How To Find A Hidden GPS Tracker
How to find a hidden GPS tracker on your car? The question that many vehicle owners have on their minds is if they suspect that someone wants or needs to track them. This article covers four methods for locating a vehicle’s concealed GPS. All current consumer and commercial cars must follow the instructions.
Locating A GPS Tracker On Your Car
If you think someone has put a GPS tracker in your car, you’ll need some simple items like a flashlight, a mechanic’s mirror, and a creeper or mat to assist you to crawl under the car. Specialized equipment such as electronic sweepers or bug detectors may be in order in cases where a basic visual inspection is insufficient. The following are the fundamental techniques for discovering a disguised GPS tracker on your car:
Conduct an exterior inspection: Check places such as the wheel wells and under the vehicle using a flashlight and mirror. The majority of trackers are in places in easily accessible areas. Conduct an inside inspection, beginning with the data port. Because most GPS trackers are small, don’t rule out the trunk as a possible concealing site.
Use a bug detector to sweep the vehicle: Bug detectors are available from many of the same places that sell trackers. Keep in mind that certain trackers only communicate when the car is moving, and sweepers will miss them.
Recognize when to seek expert assistance: If you believe someone has hidden a tracker on your vehicle but can’t discover it, a specialist may be able to assist you. Automotive electronics, car audio, and car alarm technicians frequently have the requisite experience and equipment. Below you have many tips on how to find a hidden GPS tracker on your car. Bear with us!
Where To Look For A GPS Tracker Hidden: Exterior
Small GPS trackers are attachable practically anywhere, these devices are typically in an easily accessible position. So the first step in locating a GPS tracker on your vehicle is to conduct a visual check of hiding areas that you can reach fast and easily. Inside a tire well is a frequent area to hide a GPS tracker, and it’s also a simple location to investigate. Examine both the front and rear wheel wells using a flashlight. To get a good look, you may need to use a telescopic mirror, and you can also feel about with your hand in places you can’t see.
Attempt to peel back the hard plastic wheel well liner and see or feel inside if it is loose. It’s possible that the liner was loosened to connect a magnetized tracker to the frame or body behind it. Checking underneath the vehicle with your flashlight and telescoping mirror is also a good idea. If you have a creeper and enough ground clearance, slip underneath the vehicle to inspect it thoroughly. Focus on places where a tracker might be hidden quickly and readily without much effort. Keep in mind that the tracker could be buried in road grit and grime.
Trackers can also be concealed behind or inside bumpers. You’ll also need a flashlight and a mirror to do a complete inspection. To feel around, you may need to reach up and inside the bumper in some circumstances. Trackers can be hidden inside the engine compartment, however, this is uncommon. If someone can open the hood of your automobile, they are more likely to hide the device within the vehicle.
The Interior Is A Good Place To Look For
You need to check the interior to find a hidden GPS tracker on your car! Hidden GPS trackers can be tucked discreetly anywhere inside a car or truck due to their modest size. You should concentrate on locations where such a device can attach quickly, although this won’t always work. Simpler trackers may plug straight into a vehicle’s data port. The most unobtrusive trackers have battery connections. If you can find the data connector, which is normally under the driver’s knees beneath the dash, and it has something put into it, you should be concerned.
If you don’t see anything visible, examine behind the seats, under and behind the dash, inside and behind the glove compartment, and in the center console with your flashlight and mirror. Trackers can also be concealed in seat pockets, between seats, under sun visors, and in other places. One of the challenges in identifying a disguised GPS tracker within a vehicle is that it may blend seamlessly with other components. Small modules, such as the one that controls the power door locks, may easily be mistaken for something more sinister.
When someone is determined to keep their surveillance device hidden, they may conceal it beneath a seat cushion, behind a door panel, or in other out-of-the-way places. These gadgets can also be stowed away in a trunk. Remove and examine your spare tire if you have one. You can also peel out the trunk liner at that time, which can easily conceal a small GPS tracking device.
Using A Bug Sweeper
Electronic sweepers, often known as bug detectors, are portable devices that detect electromagnetic signals such as those produced by radio transmitters and cellphones. This type of technology is available in the same places that GPS trackers are available! In some cases, can make your bug detector if you have the necessary spare components on hand.
Sweepers can’t identify passive GPS trackers because they rely on detecting signals. They can, however, be quite useful in locating well-hidden active trackers. If you can get a bug sweeper, start it up and stroll around your vehicle cautiously. You may need to hold it near all of the spots specified in the preceding sections, depending on the sensitivity. When a bug detector detects a suspicious signal, it usually illuminates, vibrates, or buzzes to alert you. That’s when you should use a fine-toothed comb to go over the area.
You can come across a tracker that only sends when the vehicle is moving. This type of tracker is inactive when the vehicle don’t move, and a bug sweeper will not discover it. So, if you don’t see anything right away, have someone else drive while you keep an eye on the sweeper.
What to Do If You Discover This Type Of Device
The majority of GPS trackers are battery-operated and secured using magnets or adhesive. All you have to do if you locate one of these is rip it loose. Trackers that plug into a car diagnostic tool connector or a cigarette lighter outlet are the same.
In exceptional circumstances, such as when a GPS tracker is hard-wire connection into power and ground, expert help may be in order. Cutting the wires might work, but wires snipped this way could short out in the future. It’s also crucial to confirm that the component you’re removing is indeed a tracker, something only an expert can do.
Why Use A Device That Isn’t Visible
GPS trackers, like many other types of technology, have both acceptable and questionable applications. Private detectives and law enforcement agencies both employ these devices with legal warrants. There are several other reasons why vehicle owners might want to use one of the finest car GPS trackers, albeit the majority of them do not necessitate the usage of one. GPS car trackers are commonly in use for the following purposes:
• Delivery and taxi dispatch
- Fleet management
- Keeping an eye on your minor adolescent
- Assisting you in locating your parking spot
- Recovering stolen property
Big box merchants like Walmart, electronics stores like Best Buy, and niche stores catering to private investigators all sell GPS trackers for use in cars. They can also be in order online from almost any retailer that sells GPS gadgets and surveillance equipment.
Do you learn how to find a hidden GPS tracker on your car? If you have some other questions feel free to ask us a question!
