS receiver, which is a good aspect. The bad aspect is that the number of supported cell
phone models is limited, while the localization is not as accurate as Global Position Satellites,
because Baeeo uses cell tower data like the ID and signal strength to translate them into latitude and
longitude coordinates for displaying on Google Maps, so the cell sizes vary between 300 yards and
2.5 miles.

With Baeeo you can localize friends, family members or colleagues, tag locations and connect with
old friends using Windows Mobile smartphones.
You can setup an unlimited number of phones with Baeoo, create customized reports in Excel and
Google Map formats, and display your location on twitter.

Other online services providing cell phone tracking have different affordable fees and are much
more trustworthy.

If you use Adnroid

The best Android phone locator apps are SeekDroid, Where's My Droid, The Lookout Mobile
Security and Prey Phone Tracker. These apps have features like siren activation to find a nearby
located phone and settings that are managed through a secure website. You can get these apps at
bestandroidappsfor.com.

• Where's My Droid
Wher

e's my Droid is perhaps the best-known Android phone locator app in the Android Market.
Many praise Where's My Droid for its range of options although they are not uncommon for
this type of application. The application first started simple, with an option to text the phone
a code word to make it ring. With the latest version the Where's My Droid app can be
triggered through text and email, to either make it ring or to retrieve its coordinates. These
are nifty options and pretty much all you need in an Android phone locator app, especially if
you don't want to get involved with online accounts for your phone locating needs.
To make the app usable, code words for either a loud ring or GPS coordinates need to be
configured. When this code word is texted the phone will either start ringing or send back
GPS coordinates. The email concept works with the same principle, although only a certain
number of carriers are supported. The Where's My Droid app is well thought out and
relatively simple to use. It does what a phone locator app needs to do and is essential for
those that do not want to find their phone through an online account as many other apps do.

• Lookout Mobile Security

The Lo
 okout Mobile Security application is more than just an Android phone locator application. In
this ‘suite’ a virus scanner, backup solution and phone locator service are bundled. All these
features are free to use. Interesting in this context is obviously the phone locator
functionality, which boasts the following features:
• Phone location my map, through GPS or cell towers.
• Siren activation to find a nearby located phone.
• Setting and feature management through a secure website.
The siren and locator settings are to be activated through the web interface. The entire
experience is well thought-out and the location report is accurate. As such, the application
does exactly what it promises. Lookout Mobile Security is a good app for what it does, and
essential for those that need a sense of security. With a virus scanner and backup tool as a
‘bonus’, you can’t really go wrong with this application.

• Prey Phone Tracker

In order for the Prey Phone Tracker to work,

an account has to be created on preyproject.com. Once this is done, the prey account can be
managed from the online control panel. The Android phone that is linked to the prey account
sends a report every so often to the control panel to tell it of its whereabouts. In the
application itself the main options are:
• SMS activation message. This is a phrase that will wake up the Prey Phone Tracker
application once sent to the phone.
• SMS deactivation message. Does the opposite of the activation message.
• Lock to current SIM. This will activate Prey once the SIM card is replaced.
• SIM replaced alert. This option alerts the mobile of a new phone number.
As the application is active, it reports to the control panel its exact location. The concept of
this application is promising, however, a few aspects are still too beta to really be useful. For
instance, the map on which the location is shown is not always correct, and cannot be
interacted with. When the app matures a bit it is sure to be a good contender.

• Android phones are expensive gadgets that need to be protected for theft. Surely, an
extensive insurance will do the trick, but this will not get your personal data or precious
photographs back. Luckily there is a solution for this, and it doesn't have to cost much;
Android Phone Locator Apps. The Android market is flooded with apps that use the Android
device's GPS module to locate the phone. Discover which five apps do the job and which
ones go the extra mile to protect all that is dear to you on your Android phone.

