The Many Uses Of GPS Tracking Watches

GPS watches are mainly used for fitness and people tracking purposes. However, this is not the only use of these powerful devices. They can be used in many, many ways if you are imaginative enough to think outside the box. Here are just a couple additional uses.

One of the powerful uses of GPS tracking watches is the power to measure things. Most fitness watches enable you to track the exact path of your exercise routine, giving you the distance you traveled as you ran for forty-five minutes. This can be harnessed measure objects, large objects, that you always wondered just how big these objects are.

Thinking about how large your apartment building is? Or the distance between you and your your favorite park? Or just how close the nearest ice cream shop is? Well a GPS device is just what you need to find this information out. Since they can also interact with computer mapping programs you can get a birds eye view of the distance you traveled.

Another interesting thing you can do is go exploring with your GPS watch. Many of these devices have the ability to set way points. These enable you to mark the exact locations of special or remarkable geographic features on journey’s through the wilderness. By using this feature you can see understand the geography of an area better or get an idea of exactly where that landmark you always pass by is exactly. This can create a nice discussion piece with other outdoor adventurers and help foster collaborative exploration efforts.

It is also very helpful for exploring new urban landscapes. Those on business trips can help themselves interact with their environment in new and sometimes strange places. By using way points you can give yourself freedom to explore side streets and back alleys that you would normally never consider going down for fear of loosing your bearing on where your hotel or hostel is. This can be done away with if you have a GPS watch to point you back home.

Still another use is to analyze your commute. With gas prices being what they are it is always helpful to drive as efficiently as you possibly can. In addition to other gas saving techniques, you can drive around wearing your watch, using its power to silently and efficiently track and monitor your speed to help you test. This will help you understand how much of your time is spent in bumper to bumper traffic and how much time you are traveling the posted speed limits. It will also be able to assist you in determining how quickly you accelerate and decelerate – important metrics for fuel efficiency.

In addition to gas saving information, if these devices are paired with a heart rate monitor they can provide information about your level of stress during your commute. Is there an noticeable difference in your heart rate depending in the speed at which you travel home? Is your commute stressing you out? A heart rate monitor might be help you better understand this portion of your commute.

As you can see, GPS tracking watches have tons of uses in many different situations. Their ability to record many different layers of information is the key behind their versatility.

Manufacturers of GPS Tracking Watches

You are looking to buy a GPS tracking watch and want to know who makes the best one. The answer to that may be simple, there are only three well known companies making them; Garmin, Timex and Suunto. That’s not to say there aren’t other companies out there making cheap knock offs, but we won’t focus on them.

Some might say “What about Casio? They are a well known company.” That is true and they make some fine products but they no longer make a GPS watch so that leaves Garmin, Timex and Suunto.

When looking at the models being offered by each company you will find a variety of available features. I think it is important to mention what these watches won’t do since there may be some misconceptions out there.

Many of us have, or have seen a GPS system in a car or boat. These are really neat gadgets to have and can be a real time saver especially for those who travel extensively for work or pleasure. These units display your position on a map and may include landmarks like restaurants, gas stations, etc.

GPS watches have very small display screens so the mapping feature is not practical. Neither is the voice feature present to tell you when to turn!

GPS tracking watches use satellites to pinpoint a position, then with continuing updates of the position, they display data for speed, distance, elevation and more, depending on the model. Options might include a heart rate monitor or cycling cadence tracker.

You may quickly see a couple of important variations in the way the companies package their GPS watches. In all cases, the systems use a GPS receiver and a digital time piece to carry out the calculations. Being a watch they all offer the display of data in what appears to be a wrist watch although sometimes quite large.

The GPS receiver may be contained within the watch or, separately, strapped to the arm or possibly mounted on a belt.

It would be wise to give this issue some thought before making a purchase. I would prefer to have the watch and GPS receiver self contained and worn like a traditional watch, but opinions vary.

Garmin has the Forerunner 205, 305 and 405 which are all-in-one models, having the appearance of a digital wristwatch but of larger size. They also offer the Forerunner 101 and 102 which use a Velcro strap around the wrist but have the appearance more similar to wearing an iPod.

The Garmin line uses a receiver that is built in and wraps around the wristband, a bit, to keep it oriented to the sky for better reception. The units also include a USB to share data with your PC. An A/C battery charger is used to top off the battery which generally provide about 8 to 10 hours of tracking use.

Timex has been making watches almost forever and has offered athletic oriented models for decades. They use a separate watch / GPS receiver approach unlike Garmin. This does have some advantages, including the ability to wear the watch everyday since it is small enough to be practical. When the time arises you simply turn on and secure the separate GPS receiver and you are ready to go. Timex also offers an almost endless array of athletic watches.

