Function LTE-Tracking

LTE GPS tracking refers to the location of a device connected to the mobile network via GPS.
The GPS receiver uses the GPS antenna to determine the current location based on GPS satellite data.
Once the location of the tracker has been determined, the location is transmitted via the mobile network to the querying end device, e.g. smartphone or PC. In addition to the GPS receiver, an LTE GPS tracker also requires an LTE module to establish a mobile connection via a SIM card.

To retrieve the position data of an LTE GPS tracker, the device is contacted via smartphone app, SMS, phone call, email or the manufacturer’s website. The tracker then responds with precise position data.

If no GPS signal can be received temporarily, the position is determined using the LTE network. If a switched-on mobile device is connected to at least one mobile phone mast, the radio cell in which the device is located can be determined. Positioning via the LTE network is less accurate than via GPS, but a rough location is better than no location at all. If neither GPS nor LTE signals are available, a tracker displays the last available location.

 GPS

The Global Positioning System (GPS) was developed by the US Department of Defence in the 1970s and has been fully operational since the 1990s. GPS is used for positioning and navigation. The position is determined using GPS satellites. The 24 GPS satellites in 6 orbits form a network at an altitude of approximately 20,200 km, which covers the entire globe except for the polar regions.
GPS devices can only receive signals, but cannot transmit them. The position data determined is always linked to the current time. If GPS signals are received from at least 4 satellites simultaneously, it is also possible to determine the direction and speed of movement.

LTE

LTE is a redesign of the 3G standard to satisfy the demand for low latency data transmission. The redesign includes:

• An IP address based core network
• A simplified network architecture
• A new radio interface
• A new modulation method
• Multiple input, multiple output radios (MIMO) for all devices

Together, these improvements lower latencies and increase throughput throughout the network. These improvements also imply that an LTE network is not a simple upgrade to an existing 3G network. LTE requires new hardware and operates on a separate spectrum from the 3G network.

One way that LTE simplifies the network architecture is by consolidating the logic for how a device connects to the network into a single component — the Radio Resource Controller. This component tracks the connection state of a device and allocates radio resources to a device so that it can send and receive data over the network. In LTE, the RRC is the “brains of the operation”.

Positioning vs. Location Tracking

Simply determining a position, e.g. via GPS, does not constitute location tracking. Location tracking only occurs when a person wants to determine the location of another person, an object or a vehicle. To do this, it must be possible to transmit the determined position, e.g. via mobile communications.