• Kor.im Phone Locator

Kor.im Phone Locator combines th

e features of Where's My Droid with the account based locator apps, sort of. The application
works with SMS commands, just like with Where's My Droid, but has an option to register
an account to retrieve GPS coordinates on a map. The application's options are truly
extensive, as the phone can even be located based on nearby Bluetooth devices. This is a
unique feature, not seen in other apps.
However extensive it appears to be, the kor.im Phone Locator keeps things really simple.
This is evident when the register button is pressed. Instead of extensive login options, the
application will give the user a numeric username and password that can be used
immediately to login online. Additionally, the app can be used to instantly send people an
email or text with your current whereabouts. Seemingly simple, this application has a wide
array of features up its sleeve that all work effectively enough to make it an excellent
Android phone locator application.

• WaveSecure Mobile Security

Like Lookout Mobile Security, WaveSecure is a full suite, instead of just a single feature
Android application. As such, registration is also needed in order to use the app. However,
what is different is that the system works with a buddy list, which will be notified when a
different SIM is added to the phone. This is a nifty feature, not seen in any of the other apps.
Naturally, WaveSecure can be controlled online through a web interface. Through the web,
users are able to track the location of the phone, backup and restore the handset and
remotely lock and wipe the device. As such the app is the most extensive of the bunch and it
provides the most control. The app does everything as advertised and may just be the
definitive security app for Android; unless, of course, you are not keen on registering for an
app
The WaveSecure app is free to try for 7 days, after which it costs $19.90 per year to use.

• Wrap-Up
The Android mobile platform has a wide array of phone locator options, that all have their
methods and features that make them worthwhile. Technically speaking, there is an
application for all kinds of needs. However, it is pretty hard to get around WaveSecure in
terms of a complete security package. As WaveSecure is also the only app that will expire
and can only be used after an unlock key is bought, the other options discussed will do just
fine, and generally live up to their promise. With any of the apps installed, a stolen or lost
Android phone is not the end of the world anymore

Plan B
Plan B is the perfect application to use when your phone is already missing and you realise
you never installed any of the nifty apps which would have helped you find your phone. You
can install it remotely by going to the Android market and it will use GPS or an SMS to find
your phone’s location and email that to you. If you need a location after this, you can send
an SMS to your phone from a friend’s phone saying “Locate” and the application will send
another email with the new location.
On this note, if you were to install Plan B and set up some filters in Gmail to forward to your
partner or parents (or if you are a parent, do this to your child’s phone and email), they could
potentially use this to find you if you go missing. It’s a little paranoid, but could easily be
effective.

Lookout
Lookout Labs are the makers of Plan B. Obviously they realised that not everyone gets
around to planning ahead. However, if you’re thinking ahead they have an Android
application which gives you the tools to remotely wipe your phone and offer some security
against malicious code.

Android Lost
Android Lost lets you find or wipe your Android phone remotely. It allows access to your
phone via a web interface, which can also let you trigger your alarm, read your SMS and
offers many other useful features.

Phone Found – Owner Info

The Phone Found application lets you leave your email address and phone number visible
even when your phone is locked. This way, if someone friendly finds your phone they can
email you and let you know they’ve found it.

Where’s My Droid
Where’s My Droid lets you trigger an alarm when you send your phone an SMS with a
special code. It can also send you a Google Maps location of where your phone is.

Mobile Defense
Mobile Defense is only available in the US, but it’s a pretty useful application. Once
installed it hides from view and does not look as if it’s installed, meaning whoever’s stolen
your phone won’t realise it’s running. Meanwhile, you can use the Mobile Defense website
to control your phone and find out where it is.

Security Tracing

The following apps are designed to find a phone you suspect has been lost or stolen.

Find My iPhone (iOS)

This one is naturally limited to iPhone users only (though the general principle is identical
for iPad and iPod Touch owners) and is Apple’s proprietary method of locating a lost
mobile. In order to use the service you will need to have updated your iPhone to iOS 5 and
set up iCloud over at iCloud.com.

Once done you can login with your Apple ID credentials and click on “Find my iPhone”.
The website will then attempt to locate the device and provide options for playing a sound,
sending a message or even locking and remotely wiping the contents of the device.

