How Much Data Does a Car GPS Tracker Use?

Vehicle GPS trackers are an essential tool in today’s time. It ensures safety and monitoring in real-time for both vehicle and business owners.

We know that almost all GPS trackers require data to work but a question often arises: how much data does a car GPS tracker use? Understanding the data usage of a car GPS tracker is important to plan the expense of maintaining a vehicle tracking device efficiently.

In this blog, we will dive into the factors that affect data usage, learn about the average data usage of a car GPS tracker along with tips on how to reduce the data costs.

What is a Car GPS Tracker?

A car GPS tracker is simply a location-tracking device specifically designed for cars.

It uses Global Positioning System(GPS) to locate and transmit the precise location of the vehicle in which it is installed. The device aggregates speed, distance, and time data and sends the information to a central server using data connectivity.

Thus data connection is a crucial requirement for the majority of car GPS trackers.

Key Factors Affecting GPS Data Consumption

1. Update Frequency 

One of the most significant factors affecting the data consumption of a car tracker is update frequency.

Devices that transmit and update location data every 10 seconds will consume more data than a device updating data every 5 or 10 minutes.

2. Data Type

Although the primary data that is transmitted by GPS trackers is location data, there are other data associated with it too.

Many devices send additional data consisting of engine status, fuel level and audio clips which add up to the overall data consumption.

3. Data Transmission Network Type

The most common types of networks used by GPS trackers are 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G networks.

Devices using 5G and 4G will generally consume more data as compared to GPS trackers that use 2G and 3G networks to transmit data.

4. Additional Features Usage 

Modern GPS trackers provide advanced features like geofencing, remote engine cutoff, surround voice monitoring and various other features.

All these features require additional data to function smoothly thus adding to the data cost.

Average Data Consumption Rates

On an average calculation, a standard car GPS tracker uses between 5 MB and 30 MB of data per month. 

Here's a more detailed breakdown:

Basic GPS Trackers:

These usually update and transmit data every 1-5 minutes and consume around 5-10 MB of data per month. 

Advanced Trackers with Real-Time Updates:

Updates location data every 10-30 seconds and can use 30-50 MB data per month.

Trackers with Live Audio or Video:

These GPS trackers can consume 500 MB to 1 GB of data or more per month, depending on how frequently the features are used.

Calculating Data Usage According To Your Needs

1. Determine the required update frequency

Determine how often you need location updates. For basic security purposes, one update per minute or every 5 minutes is normally enough.

For fleet and business owners, update of location data with a few second interval is generally required for ensuring the safety of vehicles and assets.

2. Estimate data used per update 

Each update generally consumes around 50 KB.

If you multiply this by the number of updates per day and then by 30, you can easily calculate the average data that will be consumed by your car GPS tracker per month.

Car GPS Data Usage Calculation:-

Update Frequency: Every minute

Data per Update: 50 KB

Daily Updates: 1,440 updates (1 update per minute × 60 minutes × 24 hours)

Monthly Data Usage: 21 GB (1,440 updates × 50 KB × 30 days)

(Note: This calculation is purely based on approximate data and real data usage may vary according to usage.)

Data Usage Optimization

Follow these steps to optimize your car tracker and reduce its data usage costs:

1. Configure Update Intervals

Setup update intervals according to your needs. Reduce update frequency when location tracking is not required thus saving data usage expense.

Most modern trackers allow customizing update intervals through apps provided.

2. Use Wi-Fi Feature If Available

Many advanced GPS trackers can connect to wifi for transmission of data thus saving data costs on cellular networks.

3. Turn Off Unnecessary Features

Extra features like geofencing, and voice recording should be disabled when the features are not required. This will reduce the data consumption of the GPS device.

Best practices for reducing extra data costs

1. Monitor Data Usage Regularly

Regularly monitor the data usage of the device and look out for abnormal data usage if any. Try to turn on data saver options if available.

2. Select The Correct Data Plan

Finalize the data plan according to your monthly usage of the tracking device in your car. Determine how much data you would need every month and select accordingly. 

Choosing the right GPS tracker according to your data usage and expense budget 

Consider the following while choosing a suitable GPS tracker:

Features vs. Data Usage:

Make sure to consider your data cost budget while a GPS device as additional features will always increase the data cost.

Battery Life:

If a GPS device is providing longer battery life than others, it might mean that the update interval is longer which also reduces data consumption as well as battery consumption.

Aftersales Support:

Choose a brand that has a proven track record of providing good customer service and can provide cost-effective data or subscription plans.

Conclusion

Understanding how much data a car GPS tracker uses is crucial to managing and planning your expenses related to maintaining a car GPS tracker effectively.

We hope the above analysis has given you an approximate and detailed answer regarding this query. By keeping various factors in mind, you can determine which features you might need to efficiently handle the data costs of your GPS tracker.

Do make sure to follow the data usage optimization tips which will further reduce costs and help you save money.

Also read our articles to find the list of best 5 GPS trackers in India right now, queries related to lifespan of car tracking devices, detection of hidden car trackers along with a list of best places to put a car tracker.