Can a GPS Tracker Be Blocked? [How to Guide] - SEEWORLD (2024)

GPS trackers help track a vehicle’s location, and there are two sorts of trackers accessible for public usage right now: logger and real-time tracking systems.

A logger tracking system records all of the places visited by a vehicle and stores them on a hard drive. The tracker must be connected to a computer so that the data may be retrieved in order to learn about the car stops throughout the day.

A real-time tracker, on the other hand, sends signals to a receiver every few minutes, allowing you to follow your car while it is in motion.

If you suspect you are being followed without your permission, or you can’t find out where the tracker is placed on your car, you might want to purchase a device that will help block the signal, making it impossible for whoever is following you to locate you.

So can a GPS tracker be blocked? Yes, the GPS signals can be blocked by wet trees, aluminum foil, plastic containers, or even a tin box filled with thick materials can block GPS signals.

What Materials Block GPS Signals?

Have you ever wondered what materials might cause GPS or car tracking system signal interference on a phone? The quick answer is that any sufficiently solid substance may easily block a GPS signal. The GPS signals can be scrambled by aluminum paper, concrete, or any wooden cover.

GPS signals can pass through plastics and fiberglass, which is why GPS devices can maintain signal strength even while disguised within a car.

Microwave transmissions from a network of satellite antennas around the Earth are received by a GPS gadget, which performs several timing computations and triangulation to compute its position after receiving signals from three satellites.

The receivers rely on these precise signal emissions to determine their location in the world. The GPS tracking device then sends the coordinates data to a monitoring site, which is usually done through a mobile network.

Although GPS satellite signals appear to be technologically advanced, they may be readily fooled by using simple jamming devices. Wrapping a typical GPS in aluminum foil, for example, produces a faraday cage around it. And this cage will operate as a GPS jamming device, blocking GPS signals.

To keep GPS signals jumbled, wet trees, aluminum foil, and plastic containers can all be employed. Even a simple tin box filled with thick materials may jam GPS signals.

What Is The Meaning Of A GPS Signal?

The Global Positioning System (GPS) was developed by scientists to allow government and civilian users to correctly detect their geographic locations. It is based on the use of Earth-orbiting satellites that broadcast data that enables the measurement of the distance between the satellites and the client.

When three or more satellite broadcasts are received, a simple mapping may be used to determine the user’s precise location.

This may sound simple, and the fundamental ideas that underpin GPS are not difficult to comprehend. However, as is often the case, getting from concept to implementation is a long process.

The present GPS is based on research conducted by the US Department of Defense in the early 1970s. It’s made up of several pieces that show off a mastery of modern, advanced technology and mathematics. These crucial elements are:

• Satellites
• Receivers
• Program (Determine the Device’s Geographical Position)

The majority of them are on steeply slanted paths. This means that at any one time, there will be between four and eight of them high in the atmosphere above any area in the world.

They continuously transmit encoded high-frequency radio broadcasts that are picked up by specialized GPS devices. These signals offer information on the satellites’ current orbits as well as the time of atomic clocks onboard.

When calculating arrival times, the delay between transmission and reception is taken into account.

Users of tracking and navigational devices can get a 95 percent accuracy of roughly 7.0 meters everywhere on or near the ground surface with the basic GPS service.

Each of the 30 satellites in orbit sends out radio signals that allow recipients to identify their time and position by integrating data from at least three or more satellites to attain this high degree of pinpoint precision.

GPS satellites carry atomic clocks that provide extremely accurate time. The time information is included in the satellite’s transmission signals so that the recipient knows when the data was sent.

The signal gives the recipient the information they need to compute satellite locations and make additional adjustments for exact placement.

The recipient determines the distance by calculating the time difference between signal receipt and transmission time.

Signal time delays and speed decreases are caused by the stratosphere and troposphere, which must be compensated for by the recipient.

Using data on the distances between three satellites and the position of the satellite when the message was delivered, the receiver may compute its three-dimensional location.

