GSM MOBILES

The GSM mobile phone tracking system, more often referred to as GSM localization, is a cell phone tracking system which uses the hyperbolic positioning process to determine the exact location of a GSM enabled cell phone, thus indirectly tracking its user. In hyperbolic positioning, a particular object is accurately located by computing the time difference in arrival of the signals that are emitted from the object to three or more receivers. There are three methods of GSM mobile phone tracking, viz. network based mobile phone tracking system, handset based mobile phone tracking system and hybrid mobile phone tracking system.

Network Based GSM Mobile Phone Tracking System
In network based mobile phone tracking, the service providers network infrastructure is used to determine the exact location of the GSM enabled handset. The levels of accuracy in the network based techniques vary, with cell identification method being the least accurate and the triangulation method being the most accurate. Network based techniques can be implemented without intruding the private space of the person who is being tracked, which is its biggest advantage. This technique requires one to work closely with the service provider, as the process includes installation of various software and hardware in the network infrastructure. The cooperation needed from the service provider sometimes acts as the biggest challenge faced in this technique, which may require the help of legislation.

Handset Based GSM Mobile Phone Tracking System
In the handset based technique, the location of the GSM enabled handset is determined by cell identification, strength of the signals and latitudinal and longitudinal demarcation, if the handset is equipped with GPS. The calculations are sent to the location server for precise information about the user's location. This technology requires the installation of a client software on the mobile phone, which acts as its biggest drawback, since it's difficult to install a software on a mobile phone without the user's consent. More importantly, the software has to be compatible with various operating systems. The technique works only on smart phones, which is again a major drawback in this cell phone tracking system.

Hybrid GSM Mobile Phone Tracking System
A combination of various techniques used in network-based and handset-based methods is used for phone tracking in the hybrid GSM mobile phone tracking method. For instance, Assisted GPS uses both GPS as well as network data to determine the exact location of the user. Though this method gives the most accurate information, its advantages are sometimes overshadowed by the limitations and challenges faced by network-based and handset-based techniques, which together form the hybrid method.