Lookout Mobile Security & Plan B (Android)

Similar to Find my iPhone above for iOS, Lookout Mobile Security provides a web-based
control panel from which users can locate their Android device. Once the app has been
installed and your device goes missing you’ll be able to disable silent mode to sound a loud
alarm, remotely enable GPS to facilitate locating your device and view the location on a
map.

The software also provides a good antivirus solution, making it an all-rounder in terms of
protecting your device and data. However, there’s always the possibility of your phone going
missing without any tracing software installed, and in these instances it’s reassuring to have
Plan B available to you.
Also developed by Lookout, Plan B can actually be installed after your phone has been lost
via Google Play. It will automatically start when installed and email the location of your
phone to your Gmail address. You can then query for location fixes by texting “locate” to
your number from a friend’s phone. While limited in its uses, Plan B is a great last resort for
missing phones.

Find My Phone (Windows Phone 7)

Microsoft’s equivalent to Find my iPhone, this service allows users to login at
WindowsPhone.com in order to locate their device on a map. In addition to basic location,
it’s possible to ring, lock and erase the contents of your device remotely from any Internet-
connected computer.
To use the service, simply login using the same Windows Live ID connected to your phone,
click My Phone and then Find My Phone.

Prey
Prey is all-round protection for your devices from thieves. We’ve covered the program
extensively in the past, and it’s available for Android and iOS as well as Mac OS X,
Windows and Linux computers too. At the time of writing the iOS version is pending review
thanks to some “problems” encountered by Apple’s app review team, but the developers
plan to “fix” and re-release the app as soon as possible.

Android and desktop OS users can go right ahead and install the software. Once a device
goes missing users should send an SMS to their Android phone to enable the software or
mark the device as missing on the Prey control panel so that the software begins locating
your device.

Social Tracing
Sometimes you just want to keep in touch with friends via location, and these apps will
allow you to do so.

Find my Friends (iOS)

iOS users (that’s iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch) can download Apple’s own Find my Friends
app to keep in touch with friends who are also using Apple devices. Friends can be added
according to their Apple IDs and once you’ve got a contact or two you can precisely locate
that person’s current location on a map.

Find my Friends automatically shares your location on-demand with contacts of your choice.
You can choose not to share your location or use a temporary location if you’re concerned
about privacy. This is by far the simplest way for iPhone users to stay connected, but is
limited to iOS devices only.

Google Latttude (iOS, Android & Others)

An ideal cross-platform device for tracking your friends from iOS, Android, Blackberry,
Symbian and even Windows Mobile (that’s pre-Windows Phone). It is also possible to use
Latitude via a web browser and once you’ve racked up a few miles worth of logs Google
uses your location data to build up some interesting diagrams based on your activity.
While Latitude is the closest thing here to a “cross-platform” location tracking service, be
aware that a number of users have complained about serious battery drain thanks to location
services being used fairly regularly while the app is running.

Foursquare (iOS, Android, Windows Phone & Others)

While Foursquare operates a little differently to the apps I’ve already listed here, it’s still a
potentially useful tool for tracking down friends and colleagues. What makes Foursquare
different is the fact that users need to actively check-in to locations in order to share their
whereabouts with you.

Foursquare is not an app for precisely picking someone out of a crowd at a ball game, but it
will let you know roughly where your friends are and notifies you of nearby check-ins which
is handy for meeting people on a whim or discovering you’re both at the same supermarket.
It’s also quite a fun game to play, and is perfect for those who are uncomfortable constantly
sharing their exact location. While Facebook also does check-ins now, I find Foursquare to
be more rewarding thanks to badges, tips and potential discounts for check-ins and mayor-
ships

Why Use Cell Phone Monitoring Software?

