GPS tracking paths are jumping around or missing
A GPS tracker is able to use the Global Positioning Satellite System to determine its position on the earth to just a few metres! It then transmits this location data to our secure servers via the local mobile phone networks. When we receive these signals, we process the location data to raise alerts, generate reports and of course plot your location of the map.
Why is the path displayed not matching the path I travelled?
GPS locations are for the vast majority of the time incredibly accurate, however there are environment factors that can impact the accuracy of an indicated position when comparing it to the true location of the vehicle. We analyse the received GPS location data from your GPS vehicle tracker, filtering out low quality points before drawing the cleaned path traveled by your vehicle on the map.
Sometimes there can also be configuration or environmental factors that can cause the path to be shown erratically or missing part of the traveled path. These can include:
- a configuration adjustment is required for your tracker (see Setting up engine on/off detection)
- incorrect installation,
- excessive metal in the vehicle blocking the GPS signal
- use of a trickle charger,
- environmental conditions such as
- rain and atmospheric conditions
- tall trees
- tall urban buildings
- garage, carport or shed
- underground carparks
- and similar obstacles that obstruct the direct view of the satellites
These factors will typically manifest in two distinct ways when reviewing the paths of your tracker on the map, either as excessively recorded points or missing points. Under normal operation, your tracker should record a smooth path that matches very closely to the true path your vehicle has traveled without excessive recorded locations or missing locations along the path traveled. We typically capture a new location every few seconds your vehicle is traveling.
Scenario #1 - Excessive locations being recorded around a central location
This most typically occurs when the tracker has not correctly detected your vehicle's engine has been turned off, and the vehicle is currently parked in a location with a poor/reduced GPS signal such a garage, carport or shed.
Cause #1 - False engine on/off detection
Please see the following article: Setting up engine on/off detection
Your Track My Ride GPS tracker can use different methods to determine if a vehicle's engine is on, including:
- Voltage detection (default): Changes in voltage indicates the engine's status, with engine on being greater or equal to 13.2V
- Ignition sense wire: In hardwired setups, the ignition sense wire is used for detecting the engine's status.
- Motion detection: The tracker can sense motion and this feature can also be used to determine the engine is on.
- A combination of the above: You are able to set the tracker to use a combination of the above methods for detection.
Incorrect engine on/off detection is the most frequent cause of excessive locations being recorded. While this issue can arise for several reasons, it's typically easy to fix. Simply follow our guide on configuring engine on/off detection for your vehicle.
When the tracker can't properly detect the vehicle's engine is turned off, it won't enter sleep mode when your vehicle is parked. Instead, it continuously runs its GPS receiver, attempting to record the vehicle's current location assuming it is being driven. During this time less data filtering is applied compared to when the engine is correctly detected as off (when the vehicle shouldn't be moving).
In open areas with clear sky visibility to the satellites, this isn't a problem since the GPS tracker maintains a strong satellite signal and location accuracy. However, when combined with poor GPS signal environments - particularly in covered or underground garages, the recorded path can appear erratic as shown in the picture above due to inaccuracy introduced because of the low quality GPS signal strength where the vehicle is parked.
How to fix typical causes of false engine on/off detection
Firstly, we recommend you follow our guide on adjusting the engine on/off detection method. False engine on/off detection can result from:
- A high float voltage: Some vehicles and battery chemistries have a float voltage (the voltage when the vehicle is turned off) that is naturally higher than the default threshold for voltage based engine on/off detection of 13.2V. This can be misinterpreted by the tracker as the engine being turned on. Simple fix, just change the threshold as described in our guide.
- Trickle chargers: Can mistakenly cause the tracker to detect that the engine is running due to increased voltage from the charger. See our notes below.
- Incorrect hardwire installation: Miswiring can lead to the tracker misinterpreting the engine status. See our notes below.
Cause #2 - A trickle charger is being used
When a trickle charger is used, it will boost the voltage of your vehicle's battery to around 14 Volts while it is charging. Track My Ride hardware trackers will by default detect the vehicle's engine on/off status by monitoring the vehicle's voltage, as described in the vehicle engine on/off detection article. By default, the engine is determined to be on when the voltage is above 13.2V. As the trickle charger will generally keep the battery charged at or above this voltage, the tracker will mistakenly think your vehicle's engine is turned on.
Under this circumstance, please follow the guide on vehicle engine on/off detection to configure your tracker to use a threshold voltage that is above the voltage output by your trickle charger. You can also opt to change the engine on/off detection method to a method that does not use voltage.