Tips and Warnings to Block Car GPS Tracker

• It is not required to get a GPS jammer for your automobile. Handheld GPS blockers are just as effective at hiding your presence on a virtual map. All you have to do is manually activate it by flipping a switch or pressing a button.
• While it’s fantastic if you can block GPS signals from your crazy ex or paranoid spouse, blocking or tampering with GPS tracking devices installed in vehicles for police enforcement purposes is unlawful. Consult your local law enforcement if you’re unsure about the status of your automobile GPS.
• Also, keep in mind that GPS blocking is banned in some places, so make sure it’s legal in yours by verifying your local regulations before purchasing or using one.

How Can a GPS Signal Be Protected? GPS Jamming Devices

GPS jammers block GPS signals and make it difficult to track them. To understand how GPS blockers function, it’s helpful to have a basic understanding of how GPS works.

A GPS tracker must be connected to the GNSS network. The GPS signal jammer uses the same wavelength as the GPS device to broadcast a radio signal. This takes precedence over the messages from the satellite.

Because the jammer is interfering with the GPS tracking device’s signal, pinpointing its specific location is difficult. All GPS operations, including navigation and monitoring, are disrupted by GPS jammers.

GPS jammers are often small and easy to put up. They are simple to install and uninstall, and they turn on in less than a minute.

They are illegal under federal law, and using one might result in fines or prison time. In any case, GPS tracker jammers are widely available and often affordable.

The easiest method of disabling a GPS monitoring device is to place it in a metal container. Any electrically conducting metal will reflect and absorb inbound and outgoing signals.

It will stop working as a result of this. Tinfoil may be used to cover a GPS tracker, but copper and even silver can also be used. This is a very low-cost and easy GPS jamming method.

A GPS jammer is a small, self-contained transmitter that emits radio waves at the same wavelength as a GPS device to conceal one’s location. The GPS device is unable to determine its location due to the disruption.

Because of their low energy consumption and quick start-up time, the jammers may be used whenever they are needed. Different types of GPS jammers include tangible shielding, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth jammers, remotely operated jammers, surveillance camera jammers, and drone jammers.

Many areas make it unlawful to employ GPS signal blocks to disrupt mobile phone or satellite communications. Thus it is important to consult with an attorney before purchasing signal-blocking equipment!

Can You Use a Magnet To Block A GPS Signal?

A powerful magnet may hurt your GPS equipment, but magnets in car tracking systems are designed in such a manner that they rarely do.

First and foremost, the magnet would have to be powerful enough to disrupt particles in order to interfere with GPS and other comparable devices. A strong magnet of this scale would reduce the amount of iron in your blood cells.

Most GPS car trackers contain surface magnets so they may be affixed to the outside of the vehicle, but the magnets are positioned away from the antenna that receives radio signals from GPS satellites.

This provides the tracker with greater positioning possibilities while also preventing the magnet from blocking GPS signals at the internal antenna.

Conclusion

Microwave signals from satellite network transmitters orbiting the Earth are received by a GPS gadget. The tracking system calculates its location via a series of time computations and triangulation after receiving signals from three or more satellites.

For precise coordinates, the receiver relies on these precise and specific radio signals. After then, the GPS tracking device sends the coordinates data to a monitoring site, which is usually done through a cellular connection.

In rare cases, satellite failure or solar radiation might cause GPS signal transmission to be disrupted. A GPS jammer, on the other hand, sends out radio signals or signal noise on the same frequencies as the GPS device. So the GPS satellite signals may be corrupted or overwritten.

The GPS device is unable to calculate its location because the satellite signal is obstructed by the disruption. Some items that can operate as GPS jammers include aluminum foils, dense materials, metal boxes, and silver containers.

How Do You Trick a Gps Tracker?

The GPS unit must have a clear, unobstructed view of the satellites at all times. If this view is obstructed, a GPS receiver is unable to receive or transmit signals and is essentially disabled. Although it sounds like a crazy, tin foil hat joke, a single layer of consumer metal foil can fool any GPS tracking device.

What Happens If You Remove GPS Tracker on Your Car?

A car tracker allows the lender to recover the vehicle easily. However, if a customer does remove the GPS tracking unit, a tamper alert will be sent. This means it’s been removed from the vehicle. Since it does have a backup battery, the device will continue to track.

Is There an App to Detect a GPS Tracker?

Tracker Detect gives Android users the ability to scan for an AirTag or supported Find My enabled item trackers that might be traveling with them without their knowledge.