The third manufacturer is Suunto which as you might guess offers several models. They generally have the appearance resembling a typical digital wristwatch. The GPS receiver is contained in a separate wireless unit so the watch can remain very compact. Typical options are; altimeter, barometer, countdown timers heart rate monitors etc.

The technology evolves continuously so smaller, cheaper models will likely become available in the near future. It will also be interesting to see if other companies will join in and offer their own line of GPS tracking watches.

Picking The Right GPS Tracking Watch

There are many different uses for GPS tracking watches and many different styles of watch depending on the use. Matching the right watch to your specific need is probably the most important thing you can think about when deciding what watch to purchase. Most watches can be used in a variety of ways, but only some types of watches will have the functionality that you are looking for so the most important thing to ask is, “What am I getting this GPS device for?”

Those looking for fitness watches should definitely consider the different options available to them. There are a few main brands that offer GPS enabled watches. These include Garmin, Suunto, and Timex among others. The most important thing to look for in your fitness watch is if the watches functionality meets your needs. Most brands and styles have the option to have a heart rate monitor in addition to all the GPS tracking and this adds a nice layer of information to improve your fitness.

In addition to the heart rate monitor, look for a watch that receives the GPS signal without the use of a GPS pod. These pods can be very cumbersome if you are on a run, swim, or bike and you don’t want to be thinking about your pod while exercising. These pods can also be heavy and could create an embarrassing moment when the weight of it pulls down your pants!

Another application of GPS watches is to monitor and secure your children. Nobody wants their child to be abducted or to find out that they are lost, but if you do you want to know that you will be able to find them soon. Unfortunately, many of the kids watches are still in development or do not have the functionality that you might wish that they did. This should be changing in a couple of years as technology improves and companies learn what concerned parents really want.

A key ingredient to making a wise purchase here is talking to the company that you are thinking of buying from. Make sure that they have a service plan that truly meets your needs and fits within your budget. Most child devices not only cost money up front for the device but also have a monthly service fee that can be comparable to a phone plan. As good questions and get informed before you pull the trigger on this one.

Lastly, there is GPS tracking for those suffering from dementia or other disorders or disabilities. These can be great ways to keep tabs on our loved ones, especially those prone to wandering. Without the proper faculties to find their way home, individuals in these conditions can get very scared very quickly. With the use of GPS technology you can quickly find these individuals and get them back home where they can be both comfortable and safe.

As we continue to expand our ability to utilize GPS in the consumer market the capabilities of GPS tracking watches will continue to grow. This will enable consumers to take full advantage of this technology and to get the location information that matters most to them.

How To Use A GPS Tracking Watch

When most of us think of GPS tracking watches one of two images pop into our mind. The first is that of a child locator that fits on the wrist of child. The second is that of a watch on the arm of an athlete (usually a long distance runner). Both of these watches are essentially the same, but used in very different ways.

The first watch is used almost entirely to track and keep tabs on a child. A concerned parent will outfit their child with a GPS tracking watch just in case the worst were to happen to their child. They feel that it gives them the peace of mind that they need to send their child off to school, or to the park, or to the mall. They often feel that this locating device is exactly what they will want if an abduction or kidnapping were to occur.

Normally watches like this help the parent take back some power that they felt has been stolen from them in our society of parental isolation. They cannot trust their neighbors to keep an eye on their children with them because we are so distanced from those that live around us, especially in suburbia. At a mall with a thousand people in it, your child could become entirely lost and could not see a single familiar face. People might walk by your child without even know that they are lost or in need of assistance.

A child locator watch is exactly what parents need in this circumstance. If they have an internet enabled phone, they can check their provider’s website and find the location of their child to within a few meters. Or, if the watch has a two way communication feature, the parent can call the child’s watch and communicate with their child – letting them know that everything is going to be okay and that they don’t need to worry. They then can get the information from the child that they need to locate them, ending the issue and empowering the parent.

Fitness GPS tracking watches work a little differently than a child GPS tracking watch. Most fitness watches are simply data loggers, gathering and storing information on the watch’s computer to be analyized at a later time. All you need to do with one of these watches is put it on your wrist, strap on your heart monitor (if you model supports one), turn your watch on, and head out on your run.

These watches will do all the work for you, recording your speed, elevation, and heart rate for you to see. They even will record your actual location so that you can integrate it with some mapping software back on your PC. Sometimes this software comes with your watch and sometimes you can use free software like Google Earth, it simply depends on the make and model of your watch.

These watches are good for fitness applications and while they can be used for other things (like analyzing you heart rate when you drive) they are pretty much only good for that.

As you can see, both types of GPS tracking watches provide the same essential GPS tracking function but do so for different purposes. A child GPS tracking watch is logs GPS information and then sends it out for the parent to see. A fitness GPS tracking watch, on the other hand, simply logs information for you to download later. Both have their place in, and both are used differently.

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