How to track a car through a computer via GLONASS

The GLONASS global positioning system uses satellites in orbit to accurately determine the coordinates of objects on earth. Using such a system, it is convenient to control transport: not only its route and speed, but also fuel consumption and technical condition.

Private owners can determine the location of their car at any time, so even if it is stolen, the police will quickly find the loss. Businesses use satellite positioning to track commercial flights and cargo, ensure employee safety, and respond quickly to emergency situations.

Is it possible to track a car using GLONASS?

It is not difficult to determine the coordinates of a car, but for this it must be equipped with a tracker. This is a special device that contains a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver communicates with satellites in orbit, determining the coordinates of the object, the transmitter transmits information to a server or other device: for example, a phone, a laptop.

Information from the tracker is available around the clock, so if you connect it to your laptop, computer or phone, you can get the car’s coordinates at any time. Some devices broadcast data continuously, others transmit it at intervals. However, this way you can monitor not only private or corporate cars, but also special equipment, water and air transport, cargo, pets and people.

Personal vehicle tracking

A private car owner is primarily concerned about the safety of his vehicle. Always knowing where his car is is the key to peace of mind and good mood! The car can be stolen, or it can be taken away on a tow truck while you are walking around the shopping center, having previously parked illegally... In any case, it would be very cool if the car disappears to open any available device and, by entering the SUBSCRIBER CODE, track the movement of your movable property. And report the loss to law enforcement agencies, thereby greatly increasing the chances of finding and finding the car.

GPS car tracking allows you to know where your car is. GPS car tracking via the Internet will allow you to constantly be aware of unauthorized movements of the vehicle during theft or evacuation.

Tracking cars using GPS will allow you to optimize your business and business and improve the work of your mobile staff.

The process of tracking cars using GLONASS

Car owners often worry before purchasing a tracker: if they can determine the coordinates of a vehicle, will someone else be able to do it. However, access to information by third parties is excluded, unless you provide someone with your own gadget or PC to control the car. If you choose a domestic satellite positioning system, it connects to a hack-proof nationwide network.

To determine the coordinates of an object, you only need a tracker, but the specifics of the device and its configuration affect the capabilities. For example, some models provide an emergency alert when an object leaves a safe zone. This feature is in demand among parents who want to protect their children: they can specify the route from school and back, and if they try to take the child off the permitted streets, a message will be sent to the phone of one of the parents.

However, emergency notification is also in demand by commercial enterprises, but they use it differently. The manager issues tasks to traveling employees, determines the optimal route and permissible deviations from it. If an employee wants to leave the permitted area for personal business, the dispatcher will receive an alert.

Satellite positioning helps solve the following problems:

• creation of automated transport control programs;
• determination of vehicle coordinates in real time;
• control of additional parameters: speed, fuel consumption;
• searching for a car after theft, when investigating crimes.

The technology guarantees the protection of personal data, so individuals and organizations do not have to worry about information leakage. Information about vehicles is available only to owners; in exceptional cases, they may be requested by law enforcement agencies.

Publications in the media

What if the FSB or the Ministry of Internal Affairs tracks movements by car? How many false calls do you receive per month? Is the hotline busy? We collected the most popular questions about the mandatory emergency communication system for new cars and asked them to representatives of GLONASS JSC.

Despite the fact that the go-ahead to create a Russian analogue of automobile assistance call systems, such as the European E-Call, was given by the president exactly ten years ago, and the system has been fully operational since 2015, most car owners still look at the SOS button in the ceiling of their car with some kind of superstitious fear. Surprisingly, according to the results of our small survey, it turned out that every second person has never pressed this button at all and has a vague idea of ​​​​the principles of operation of ERA-GLONASS. Therefore, we have put together all the questions that arise for the most ordinary driver, who is new to the operation of the system and technical nuances.

If I systematically (once a day, an hour, a minute) test the performance of the system and call an operator, simply checking the connection manually, what will happen? Will I end up on the blacklist as a strange, unbalanced person, will sooner or later be fined for a false call or something else?

Nothing bad will happen to you in this case; there are no fines or blacklists. You just need to remember that false calls create an extra burden on call center operators and distract from real requests from citizens for help.

What important and useful things can you learn from an era operator? How can he help me if I forgot my phone at home? Well, let's say, find out how far away the nearest gas station is, or call the fire department if I'm driving along the forest and see a fire, for example... Or send an ambulance if things get bad? Or send a tow truck if the driver stalls on a deserted road?

