How A Gps Phone Works

How a GPS phone works

by

LanceParker3470

How a GPS Phone Works

Imagine reaching into your pocket, your briefcase or your purse to grab your cell phone and it is not there. That can certainly send you into a panic. Not just that you can’t call your friends or coworkers and tell them you will be late meeting up with them, but it also has valuable and sensitive information. What about all of your contacts? Your Photos? Your appointments and meetings? What about your confidential business information?

And, now imagine your phone not only carries most of your personal, social and business information but is also used as your personal GPS (Global Positioning System), helping you know firstly, where you are, and second of all, where the heck you are going. This is common for many new mobile phones including the ability to not only show your location and give you directions, but also show nearby businesses and points of interest. Our cell phones have become an ever-important part of our lives and without them, we could be rendered almost paralyzed. How and where would I know to go next?

First, let’s look at how GPS works on mobile phones and then let’s know how to safeguard ourselves against the tragic notion that if you lose your cell phone, you lose your life.

Cell Phone 101

Power transmitters allow cell phones to broadcast a signal to the closest cell-tower. Like a two-way radio, it can send and receive radio signals. And towers are the giants inside of their broadcast cell. They throw and support a mobile phone until it moves out of the cell coverage, which is when it (ideally) is picked up and supported by the next nearest tower. As you roam from tower to tower, your mobile phone’s signal strengthens or weakens depending on your proximity to the tower.

Unfortunately, the presence of numerous towers does not guarantee constant, signal strength. Many variables can interrupt cellular phone transmission including tall buildings, mountains, building interiors, parking structures and elevators.

A GPS receiver is not required in order for your cell phone to transmit information about your location. The towers are able to measure your signal strength, length of signal travel time between towers and the angle with which the signal is received. However, recognizing the many potential interruptions to a cell signal, the accuracy of an actual GPS system is much better.

GPS 101

GPS receivers use radio waves like a mobile phone. However, it does not use the ground towers a mobile phone uses. Instead, there are 24 active GPS satellites orbiting the globe with another 3 prepared for back up in the case of satellite failure. 27 total satellites are ready to actively locate your mobile device.

These GPS satellites can work with the cell-tower transmitted information and offer enhanced location data. The strength of this GPS data reception can sometimes overcome the obstacles of previously signal-challenged areas such as building interiors, mountain areas and even elevators.

And GPS accuracy is fairly precise, as it requires a confirmation of your location from at least 3 satellites above you as well as your relation to those satellites.

GPS receivers and mobile phones have many things in common. But, let’s look at the combination of these devices in one, handy phone.

GPS-Cell Phones

As technology advances, many American mobile phones have been fortunate to be produced with GPS capabilities or the option to connect through Bluetooth. They can be used as a tracking device and to help locate travel destinations as well as nearby points of interest. And, if the mobile device does not come equipped with a GPS system, most phones will at least allow a person to dial 911 and transmit their location to a PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point).

Tracking Your Phone

Now that we better understand how cell phones work and how GPS tracks our location, let’s look at, potentially, the MOST important phone-related feature: HOW WE CAN TRACK OUR PHONE’S LOCATION when it gets lost or stolen. After all, we are all too aware of the fact that if we lose our cell phone we, essentially, lose our life. This can be done safely and securely with software. There is a service called iTag.com where you can tag your phone and never lose it! With iTag.com you can track your gps phone.

http://www.iTag.com

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com