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The technology of locating is based on measuring power levels and antenna patterns and uses the concept that a powered mobile phone always communicates wirelessly with one of the closest base stations , so knowledge of the location of the base station implies the cell phone is nearby. Advanced systems determine the sector in which the mobile phone is located and roughly estimate also the distance to the base station. Further approximation can be done by interpolating signals between adjacent antenna towers. Qualified services may achieve a precision of down to 50 meters in urban areas where mobile traffic and density of antenna towers base stations is sufficiently high.
GSM localization uses multilateration to determine the location of GSM mobile phones, or dedicated trackers, usually with the intent to locate the user. The location of a mobile phone can be determined using the service provider's network infrastructure. The advantage of network-based techniques, from a service provider's point of view, is that they can be implemented non-intrusively without affecting handsets.
Network-based techniques were developed many years prior to the widespread availability of GPS on handsets.
The accuracy of network-based techniques varies, with cell identification as the least accurate and triangulation as moderately accurate, and newer "advanced forward link trilateration " timing methods as the most accurate. The accuracy of network-based techniques is both dependent on the concentration of cell base stations, with urban environments achieving the highest possible accuracy because of the higher number of cell towers , and the implementation of the most current timing methods.
One of the key challenges of network-based techniques is the requirement to work closely with the service provider, as it entails the installation of hardware and software within the operator's infrastructure. Frequently the compulsion associated with a legislative framework, such as Enhanced , is required before a service provider will deploy a solution. The location of a mobile phone can be determined using client software installed on the handset.
In addition, if the handset is also equipped with GPS then significantly more precise location information can be then sent from the handset to the carrier. Another approach is to use a fingerprinting-based technique, [5] [6] [7] where the "signature" of the home and neighboring cells signal strengths at different points in the area of interest is recorded by war-driving and matched in real-time to determine the handset location.
This is usually performed independent from the carrier. The key disadvantage of handset-based techniques, from service provider's point of view, is the necessity of installing software on the handset. It requires the active cooperation of the mobile subscriber as well as software that must be able to handle the different operating systems of the handsets. One proposed work-around is the installation of embedded hardware or software on the handset by the manufacturers, e.
This avenue has not made significant headway, due to the difficulty of convincing different manufacturers to cooperate on a common mechanism and to address the cost issue. Another difficulty would be to address the issue of foreign handsets that are roaming in the network.
The type of information obtained via the SIM can differ from that which is available from the handset. For example, it may not be possible to obtain any raw measurements from the handset directly, yet still obtain measurements via the SIM. Crowdsourced Wi-Fi data can also be used to identify a handset's location. Hybrid positioning systems use a combination of network-based and handset-based technologies for location determination. Both types of data are thus used by the telephone to make the location more accurate i.
Alternatively tracking with both systems can also occur by having the phone attain its GPS-location directly from the satellites , and then having the information sent via the network to the person that is trying to locate the telephone. In order to route calls to a phone, the cell towers listen for a signal sent from the phone and negotiate which tower is best able to communicate with the phone. As the phone changes location, the antenna towers monitor the signal, and the phone is "roamed" to an adjacent tower as appropriate.
By comparing the relative signal strength from multiple antenna towers, a general location of a phone can be roughly determined. Other means make use of the antenna pattern, which supports angular determination and phase discrimination.
Newer phones may also allow the tracking of the phone even when turned on and not active in a telephone call. This results from the roaming procedures that perform hand-over of the phone from one base station to another. A phone's location can be uploaded to a common website where one's friends and family can view one's last reported position.
Newer phones may have built-in GPS receivers which could be used in a similar fashion, but with much higher accuracy. This is controversial, because data on a common website means people who are not "friends and family" may be able to view the information. Locating or positioning touches upon delicate privacy issues, since it enables someone to check where a person is without the person's consent.
In Malte Spitz held a TED talk [14] on the issue of mobile phone privacy in which he showcased his own stored data that he received from Deutsche Telekom after suing the company. Android Device Manager is working on your Google account. Here are the requirements:. It is an official tracking application developed by the popular website and searching engine. The best thing is about its total independence from the operating system. You can press a special key to make your phone ring anywhere it is. Google offers one more way to track a phone remotely without installing any apps.
Recently company changed the name of the tracking service, and now Route History is known as Your Timeline. It works with your Google account as Android Device Manager. Here are points it requires:. This service is the perfect helper if you need to track the places that your phone or your target visited.
Track any mobile phone via GPS online for free!. The GPS Phone Tracking Pro App makes it easy to keep track of life's essentials; use it to: • Find Your Friends – and get directions to their location. • Find Your.
If you need to track a cell phone, you need to follow those requirements. After every update, you will see special marks on the map that are the places that you have visited. It is not as easy as using those track applications with constant GPS tracking system, but it is easier to track a cell phone if you remember its last spot. That is why Apple gets its own track my phone system — Find My iPhone; this service is expensive and not affordable, as anything by Apple.
If you lose your iPhone, it means you should pay lots of money to buy a new one or pay a high price to get it found by Find My iPhone option. It is your right to choose. Here is how you can use Find My iPhone to track the phone if you lost it:. And the last way to track phone remotely without installation is not easy to perform. It deals with some sort of spam.
It is impossible to force a person to install a cell phone tracker. But you can lie that it is some cool video or something interesting and send him or her installation link to the spy app you choose. After that, you can register your account on the official website of the program you use. And then control the entire track process through the control panel in your account.
Here are few interesting suggestions we have prepared if you need to learn how to track a phone with the help of a tracking app. It is both powerful and simple. It has a great reputation every user can approve and tons of positive reviews on the Internet. Here are few main advantages of the program:. Read a full review here. The Highster is another special and extremely popular spy app on our list. It is a huge success and parents love it.
But its features and ability to track phones remotely without installation make it a universal spying tool. The application has many users around the world and keeps improving its positions on the market. Here are few other advantages of the program:. And the last on our list is Spyzie. But it keeps evolving and has recommended itself as a reliable spying force. You should try it, and that is why:. If you have any more suggestion on how to track a phone without installation of a track app, please comment below.
Also, let us know about your favorite spying applications and experience of their usage. I do not have any tracking devices on my phone is there a way I can locate my phone with out a tracker.
Hi Lana, I am searching a site or app by that way I can track few unknown numbers of my phone. Just I want to tank you for sharing this valuable article. I want to track my girlfriends phone without her knowing maybe by sending some type of virus to her phone is this possible willing to pay. I need to track my fellas phone cause i think he is cheating on me and i need to make sure he doesnt know and i dont want to download any apps on his phone or anything that will make him suspicious.
I think my account is hacked. How to make sure it is really being monitored and what should I do? I have spent a lot of money already. I think my boyfriend is cheating. I would like to track the live location on his phone without him knowing. He has an Android. I believe that my boyfriend is cheating on me. How can I trace his location without downloading any apps on his phone? He has a Samsung Android phone.
Thanks for sharing the amazing article. Your email address will not be published. How to Track Phone without Installing Software?