If any emergency occurs, you can contact the ERA-GLONASS operator and he will call the necessary emergency response service. Firefighters, ambulances, police - depending on the state of affairs. If you have a problem related to the operation of your car, but you don’t have a phone with the usual numbers of car services and friends at hand, using the same SOS button you can use and receive emergency technical support from ERA-GLONASS partners (calling a tow truck, “lighting up” car, refueling, etc.). You can also receive legal assistance as part of this service. ERA will send information about you and your coordinates to partners completely free of charge, but the services themselves are provided by commercial companies and are paid according to their tariffs.

How many ERA call centers are there in total? Where are they located? Is it possible that when calling for help the line will be busy and you will have to wait? Today, all mobile operators in call centers are moving from using live employees to automated systems that annoy users - is this what the ERA is waiting for?

Today there are three contact centers. The main one is located in Moscow, and two more operate in Kursk and Kostroma. The Central Federal District was chosen, since the bulk of vehicles equipped with devices for calling emergency services travel in this region of Russia. With the penetration of such machines to the east, contact centers will open evenly throughout all federal districts.

Each center has 16 24-hour automated workstations staffed by operators, dispatchers and supervisors. You hear the voices of operators in your car - they are responsible for receiving and primary processing (filtering) of emergency calls, dividing them into those requiring and not requiring transmission to emergency operational services. Dispatchers transmit information about an emergency call to the territorial bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. Supervisors monitor the functioning of the system and ensure that the emergency call ends with help.

The waiting time for an operator response has been reduced to a minimum. Today's calculations of peak load, including the option in which one of the centers may be temporarily out of order, show that in any situation an answer to an emergency call will come within the first couple of seconds after it arrives at the contact center. The use of artificial intelligence (chatbots, as in call centers of mobile operators or banks) when processing emergency calls is possible in the future, but not now.

What training do employees receive? Are they professionals or students working part-time?

All FCC employees are recruited and trained for permanent work, they become familiar with the system interface, undergo certification and monthly recertification. Training programs have been developed with the participation of universities and are accredited by the Ministry of Education and Science. Now, together with specialized medical institutions, hardware and software methods for assessing the stress resistance and emotional state of FCC specialists are being tested. The stable emotional state of the operator handling an emergency call and being in verbal contact with victims who need help plays an important role. Well, in general, working with serious accidents, even remotely, requires enormous stress and responsibility.

What does the cellular coverage map look like today? What part of the country's territory is not yet covered by ERA-GLONASS? Are there many blind spots where the system does not work, not in the remote taiga or tundra, but in regions with an extensive road network?

JSC GLONASS operates as an MVNO - a virtual cellular operator using the infrastructure of other cellular networks - based on the radio coverage of the three largest cellular networks (Beeline, MTS, MegaFon) and does not take part in the planning and development of the radio coverage itself. The quality of ERA coverage - common to the three operators - on main roads is regularly assessed by Roskomnadzor, open data is posted here. Indeed, in some areas mobile operators cannot provide full coverage. However, when the cellular signal is too weak or absent at all and a call cannot be made, in the event of an automatic emergency response, ERA-GLONASS sends an SMS with coordinates and a signal for help to the call center.

Is there a warranty for ERA equipment? What are the maintenance regulations and diagnostic techniques? Is it part of the procedure of official dealers or is it considered that there is nothing to break and the equipment lasts as long as a car?

UVEOS (in-vehicle emergency call device) of the ERA-GLONASS system is an integral part of the vehicle. Therefore, the warranty is the same as for all other electronic components of the car. The dealer service schedule is determined by the car manufacturer (importer, representative office). For some, performance testing is included in periodic maintenance, for others it is not. GOST for automotive systems and devices for calling in-vehicle emergency services provides for a mandatory testing regime. However, the automaker itself decides when to launch it - sometimes you can limit yourself to the presence or absence of a device malfunction indication.

What do the call statistics look like today? Are there many false calls? Do they mostly call on business? How many deaths averted?

Today, 1.2% of the total number of calls are transferred by system employees to emergency services. About 10–11 thousand requests are processed per day. More than 2,000 calls are sent to emergency services every month. 70% of true calls were received automatically, that is, as a result of an accident with damage in which people could be injured. Most of these 70% of calls came from highways located outside the city, so we can assume that every call was a lifesaver. Over the entire period (since the system began functioning), there were many of them:

What do real stories look like when it was absolutely impossible to do without the ERA?

• “There are many such cases, and they are mainly associated with situations in which a person finds himself without a mobile phone - the phone is lost, broken, discharged, and the like. Here are some examples from the ERA call center for July:

• — The car got stuck in the Omsk region, on a country road in the direction of the village of Ust-Logatka - Tyukalinsk, near Lake Tenis. There was a small child in the car; it was not possible to call emergency services from the phone. The operator transmitted the coordinates to the duty station of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and assistance was promptly provided.

