Owning a bike feels good. Bikes are the most prevalent mode of transportation, with nearly everyone owning one—people nowadays prefer to utilize bikes over public transportation. But you may be concerned about the safety of your bike.
Whether parked outside your house or some other place, your bike can be constantly at risk of being stolen. A secure bicycle lock is a vital technique for theft prevention. But, if you want to take it a step further, bike GPS trackers are appealing.
Bike GPS trackers are a new technology that allows riders to find their bikes by using a specialized app. Several manufacturers of higher-priced bikes are already equipping their models with GPS trackers out of the box. Yet, you do not need to purchase an expensive new e-bike as a result. You may retrofit a tracking device to your bike.
Read on to learn more about bike GPS trackers and how these devices help secure your bikes.
Is GPS Technology Suitable for Bike Tracking?
GPS is an abbreviation for Global Positioning System, which is a global navigation satellite system used for positioning. It enables real-time determination of the present position. In the meantime, this approach has established itself as the most significant positioning method in the world, and it is widely employed in navigation systems.
A Bike GPS Tracker may be used to find your bike after it has been stolen or to record the trip. As a result, bike GPS provides effective theft prevention.
How Do Bike GPS Trackers Work?
A GPS Tracker has a GPS receiver module that determines the current position. Moreover, a GSM module is fitted (Global System for Mobile Communication). Data is exchanged over the mobile network. So to say, the bicycle GPS Tracker communicates with you. This is done manually, which means you make a request and then wait for an answer.
The automated version is another possibility. In this example, the bike gives you an automated response regarding the current position at a predetermined period, such as once an hour. The coordinates will then be sent to you through SMS, an app, or e-mail.
What Are the Essential Components of a Good Bike GPS Tracker?
A good bike GPS tracker should have the following qualities:
-
Easy to install and set up
Bike trackers are sophisticated pieces of technology. But, regardless of how sophisticated they are behind the hood, they should be straightforward for us to set up. That is, the bike tracker should be simple to connect to the smartphone app (which should also be simple to use), and the gadget should be simple to attach to the bicycle.
-
Fast and easier charging
The GPS bike tracker should have features that can show the battery level and should not always have to be removed for charging. Also, the device should be easily chargeable and should not always require charging. The time for the charging should also be less and should be energy efficient.
-
Battery life should be long
No one wants to be constantly charging the battery of their bike tracker. But, for some people, this will be more significant than for others. That will be less of an issue for folks who store their bikes inside, near a power outlet, than for someone like me, whose bike is usually outside.
-
Tracking should be efficient
Tracking should be the most important feature that a GPS bike tracker should have. Although most GPS trackers have significant distinctions, their main goal should be to prove effective and efficient tracking. GPS bike trackers should be able to provide the correct location of your bike, in case they get stolen.
-
Difficult to find or remove
One of the main features you should look at in a bike GPS tracker is that it should be very difficult to find and remove by thieves. The GPS tracker should have the feature to be hidden somewhere that a thief is very unlikely to look or it should be completely unrecognizable.
Where Can a Bike Tracker be Hidden?
Depending on the type, bike trackers may be installed in a variety of locations on the bike. Some mount in unobtrusive places, such as beneath the saddle or under the bottle cage.
The good trackers, go a step further, striving to make the device nearly undetectable. e.g., by hiding the tracker inside the handlebar.
Other instances of bike trackers are visible, fastened with tamper-proof Torx bolts, which should prevent a thief from attempting to take the bike in the first place.
What Is the Range of a Bike GPS Tracker?
GPS receivers and GSM modules have accuracy ranging from ten to one meter. But, like with Bluetooth or WLAN, the sent signal might be limited, reducing accuracy.
What are the Advantages of Using Bike GPS Trackers?
The following are some of the benefits of utilizing a GPS tracker for bikes:
- The tracking device is really small. Installing such a device does not need much work.
- In the event of an accident, bike trackers can also assist in piecing together the entire scene. Trackers can provide detailed information about the whole occurrence. The lawmakers will find it simple to move on with the matter.
- Since these trackers are waterproof, they may be utilized throughout the rainy season as well.
- Can provide real-time location of the bike in case it is stolen.
- Doesn’t require any keys.
Are Bike GPS Trackers Worth It?
Though prevention is preferable to cure, a bike tracker may increase your chances of being reunited with your stolen bike. For many riders, a bike tracker might be a good purchase, especially if you need to leave your ride in a risky area. For example, you must frequently secure it or put it in a bike barn.
A bike GPS tracker will not replace the best bike locks, and you must continue to lock your bike properly since this is the strongest prevention against theft. The usefulness of any tracker is also dependent on the fact that the thief has not discovered the device and that it is within range, depending on the type.
While the selection of bike trackers is now limited, like with any nascent technology, more thoughtful solutions will most certainly emerge in the future. Improved efforts at disguising the tracker so that it blends with your bike’s frame will most likely be the most significant breakthrough in making it less visible to a thief.
Conclusion
There is little question that bike GPS trackers are here to stay and will only continue to evolve and improve as technology advances. If you own a bike, these devices are the finest investment you can make. Not only for theft but also for other concerns too.
