Tracking someone via their mobile phone
- Thread starter DanV
- Start date
A
Aris
Guest
Yes it is possible, but there is many factors for quality location. It depends who want to locate mobile.
TrackClarity
Security Directors
Mobile Phone Tracking (know as GSM tracking)
--------------------------------------------
Right here we go !
To gain a mobile location the device looks at all the “cell towers” around its position, gains signal strength and cell id information. This allows the network to have fixed point references to give an area in which the mobile device is located.
Accuracy varies wildly depending on network operator and how the service is being run. Expect 300 m radius in a cell tower rich city, and up to 2500m radius out in the sticks.
This is usually provided from the network provider on request from a company (such as the many companies which allow mobile phone tracking). Legally this service requires the consent of the owner of the mobile phone.
You CAN install hidden software on a phone which can do the same function without the owners knowledge or consent, and if the phone has gps you can activate this covertly to gain sub 3m accuracy. Please understand this is illegal and I will not detail this online or to unkown parties.
Hopefully this should give you a quick overview, if you have any more specific questions which are not about the illegal side of things feel free to ask or PM me.
Best regards,
Track Clarity
--------------------------------------------
Right here we go !
To gain a mobile location the device looks at all the “cell towers” around its position, gains signal strength and cell id information. This allows the network to have fixed point references to give an area in which the mobile device is located.
Accuracy varies wildly depending on network operator and how the service is being run. Expect 300 m radius in a cell tower rich city, and up to 2500m radius out in the sticks.
This is usually provided from the network provider on request from a company (such as the many companies which allow mobile phone tracking). Legally this service requires the consent of the owner of the mobile phone.
You CAN install hidden software on a phone which can do the same function without the owners knowledge or consent, and if the phone has gps you can activate this covertly to gain sub 3m accuracy. Please understand this is illegal and I will not detail this online or to unkown parties.
Hopefully this should give you a quick overview, if you have any more specific questions which are not about the illegal side of things feel free to ask or PM me.
Best regards,
Track Clarity
Last edited:
G
Gabi
Guest
Why do you want to know?
isstraining
Security Directors
Dan,
A cheaper and improvised way of tracking is to use a mobile phone. Take an old mobile phone and install a ‘prepay’ or ‘pay as you go‘ SIM card into it with some credit on it (to avoid contracts). Then register online with a tracking provider such as MobileLocate: 30 Day Free Trial - mobile phone tracking, track mobile, mobile tracking, trace mobile, tracking, minor planet, trace mobile, phone trace, mobile phone trace, mobile phone location, locate mobile, mobile phone locator, track mobile phon or VeriLocation. For a small registration fee and a small fee every time you want to locate the phone, it is an alternative option.
When registering the phone, an initial security password is sent to it by text in order to marry up the phone with the account holder. As an additional security precaution, the phone being tracked is randomly sent a text notifying the user that the phone is being tracked. This is to prevent abuse and the unauthorised tracking of a persons phone without them knowing.
However, to use this as a vehicle tracker, you register it and conceal it in a car. It does not have to see the sky as it does not use GPS to obtain a location. Its life will depend on the battery and how much it is used but you should get at least four days tracking or use a modified car charger to connect it to the vehicle power supply
If you want to know where your children are and they have mobile phones, this is the way to do it but remember they will be sent random texts reminding them that the phone is being tracked.
The accuracy is varied as in some urban areas (where there are more masts) you may get a fix radius down to about 100m. In more rural areas the radius could be as wide as 3km.
Cheers
Pete
ISS Training Ltd
A cheaper and improvised way of tracking is to use a mobile phone. Take an old mobile phone and install a ‘prepay’ or ‘pay as you go‘ SIM card into it with some credit on it (to avoid contracts). Then register online with a tracking provider such as MobileLocate: 30 Day Free Trial - mobile phone tracking, track mobile, mobile tracking, trace mobile, tracking, minor planet, trace mobile, phone trace, mobile phone trace, mobile phone location, locate mobile, mobile phone locator, track mobile phon or VeriLocation. For a small registration fee and a small fee every time you want to locate the phone, it is an alternative option.
When registering the phone, an initial security password is sent to it by text in order to marry up the phone with the account holder. As an additional security precaution, the phone being tracked is randomly sent a text notifying the user that the phone is being tracked. This is to prevent abuse and the unauthorised tracking of a persons phone without them knowing.
However, to use this as a vehicle tracker, you register it and conceal it in a car. It does not have to see the sky as it does not use GPS to obtain a location. Its life will depend on the battery and how much it is used but you should get at least four days tracking or use a modified car charger to connect it to the vehicle power supply
If you want to know where your children are and they have mobile phones, this is the way to do it but remember they will be sent random texts reminding them that the phone is being tracked.
The accuracy is varied as in some urban areas (where there are more masts) you may get a fix radius down to about 100m. In more rural areas the radius could be as wide as 3km.
Cheers
Pete
ISS Training Ltd
TrackClarity
Security Directors
Hi pete,
Yes that does work, To increase this accuracy even futher you can use a phone with a gps chip set, then register on a number of the free services online and get gps positions from the device. This will require installing software on a phone to achieve this. However power is an issue as it will drain the phone quite quickly. Also the software running on the phone does not tend to be as reliable as a dedicated tracking device.
In regards to cell based positions on a tracking website you will find in most places you wont get a fix anything like as good as 100m, your doing well unless your using a dedicated device to get anything near this. This is because a dedicated device provides much more information on the cell tower information than the operators will use for a fix from a lbs request for a mobile phone.
