How a GPS Phone Works

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. 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.

GPS 101
GPS receivers use radio waves like a mobile phone. However, it does not use the ground towers a mobile phone uses. 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. GPS receivers and mobile phones have many things in common.


GPS-Cell Phones
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.