Cell phones have made the world much smaller. These handheld devices allow you to
communicate with anyone in the world through text messages and phone calls. Many phones
allow you to surf the web, check your email, take pictures and even track your location, right
from your fingertips.
Teenagers love these mobile devices because they give them instant communication with
peers and privacy from their parents. However, having dependable cell phone monitoring
software installed on your children's or employees' cell phones is a sure way to know if they
are actually at a certain friend’s house or home sick like they said they were.
After installing mobile monitoring software, you can view all cell phone activity from an
online account. Even if your children or employees delete data from their cell phones, it will
still appear on your account, so you will be aware of all activity, even if they attempt to hide
something from you.
This software runs in a stealth mode, and individuals may not even know it is placed on their
phone. However, this software is only legal to use on employees' phones if the company
provides the cellular devices and employees are well aware that monitoring software is
being used. It is also a smart idea to tell your children if you have placed this type of
application on their cell phones, as an added measure of safety and protection. For more
information on this type of software, read our articles on mobile phone monitoring. Also,
don't forget to check out our top three applications: PhoneSheriff, Mobile Spy and My
Mobile Watchdog.

The Best Free Cell Phone Locator Websites Are

Listed Below
• Cell Phone Tracker
The BEST website on FREE cell phone tracking software. Learn the secrets of covert
cell phone tracking!
• Cell Phone Locator
This site teaches you how to locate a cell phone for FREE from your computer or
cell phone anonymously.

Photo courtesy of stock.exchange

Is Big Brother Watching You?

I don't know how we can ever really know that answer to that one. It's entirely possible that
cell phone locator technology is much more sophisticated than we are currently aware of.
For example, when GPS technology was first made available to the general public, the
government felt that for reasons of national security, civilian GPS units should be restricted
in their level of accuracy.
Is this happening with GPS phone tracking technology today? Unfortunately we can only
speculate as to whether it is or isn't.

Photo courtesy of stock.xchng

Triangulation - The Most Basic Cell Phone Loctator

Method
Traditionally, a mobile phone locator technician would use triangulation as the primary way
of determining the location of a cell phone.
Whenever someone has their phone turned on, it sends intermittent "pings" to the cell phone
towers around it. This is the phones way of knowing whether it is in a roaming area, how
strong of signal it has, and what towers to use when you need to either receive to make a
phone call.
Triangulation as a cell phone location method is only an estimate of where the phone was
the last time it was "pinged". Law enforcement can send a ping to the phone only in an
emergency. Any other time, your cell phone location is considered part of your private
information. They would need a warrant to ping the phone for non emergency reasons.

Photo courtesy of stock.exchange

GPS Tracking For Improved Tracking Accuracy

Another, more modern and accurate way a cell phone locator service works is through GPS
(Global Position System). This service is also available to emergency services via a system
called Enhanced 911.
In addition to emergency personnel being able to locate a cellular phone with this service, it
is now commonly available to private individuals.
In order to utilize this technology, an individual must own a phone that has a GPS receiver
built into it. Fortunately, nearly all modern cell phones meet this requirement now days.
Tracking apps that utilize the GPS capabilities of a phone are much more accurate than those
that are limited by the simpler triangulation method.

Pay Cell Phone Locator Services

One very good cell phone locator service that you must pay to use is the Sprint Family
locator. Sprint only charges $5.00 a month for this service and it is well worth getting.
You don't need to download or program anything onto your phone for this cell phone tracker
to work. You don't need to subscribe to a data plan. You can do an unlimited number of
searches for only $5.00 a month.
They also have a very cool feature that will allow you to program the application to send
you a text message with the location of anyone in your cell phone tracking network at a
predetermined time of day.
The Sprint Family Locator might be the perfect solution if you don't have a new
programmable smart phone
A couple of other fee based phone tracking systems are the Verizon Family Locator and
AT&T FamilyMap. Both programs offer a means for the company's customers to track cell
phones on their network for a small monthly fee.

Sprint Family Locator Introduction Video

Here is a short video from Sprint about their flagship cell phone tracking program.

