This post will show you how to locate a concealed GPS on your car in four different methods.
All current consumer and business cars are covered by the instructions.
Locating a GPS Tracker Hidden in Your Car
If you think someone has put a GPS tracker in your car, you’ll need some simple items like a flashlight, mechanic’s mirror, and a creeper or mat to assist you crawl under the car.
Specialized equipment, such as electronic sweepers or insect detectors, may be required in cases when a basic visual check isn’t enough.
The following are the fundamental techniques to discovering a disguised GPS tracker on your car:
- Perform an exterior inspection: Check locations like the wheel wells and beneath the car using a flashlight and mirror. The majority of trackers are placed in easily accessible areas. It’s possible that the tracker is dusty and difficult to see.
- Perform an interior inspection: First, check the data port. Because most GPS trackers are tiny, don’t rule out the trunk as a possible concealing site.
- Sweep the vehicle with a bug detector: Many of the same sites where trackers may be found also sell bug detectors. Keep in mind that certain trackers only broadcast while the car is moving, and sweepers can’t detect them.
- Know when to seek professional help: 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, vehicle audio, and car alarms technicians often have the requisite experience and equipment.
Exterior Is A Good Place To Look For A Hidden GPS Tracker.
While a tiny GPS tracker may be put practically anywhere, these devices are often hidden in an easily accessible position.
As a result, the first step in locating a disguised GPS tracker on your automobile is to conduct a visual check of hiding areas that may be reached quickly and easily.
Inside a tire well is a frequent area to conceal a GPS tracker, and it’s also a simple position to investigate.
Examine both the front and back wheel wells using a flashlight.
To get a good look, you may need to use a telescopic mirror, and you may also feel about with your hand in areas you can’t see.
Attempt to peel down the hard plastic wheel well liner and see or feel inside if it is loose.
It’s possible that the liner was loosened to allow a magnetic tracker to be attached to the frame or body behind it.
Checking beneath the car with your flashlight and telescopic mirror is also a good idea.
If you have a creeper and adequate ground clearance, slip underneath the car to check it thoroughly.
Focus on regions where a tracker may be hidden quickly and readily without putting in too much effort, and bear in mind that the tracker may be coated in road grit and grime.
Under or within bumpers, trackers may also be disguised.
You’ll also need a torch and a mirror to do a complete check.
To feel around, you may need to reach up and inside the bumper in certain circumstances.
Although trackers may be concealed within the engine compartment, this is not a typical practice.
If someone can open the hood of your automobile, they are more likely to conceal the device within the vehicle.
Related: How To Track A Car Using Your Phone?
Interior Is A Good Place To Look For A Hidden GPS Tracker.
Hidden GPS trackers may be tucked discreetly anywhere within a vehicle or truck due to their modest size.
You’ll want to concentrate on locations where such a device may be swiftly concealed, but this won’t always work.
Simpler trackers are meant to link straight into a vehicle’s data port, while the most unobtrusive trackers are battery-powered.
If you can find the data connection, which is normally under the driver’s knees beneath the dash, and it has anything 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 box, and in the center console with your flashlight and mirror.
Trackers may also be stowed away in seat pockets, between seats, behind sun visors, and other places.
One of the challenges in identifying a disguised GPS tracker inside a vehicle is that it may mix 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 may also be stowed away in a trunk.
Remove and examine your spare tire if you have one.
You may also pull out the trunk liner at that time, which can easily conceal a tiny GPS tracking device.
Suggestion: How To Disable OnStar GPS Tracking? Complete Guide
Using a Bug Sweeper to Find a Hidden GPS Car Tracker
Electronic sweepers, often known as bug detectors, are portable devices that detect electromagnetic signals such as those produced by radio transmitters and smartphones.
This sort of technology may be bought in the same locations that GPS trackers are sold, or you can make your own bug detector if you have the necessary spare components on hand.
Sweepers can’t identify passive GPS trackers since they depend on detecting signals.
They may, however, be quite useful in locating well-hidden active trackers.
If you have access to a bug sweeper, start it up and stroll around your car gently.
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 region.
You can come across a tracker that only sends while the car is moving.
This sort of tracker is inactive while the vehicle is stopped, 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 a GPS Tracker
The majority of GPS trackers are battery-operated and secured using magnets or adhesive.
All you have to do if you locate one of them is rip it free and you’re done.
Trackers that plug into a vehicle diagnostic tool connection or a cigarette lighter socket are in the same boat.
In exceptional circumstances, such as when a GPS tracker is hard-wired into power and ground, expert help may be required.
Cutting the wires could work, however it’s possible that the lines will short out in the future.
It’s also crucial to double-check that the component you’re removing is indeed a tracker, something only an expert can do.
Recommended: How To Track a Car Location With or Without GPS?
Why Would You Use a GPS Tracker That Isn’t Visible?
GPS trackers, like many other types of technology, have both acceptable and nefarious applications.
Private detectives and law enforcement organizations both employ these devices with legal warrants.
There are a variety of reasons why vehicle owners would desire to utilize one of the finest auto GPS trackers, albeit the majority of them do not need concealment.
GPS automobile trackers are often used for the following purposes:
- Management of the fleet
- Taxi dispatch and delivery
- Keeping an eye on your minor adolescent
- assisting you in locating your parked vehicle
- Theft restitution
Big box merchants like Walmart, electronics stores like Best Buy, and specialist companies catering to private investigators all sell GPS trackers meant for use in automobiles.
They may also be ordered online from almost any store that sells GPS gadgets and surveillance equipment.
FAQ
What are the most common locations for police to put GPS trackers on cars?
The most inconspicuous automotive GPS trackers are battery-powered and can be placed almost anywhere.
Others connect to the cigarette lighter or the onboard diagnostics (OBD-II) connection on the vehicle.
To install one, law enforcement officials must first get a warrant.