• — In St. Petersburg, the owner of a Nissan X-Trail reported an attack on him in a traffic conflict - another traffic participant tried to get into his car. As soon as the complainant spoke to the call center operator, the attacker, hearing this, quickly got into his car and drove away.

• — In Perm, a subscriber reported that a tree and electrical wires fell on his car. The applicant could not use the phone and called the Ministry of Emergency Situations using the SOS button.

• — In the Orenburg region, after a car overturned, the victim was in a state of shock, could not speak, only screamed. Emergency services were called.

• - Kirov region. A pregnant woman with severe abdominal pain needed help in a stuck car. Emergency services were called.

Does anyone buy ERA kits for cars that didn't have them in the first place? What does it look like from a technical point of view (where to buy, how to design and install)? How much does it cost?

Yes, people buy these kinds of kits. This usually happens in two ways.

Option one. The vehicle is already registered with the traffic police, has Russian license plates, drives on the roads, but due to its age it does not have the ERA-GLONASS system. And the owner wants to get a “panic button”. In this case, he can independently purchase the device and contact certified workshops or certified installers (a list of them is on our website). After this, you need to register the ERA-GLONASS module in the system - for this you need to provide JSC GLONASS with information about the vehicle in operation in the Russian Federation and equipped with equipment at the initiative of the owner. After checking the data, the information is entered into the system. The detailed procedure is described on the ERA website.

Option two. You are going to buy a vehicle abroad and import it into Russia for the purpose of further operation. For such owners, there is a “Temporary procedure for the release into circulation of single vehicles imported into the territory of the Russian Federation,” which describes the entire procedure.

The cost of the device, installation and registration in the system is 19–25 thousand rubles, depending on the region.

Could the system (at least theoretically) be used to track people's movements? Criminals, for example? Will the police or the FSB be able to identify the car if necessary?

"ERA-GLONASS" (in the mode of the basic service for calling emergency services) cannot monitor the car in any way. Until the SOS button is manually pressed or the system is triggered automatically in the event of a serious accident, technically there is no way to track the car and its movements, since the system is in sleep mode and does not transmit data anywhere.

Both citizens and law enforcement officers have repeatedly approached us with a request to find, for example, a stolen car. In this case, alas, this is purely technically impossible. We answer such requests: “If the criminal suddenly gets into an accident or presses the SOS button himself, only then will we see the car signal.”

Source: Wheels

How to install a tracking system

Our company is a federal full-cycle monitoring operator. We offer modern equipment and install coordinate determination systems on private and corporate cars, special equipment, water and air transport. The installation of a tracking system should be carried out by specialists, because the quality of installation affects the durability of the equipment and the correctness of its functioning.

Specialists will also make sure that the sensors are not noticeable. This ensures that the equipment cannot be damaged by hijackers or unscrupulous employees who want to hide information about the route or fuel consumption. Contact professionals, and the tracking system will work stably and reliably, without requiring maintenance!

GLONASS service

The list of maintenance tasks for this equipment includes:

• maintaining system components in working order;
• stable pairing of satellite devices with mobile software or dispatch console;
• eliminating failures, operational errors, updating programs;
• the need to maintain remote storage to avoid loss of valuable information.

Every car owner can learn to use the GLONASS complex. The system is specially designed taking into account the interests and wishes of domestic consumers, climatic and regional characteristics of the country. For reliability, you can install the Autograph on-board controller in your car.

How to track a car using GLONASS through your phone?

To monitor a car using mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, you need a special application. Tracker manufacturers often offer their own software: you receive it when you purchase the equipment or download a version for your operating system, install and register.

After registration, you can monitor the movement of vehicles through the screen of your mobile device. If the application version provides such an option, then the screen will also display speed, parking duration, gasoline consumption, and oil information. The applications are adapted for small screens, making them easy to use. In addition, you don’t have to be in the office or at home to do this: you can check the location of the car at any time.

How to turn your phone into a GPS tracker

The first and easiest option is to install a special application on your mobile phone, for example, NaviTag, X-GPS Tracker, “Beacon”. They are free to download. The utilities are capable of transmitting the most accurate information about the current position of the vehicle.

NaviTag

Tracking any movement of a car using a smartphone is as easy as using a beacon. Although the phone apps are free, full functionality requires payment. In a basic account, some features will be limited.

These utilities will also need a 3G or 4G connection. They transmit data to the car owner using the mobile Internet. If there is no coverage, there will be problems with tracking. In addition, turning on data transfer will speed up battery drain.

