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DIY Real-Time GPS Tracking


This DIY contains step-by-step instructions on how to track your vehicle from the Internet using a $40 prepaid cell phone and InstaMapper's free GPS tracking service. The end result should be similar to what you see in this demo.

Summary


Difficulty level
Easy to medium, depending on whether you want to permanently install the cell phone in your car.

Time commitment
1-2 hours, including the time it takes to buy a phone. Hardwiring the phone into your car will take a bit longer. Everything needed for this DIY can be purchased locally.

Cost
The prepaid cell phone costs $40. The phone comes with $5 of free service, sufficient for 14 days of tracking. After that, you pay $0.35 / day for Boost's unlimited data plan, needed for sending location data to InstaMapper.

What you get
24/7 online GPS tracking with very fast position updates. As an added benefit, you can use the cell phone to make emergency phone calls ($0.10 - $0.20 per minute), and send / receive text messages and emails (no charge). The phone also has limited capabilities for web browsing.

Steps:

  1. Buy a cell phone
  2. Activate it
  3. Create a free InstaMapper account
  4. Install tracking software
  5. Optionally, hardwire the cell phone to your car's battery

1. Buy Boost Mobile's Motorola i425 phone


This phone is available from most major retailers, including Best Buy and Target. We recommend buying from Target because of their 90-day return policy. There are actually two i425 models -- i425t and i425e. Either one will work; the only difference between them is color.

You can read more about the phone and check local availability here.

Disclaimer: buy the phone at your own risk. InstaMapper tracking service is provided as-is. There are no guarantees that anything will work. Save the receipt to your phone in case you need to return it.

2. Activate the phone


  • Install provided SIM card and battery.
  • Turn on the phone by holding the red "hangup" key. The phone will display "No Service".
  • Go to Boost Mobile's phone activation page. If the link doesn't work, go to http://boostmobile.com, click "activate" and then "create a new number" under PayGo.
  • To activate the phone, you will need three numbers -- SIM (back of SIM card holder), activation number (back of SIM card holder), and IMEI (bottom of the retail package).
  • Make sure to select "activate wireless web". Your phone will not be able to transmit data without this option.
  • If you don't receive a phone number at the end of registration, check your email after a few minutes. The number will also be sent to your phone as a text message.
  • Power cycle the phone. It should now say "Boost" and display a few bars of signal strengh.
  • The web browser may initially give error messages ("error while retrieiving user"). The errors do not interfere with tracking and will go away in a day or two.
  • You may want to change some of your phone settings (Menu -> Settings). For vehicle tracking, you probably want to set the ringer volume to 0. We also prefer to silence the keypad, set theme to "Alkali", wallpaper to "Ramps", and enable home icons. Your mileage may vary.

3. Create a free InstaMapper account


Use this link. Registration should only take a minute or two.

4. Install tracking software


To install InstaMapper tracking software on your phone, you need a regular USB cable (the kind you use for your digital camera), and Motorola's iDEN Java Application Loader (JAL) software. The latter can be downloaded directly from Motorola here (free registration required; click "join MotoDev" when they ask you for your login information). After JAL is installed, connect your phone with a USB cable, start JAL, and hit "Connect to phone". Unzip InstaMapper tracking software to a folder on your PC, then hit "Download" and select "GPSTracker.jad" from that folder. Hit "Disconnect" when the transfer completes.

Now start the app you just downloaded -- it will be under "Java Apps", possibly on the second screen (hit "More"). The app is called "GPS Tracker" and has an icon that looks like a satellite. Enter the device id from your InstaMapper account. Click "Save". The phone will ask for your permission to access the GPS chip. Say "yes". When the status message changes from "Locating..." to "Tracking..." your should be able to see the location of your phone on InstaMapper.

5. Hardwire the phone


For 24/7 tracking, you can hardwire the phone to your car's battery. Only do this if you are comfortable with your car's electrical system, and are willing to accept the risks (shorts, fires, etc). Seek help of a professional installer otherwise.

The basic idea is to get a SYN1630 Motorola car charger for your phone ($7 on eBay, other chargers may also work), then connect the charger to car's wiring with RadioShack's Accessory Outlet ($7, catalog number 270-1556). You will need to find an always-on 12V wire in your car. To do this, consult the wiring scheme for your car, ask your mechanic, or simply probe the wires with a small sewing needle connected to a multimeter. If your car's fuse box is accesible, an easy way to attach the red wire of the outlet kit is by using a fuse tap such as this one (available at most local autosupply stores). The black wire can be attached to any grounded metal bolt.

We recommend installing the phone in the glove compartment. This way the phone is easily accessible for making phone calls.

Important notice


InstaMapper does not allow covert tracking. You may not track a person without his or her consent, or track an object without the consent of its owner.