Free GPS Tracking of a Person or Vehicle by InstaMapper

Posted by GPS Software Hub on Wednesday, January 14, 2009, 15:11

This item was posted in Free GPS Software, GPS Tracking category and has 1 Comment so far.

InstaMapper is a free service that allows you to track a person or vehicle online in real time using a GPS-enabled cell phone.

The system is very simple to use:

To use InstaMapper, you create a free account.
Next, you install a small application on your GPS-enabled phone. When you run the application, it periodically sends your GPS coordinates to InstaMapper servers.
Login to your InstaMapper account to see the current location of your phone on an interactive Google map. The map updates automatically every few seconds.
If you want to share your location with friends and family, it allows you to embed a map with your location on a web page, blog, or your Facebook profile.

Free GPS Tracking of a Person and vehicle

Main Features of InstaMapper

With InstaMapper, the object you track is a moving dot on a map. Positions are updated as often as every 5 seconds.
It stores up to 100,000 positions per device — enough for several months of 24/7 tracking.
Stored data can be exported in KML and CSV formats and accessed programmatically via an API.
Location sharing is also possible on computer or cell phone
Historical data can be organized into tracks, which can then be exported in a variety of formats and shared with others as embedded maps.
Your InstaMapper account can be accessed from most mobile phones. Point your phone’s browser to http://mobile.instamapper.com.
While you are out of coverage, up to 100 positions can be buffered in phone’s memory so that your track doesn’t get interrupted.

Compatible Phones

iPhone: Client software for iPhone is available for free from the App Store.

Android: Android phones are fully supported. Android is very open and allows us to do everything we want, such as run in the background. Expect lots of improvements down the road.

BlackBerry: All recent BlackBerries (OS version 4.2.1 and later) are supported. In particular, almost any BlackBerry bought from AT&T and Sprint should work out of the box. Note, however, that many BlackBerries do not have built-in GPS and need an external GPS receiver. Additionaly, some carriers (most notably Verizon) disable GPS access on their BlackBerries. If you have a Verizon phone, it will most likely not work. Corporate phones may also restrict access to network and/or GPS.

Motorola iDEN Phones: InstaMapper software was initially developed for the Motorola i425 phone. This and other recent Boost Mobile phones should work well.

Motorola i425 is by far the cheapest tracking solution. This prepaid phone costs $40 and is available from major US stores such as Target and Best Buy. Boost Mobile’s unlimited data plan is only $0.35 / day. The phone can be hardwired to your car’s battery for 24/7 real-time GPS tracking.

Other phones may or may not work. Some of our users have reported limited success with Nokia’s N-series. If your phone has built-in GPS, has an unlimited data plan, and runs Java MIDP-2.0 applications, give InstaMapper software a try.