Important. In order not to crash into the car wiring, the smartphone should be connected to a Power Bank, then you will have to charge it less often. You can buy a car charger, but in this case it will be more difficult to disguise your mobile phone.

Another way is to track the car through your phone using cellular data. Under this condition, the owner will not be able to obtain exact coordinates, but even the weakest operator coverage will be enough for the smartphone to complete the task. You will have to spend a little time setting up the equipment.

Preparing the device

Any mobile phone will do; it is not necessary to use gadgets from the “smart” category. It must have good network signal reception.

To prepare your device for movement tracking, you need to follow a few simple steps:

• remove all decorative panels to make the phone less noticeable;
• enable the automatic answer function for incoming calls;
• insert a SIM card and select the optimal tariff plan;
• enable silent mode and disable vibration alert;
• write down the number to call on the installed SIM card and IMEI phone.

Important. The IMEI of any smartphone can be found by typing *#06# on the keyboard.

It is also recommended to enable key lock. This will avoid unnecessary clicks when driving the car.

Installation in the car

If you don’t want to periodically take out your phone and charge it, you will have to connect to the vehicle wiring coming from the battery. Here you will need a car charging cord. It is better to connect through the cigarette lighter - it converts 12 volts from the battery into 5 volts. All connections should be soldered and exposed contacts should be insulated.

It is important to find the most inconspicuous place for the phone and secure it there tightly. It is better to use plastic ties - they come in different colors, but black ones will stand out less.

Beacon test

To check the device, you need to call it. If everything was done correctly, the beacon phone will automatically answer the incoming call and will not emit any sound signals. In this way, you can eavesdrop on the conversations of the intruders who stole the car. This will help you get more information about where they are going.

How to track a car using GLONASS via a computer?

To control a car using a PC, you also need a tracker and special software. A satellite sensor is installed on the car, which not only communicates with satellites in orbit, but also transmits information via GPRS channel directly to your laptop or PC. While using a satellite system is free, data transfer via GPRS may require a subscription fee. The software is usually included with the tracker, but it can also be purchased separately.

After installing the program, you will be able to monitor transport online. If the beacon signal disappears for some reason, information about this will still be stored in the program memory. Therefore, you will be able to view not only current data on the movement of the car, but also collect analytics. This is convenient for commercial companies: this way they can form ratings of the accuracy and reliability of drivers on staff.

GPS tracker or smartphone

A GPS tracker is a device consisting of modules and a small plastic case. It functions as an autonomous car search system. The sensor transmits information about the movement of the machine at the request of the owner or online.

GPS tracker

Instead of a tracker, you can use any smartphone that supports the GSM communication standard. Each of these control methods has its own advantages and disadvantages. The table shows the pros and cons of a GPS tracker.

The following table lists the advantages and disadvantages of the smartphone.

Such systems are not always used exclusively for protection against theft. Control of a car via phone or tracker, for example, is carried out by some companies for corporate purposes.

Advantages of car tracking using GLONASS

The system user receives comprehensive information about the state of transport:

• its geographical coordinates;
• fuel level in the tank and its consumption;
• place and duration of stops and parking;
• movement speed;
• condition of the cargo.

Some tracker models also broadcast video from cameras installed in the car. Thanks to this, you can prevent theft, damage to vehicles and theft of valuable cargo. Also, some types of satellite equipment offer an emergency call function: in the event of a strong impact, the system automatically transmits the coordinates of ambulances and rescuers. Therefore, even if the driver loses consciousness, he will be provided with timely assistance.

Thanks to satellite monitoring, commercial companies prevent fuel tanks from being drained: if the gasoline level changes sharply, the dispatcher will notice it. Installing the system pays for itself in a few months. And not only due to the impossibility of draining gasoline, but also because management gets access to analytics. With the help of satellite monitoring, it is easy to create the shortest and most profitable transport route, effectively plan transportation and control the work of field specialists.

Tracking company cars (corporate transport)

Tracking vehicle personnel is an urgent task for every prudent business owner. What problems of remote control may lie in wait at the stage of using the monitoring system? The main function of GPS tracking in this case is to search and provide an answer to the question “where is my employee now?” When the monitoring system is operating, you will always see on the map the movement of the object and directly the point where it is currently located. But there are still challenges.

Every company owner should be interested in how responsibly an employee operates a company car. After all, unfortunately, there are drivers of this kind: “the car is not mine, which means you can drive as you please.” Transport cost estimates can be made much more accurate and results predictable by implementing on-line GPS driver tracking.