Object 1

Free Cell Phone Locator Services

There are many fee based services to choose from but there is also a free service offered by
Google. Who would have thought that Google of all companies would offer this service.
Well, it actually makes a lot of sense because their software, Google Latitude, works hand in
hand with Google maps which is already widely used by many people.
Another free cell phone locator is called find my iPhone but it only works with the iPhone,
iPad, and iPod Touch. You used to have to sign up for MobileMe to use Find My iPhone and
it was free to test out for 60 days. If after the 60 days is up, you decided that you wanted to
stay with the service, it would have cost you $99 a year. Nowadays, however, Find My
iPhone is free to use if you have a free iCloud account.
Another free cell phone locator is called Glympse. With this one, you simply go to the
Glympse website and send a text message or email to someone that you want to be able to
track your cell phone. You set a time limit for each message that you send. This way, the
person who receives the message can only track you for as long as you set the timer for. This
cell phone locator service is great for business users.
Unfortunately, the only free tracking apps are for cell phones that have the ability to have
apps installed on them. These are most commonly referred to as smartphones. If you have an
older style of phone, you'll have a really hard time getting a free tracking app to work on it.

Google Latitude Introduction Video

Here's a short video from Google on their free cell phone tracking app called Google
Latitude.

Object 2
 Geo Fencing on Cell Phone Tracking Apps

There is a very cool feature that is available with some of the premium cell phone tracking
applications that are on the market called "geo fencing". Geo fencing is basically a feature
that allows you to establish "virtual boundaries" for people in your phone tracking network.
This is a great feature to use for keeping track of teenage drivers. Once you have established
the "geo fence" you will get a text message alerting you to the fact that the person who was
carrying that cell phone breached your virtual perimeter. You can then get on the phone and
find out why your teenage driver is driving some place that you have forbidden them from
driving.

Using Cell Phone Tacker Apps To Recover Deleted

Text Messages

I'll bet you didn't know that it's actually really quite easy to retrieve deleted text messages
from a cell phone. Some cell phone tracking apps make it possible to retrieve these so called
deleted messages without ever having the phone in your hand.
How doe they do this, you might ask? Well, as it turns out, nothing is "actually" deleted
when you delete data from a cell phone. All that happens is the name of the particular bit of
data is removed so you don't see it anymore on your phone.
This deleted data will remain on the phone until new data is stored in it's place. How long
this will take really depends on the how much data your phone is capable of storing as well
as how much new data is continually being added to the phone.
If you get 2,000 text messages a month, this old data may be recorded over fairly quickly. If
you only get a few texts each month, it may stay on your phone for months.
If being able to recover deleted text messages from your cell phone tracker app is important
to you, you can check out SpyBubble.

Limitations To This Technology

As good as these phone tracker apps have become at tracking cell phones. They still aren't
perfect and there are some limiting factors that you should probably know about if you plan
to use them.
List of Limitations:
• There's no way for these apps to automatically turn your phone on when you need to
 use them so the phone must be turned on or they won't work. This means that if you
have an occasion to use them like when you misplace your phone, you should
attempt to locate the phone right away before the battery dies and the phone turns off.
• The app's won't be able to start remotely either. They have to be running in the
background of the phone or they won't work. They don't use many resources which is
a good thing and that means that they won't slow your phone down or run your
battery down. (6-8-2012 Update: Some apps such as InstaMapper can now be
remotely activated by sending a text message to the phone. The software must be pre-
installed on the phone but it doesn't have to be running in memory.)
• The phone needs to be in a cell phone service coverage area and have a signal or they
won't work.
• There are some circumstances that will limit the accuracy of the apps. If you are in a
building that blocks the phone's ability to use it's GPS receiver to calculate the
location of the phone, the accuracy won't be as good. In some cases it will report the
last known location of the phone. In other cases, the app will attempt to determine
the location of the phone with other methods.

Photo courtesy of stock.exchange

What's The Verdict on This Technology

Well, for the time being it looks like cell phone locating a mixture of both science fiction
and science fact. It is possible to some degree. Depending on the circumstances, it may work
perfect one time and not at all another.
If you're looking for a cell phone tracking app that will allow you to simply type in a phone
number and you'll instantly see the location of the phone, you'll be looking for a long time
because such an app just doesn't exist.
I've seen the technology of cell phone locating apps evolve quite rapidly over the past couple
of years and I fully expect it to continue making dramatic strides forward.

Disclaimer

It's your responsibility to check the local laws that pertain to tracking someone with their
cell phone without their knowledge prior to doing so. If it's illegal to do this where you live,
don't do it.