Cause #3 - Motion is being detected
Your Track My Ride GPS tracker has a built in motion sensor. It will sense motion whether or not it is being use as the engine on/off detection method. When a tracker detects motion, it remains active rather than entering sleep mode. This is a high-priority event designed to capture and transmit location data immediately, such as in scenarios where the vehicle may be being towed or moved. If the motion sensor is being constantly detecting motion such as by equipment in the vehicle producing vibrations or being parked very close to a large source of constant vibrations then it will prevent the tracker from entering its sleep mode, and can result in erratic tracks if parked in a location with a poor GPS signal such as a garage, carport or shed.
You can use the Raw GPS Data report to review if the motion sensor is detecting motion or not. When you use this report, ensure you select the option to include metadata. Next, load up the recent time period for your vehicle. Click the row to expand it and look for the metadata pertaining to the motion sensor.
If your GPS tracker is detecting motion, when there is no motion, please check that it is still securely mounted to the vehicle's chassis and cannot move. If you still encounter issues, please reach out to our support team by raising a ticket and we can recalibrate the motion sensor in your GPS vehicle tracker.
Cause #4 - Incorrect hardwire installation
Sometimes when hardwiring a tracker, a mistake can be made and the tracker's ignition sense wire can be connected to a constant source of +12V or +24V. This will prevent the tracker entering its low power sleep mode, which can lead to this issue especially when the vehicle is parked in a location with low GPS signal such as a garage, carport or shed.
You can use the Raw GPS Data report to determine if the ignition detection wire has been connected to a source that is constantly on. The ignition sense wire on the wiring hardness should be connected to a circuit that is +12V or +24V when the vehicle is turned on, and 0V when the vehicle is turned off. A typical source is the radio power circuit.
Scenario #2 - The GPS signal was lost
Various factors such as the tracker's installation location in the vehicle, electrical interference, or environmental factors can cause the GPS signal to be lost. When this occurs, we are still able to continue receiving updates from your tracker over the mobile network (like motion sensor, voltage, I/O, etc) however the location is not able to be updated since the GPS signal is lost. This will present as gaps in the recorded path when drawn on the map.
9 times out of 10, this is caused by the chosen installation location of the GPS tracker in the vehicle being tracked. The Track My Ride GPS vehicle trackers feature a very sensitive internal GPS antenna which is able to acquire a GPS signal though thin/light metal, plastic, fibreglass, wood, glass and similar materials. Unfortunately all metal blocks GPS signals (to some extent), so the more of it there is, or the thicker it is, the more that signal from the satellites is reduced until it drops out and a location can no longer be acquired. Generally in modern vehicles the tracker can be installed under the dash without any issue at all, since the dash is mostly made of plastic which does not affect the GPS signal and this how the vast majority of our users have installed their trackers.
One thing that is important as well is to be sure the side of the tracker marked "Face this side towards sky" is indeed, facing the sky. While the tracker can still acquire a signal through these types of materials, and through thin metal, the more "material" that is between the internal GPS antenna and the open sky, the more the signal will be diminished. Really it comes down to how often the issue is experienced, and to what extent it persists when it occurs. If it's a once off occurrence, you can likely ignore it and your tracker will continue working just fine after it reacquires a GPS signal, tracking where your vehicle travels. However, if you're constantly having GPS signal interruptions you should consider relocating the tracker to a different location in your vehicle where it can receive a more reliable GPS signal from the satellites.
Due to the satellites in the sky constantly moving, you may find that a loss of GPS signal only occurs periodically if your tracker is not installed in an optimal location or the signal has to pass through metal.
You can check the status lights on your tracker, the green Navigation light will flash once every 2 seconds when a GPS signal has been acquired. The navigation light will be a solid green if the GPS signal is lost, or not yet acquired. The tracker hardware is constantly trying to acquire a GPS signal as long as it's turned on, and not in sleep mode.
Related Articles
Slow moving vehicles and static navigation filtering
Static navigation data filter: Understanding its impact on slow-moving vehicles Static Navigation is a GPS filtering system designed to improve tracking accuracy for stationary vehicles. When enabled, it filters out small GPS position changes when a ...Power consumption & low power sleep modes
The Track My Ride GPS vehicle tracking hardware can be installed in two different ways, either plug-n-play into a passenger vehicle's OBDII diagnostics port, or hardwired into any 12V or 24V power source. The Track My Ride GPS vehicle tracking ...The tracker is not communicating
Track My Ride automatically runs periodic health checks on your trackers to ensure they're operating correctly. If we find an issue, a red notice will appear next to the vehicle as shown below and on the Vehicles Page. Reviewing the the tracker's ...Incomplete journeys and false engine on/off alerts
I know I stopped the vehicle during my drive but it doesn’t show up on the journey report You can adjust your end of journey settings on the account settings page Our system is designed to detect genuine stops between separate journeys, rather than ...Power supply disconnected or low
For our GPS tracking units to operate correctly, they need to receive a constant voltage supply. If a device looses power, you'll notice a red error message appear on the device in the Map or Vehicles page. Clicking on the , will give you further ...