Re: fleetonline.net - Mobile Phone Tracking...

["Alex Kinch" <alex@xxxxxxx>]

Hi Wayne,

To do this, you'll need to talk to someone who has the relationships with
the four UK networks in place. when you do a lookup request, the network
will return X,Y and radius. X and Y are co-ordinates, and the radius is
metres from the point represented by X and Y. Accuracy will be higher in
built-up areas where there are more cells -  within 500m - but in rural
areas it can fall to within 15km.

On the privacy front, the networks *INSIST* that the mobile user being
checked has opted-in to such a service - normally this is done by a
confirmation text message, so it can be proved if required that they gave
their permission to have people track them.

You're looking at a cost of between 7p and 10p (depending on network) for
each lookup - that'll just give you the raw data, and usually there's other
charges associated with this, like those involved in interconnecting to
each mobile operator.

Hope that helps,

Alex

----- Original Message -----
Message: 1
Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2003 19:43:54 +0000
From: Wayne <wayne@xxxxxxx>
Subject: fleetonline.net - Mobile Phone Tracking...

Hi,
Wondered if anyone has any thoughts / has used these guys to track your
mobile phone... Saw something at a trade show the other day whereby you
pay a sub - and a cost per retrieval and they tell you where your (or
other phones you have subbed) phone was last seen.

We've tried this thing at work - the accuracy seems to be within 500m of
where the phone is - although typically I guess if your in a building
its going to affect your cell readings...

Tried it at home to track daughters mobile to which it thinks it right
over the other side of town! (not much good when her school run each day
is in the opposite direction and not that far away...)  but again -
tested with the phone sat next to me on the 'puter

The way these things seem to work is based on 'last known cell'
information picked up from your provider network (orange, one2one...)
when you ask them for a location. I wonder if this information is freely
accessible? or do you need a license to run this... maybe creating a
simple locater web site could be a matter of scripting the results in to
a map quest search maybe...

The extra 'value add' that seems to exist with fleetonline seem to be
nice things like sending txt messages and having a nice 'list of
personnel' to get access to.

I suppose it may have limited use - if only to get a general idea of
where your mobile is (so you can home in the buggers who stole it!??)

Fleetonline works by charging your main mobile a premium rate txt
message for each search although you can get better deals based on
numbers (as ever :!)

anyways rambles over.... food for thought... and no - this isn't an
advertisement :)

Wayne
www.planetWayne.com



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