How to Track Your Child's Phone
A parent can track a child's cellular phone using a global positioning satellite, or GPS chip. The chips are already installed in many newer phones and can be bought and installed in older phones. A variety of services are available for tracking the phone. Cellular companies are increasingly offering in-house tracking services. Alternatively, numerous websites allow the parent to download software for the phone and your computer to allow tracking via MapQuest or Google.
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Things You'll Need
- GPS-enabled cellular phone or GPS chip
- Service provider with GPS-tracking capability
- Internet connection
- Software to enable GPS tracking for the phone and PC
- Cable to connect PC and phone
Instructions
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Tracking a child's cell phone
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Most newer cell phones, including the BlackBerry, Motorola iDEN, Boost Mobile, Windows Mobile and many others, already contain GPS chips. For older phones, GPS chips can be bought on the Internet and installed using the manufacturer's instructions.
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The parent should check with the family's cell phone service to determine if it has GPS capability. Most larger services, such as Verizon, Cingular/AT&T and Sprint/Nextel, provide the service. Disney Mobile is designed to allow child tracking through GPS.
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Find a location-based service, such as AccuTracking or uLocate.com, which often works with the cell phone service companies. Independent services such as Mologogo and others are also available. These services may charge small or moderate fees for GPS tracking.
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Use the computer to go to the location-based service provider's website, log in and follow instructions to download its software to the parent's computer.
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Connect the child's cell phone to the parent's computer via the PC-phone cable. Follow the instructions to load the GPS-tracking software into the cell phone, and, if necessary, to activate it using the phone's menu.
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Give the phone to the child and use the computer to log in to the location-based service provider's tracking website. Depending on the service, it can show the phone's location on a Google or MapQuest grid. Some services can also tell what speed the phone is traveling, how long it has been in one position and even the altitude.
Some services also will send text messages to the parent's cell phone, such as if the phone leaves a certain pre-set area.
If the parent has a cell phone with wireless Internet access, she can use that instead of a PC to track the child's phone.
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Tips & Warnings
If the parent does not want the child to know he is being tracked, hold on to the cell phone after downloading the location-based service provider's GPS software. The tracking service often sends an initial text to the child's phone saying it is now subject to a tracking program. Erase the text before turning over the phone to the child. The cell phone must be turned on for the tracking service to work. GPS tracking often uses additional battery power, and may require more frequent cell phone recharging.