Also using one of the cheap or free online cell location services will only allow you "on request" position data. You also cant be sure how frequently this will be logged for a location service . This could mean you are asking for positions and it will be giving an old position because it has not had an update on the phone network database. This means for example if you want a trail of positions you will need to manually request from the website for each position you require.
With a dedicated solution you can set the device up to get position data at a set frequency (for example every 10 mins) (although you can do every minute if you wanted) which means you get a trail of activity from the device. It does not reply on a network log to provide position information so is as up to date and accurate as it can be (based on real time information it gathers).
This is more useful when looking at asset protection and the bad guys have used a cell blocker to prevent the device getting on the cell network to send you a position.
At least you will have the last position, and more importantly you will have a position when the device can get on the network again (as the bad guys will have to turn of the blocker to scan for devices).
Cell based tracking is only really useful for asset protection and not surveillance as the accuracy does not allow for a good enough accuracy. You would then hope for an RF beacon being on or near the device to radio direction to provide a accurate position.
The only other instance is if the device has a gps chip set on board, but only transmites this data over RF. You could get within range from a cell position (depending on accurecy and range of the RF from the unit) and get a gps postion from that. However this is very old technolgy and not the best solution.
Hope this information is useful for the forum members,
Best regards,
Track Clarity
Last edited:
isstraining
Security Directors
TrackClarity,
Thanks for that, we have had an accuracy of about 80 meters tracking a mobile but that was at a motorway service station where there were many masts serving the motorway. It has also been out by 6500m in a rural area...
A couple of years ago I saw a phone based tracker with an additional built in RF TX, which you could activate to get a more accurate fix (this was a much cheaper option at the time) but now trackers are fairly cheap there is not much point.
You may be aware but for the members, the TR101 from Maplins is about £130.00 and is GPS operated to get a fix. It sends the co-ordinates by text to your mobile phone on a request and a really cheap tracking option.
Pete
ISS Training Ltd
Thanks for that, we have had an accuracy of about 80 meters tracking a mobile but that was at a motorway service station where there were many masts serving the motorway. It has also been out by 6500m in a rural area...
A couple of years ago I saw a phone based tracker with an additional built in RF TX, which you could activate to get a more accurate fix (this was a much cheaper option at the time) but now trackers are fairly cheap there is not much point.
You may be aware but for the members, the TR101 from Maplins is about £130.00 and is GPS operated to get a fix. It sends the co-ordinates by text to your mobile phone on a request and a really cheap tracking option.
Pete
ISS Training Ltd
TrackClarity
Security Directors
Hi pete,
great exchange of information! Yes in that instance of the cell towers being so great in number I can believe you got a fix with that accurecy. With the system we use we have had 30m in a similar situation (using a dedicated unit). And as you stated the rural accuracy can be frustrating as well!
Just to add you can also get the TR101 from a company called easydevices. I would not recommend the other trackers from globalsat. We have tested them and they were not reliable enough.
The unit pete has mentioned however is reliable. Do remember however this is a "on request" device so you will only get positions when you ask, and no indication of movement or online logging of position data.
If its just being used as a loss recovery device in surveillance often you only need to know where it is when on request. Do bear in mind however that if the device has nipped into a underground carpark and there is no gps signal you will not get a position!
With a full system you would at least have the last recorded fix which would help you get into the area of the tracker.
Best Regards,
Track Clarity
Last edited:
Thank you for this information, I have heard the new I Phone has a built in tracker program or that could be down loaded and is supported by the networks. The programme can be programmed to send the phones locations to other phone numbers of e mail address. I would loke to know if anyone know when it will be coming to the UK
Covert Munkey
Administrator
Gents,
As much as I love you guys I have to say you are geeks! Haha
Very interested though in the iPhone tracking software as I currently have a new iPhone 3GS which I must add is theeeee dogs tezzers!
CM
Posted via Mobile Device
As much as I love you guys I have to say you are geeks! Haha
Very interested though in the iPhone tracking software as I currently have a new iPhone 3GS which I must add is theeeee dogs tezzers!
CM
Posted via Mobile Device
I used this free mobile tracking software, it worked for me, and free of charge, you can find a simple user guide here, please post your comment here.
Cheers
KingLeonidas
Longterm Registered User
Reviving a VERY OLD thread with this new story, courtesy of lawyers in Baltimore, USA.
The StingRay device, very expensive, apparently working its way into many police units, as well as Federal agencies.
The Feds have had something like this for a long time.
https://en-maktoob.news.yahoo.com/investigation-baltimore-opened-floodgates-secretive-142942861.html
KL
The StingRay device, very expensive, apparently working its way into many police units, as well as Federal agencies.
The Feds have had something like this for a long time.
https://en-maktoob.news.yahoo.com/investigation-baltimore-opened-floodgates-secretive-142942861.html
KL
Lovely bit of kit, but the law needs to change so these convictions can't be challenged.
The law needs to get tougher all over, I'm sick of catching criminals in the act and then watching them get off Scott free.
KingLeonidas
Longterm Registered User
Couldn't tell you what the price of that bit of kit is ... but I am betting it is expensive 
Very handy to have, but only legal for the police.
Probably these Stingray trackers have been around for quite a while, but only in the intel organizations and federal police. I am sure they must have equivalent hardware in the UK and Europe. Very ingenious!
Here in the US people are generally upset about "invasion of privacy". But practically speaking, you have to assume that anything that happens on a cell phone can be intercepted.
cheers,
KL
Very handy to have, but only legal for the police.
Probably these Stingray trackers have been around for quite a while, but only in the intel organizations and federal police. I am sure they must have equivalent hardware in the UK and Europe. Very ingenious!
Here in the US people are generally upset about "invasion of privacy". But practically speaking, you have to assume that anything that happens on a cell phone can be intercepted.
cheers,
KL