Package tracking with AccuTracking / Nextel GPS

[deft]

So here's my idea, perhaps you all can tell me how realistic it is.

I'm running a <u>small</u> local same-day delivery company (it's just myself on a bike and whatever driver I subcontract for stuff going to other cities). Most things are picked up and delivered in 2 hours or less, some are simply "ASAP".

To get an edge on the competition, I'd like to offer our customers the ability to enter their shipment's tracking # on the website, and it show the GPS location of the courier who has it.

As for linking the tracking # to the courier, I can figure that out later. Right now I'd just like to be able to give them a link that shows where we all are. But if it's not accurate, updated every 2 minutes or less, it's useless (in 7 minutes I could be on the opposite side of the city).

Do you think I can rely on a Nextel GPS & Google Maps based system like AccuTracking for this?
+ what model of Nextel would you recommend? I was about to go with the i265, for the price.

[madrabbitt]

i vote boost mobile i415 with a boost mobile account. It'll be cheaper in the long run, and right now the phones are on sale, plus you get an additional $25 activation credit.

You can also get a pretty rugged case for them.


If it turns out to work fine, then you'd be a great customer for the commercial version of accutracking, where they could custom do a "tracking" type number for you.

[deft]

actually I've already got an i265. thanks tho

i just want to see someone getting tracked in real-time, like updates every 2 min. or less.. know any good examples?

[madrabbitt]

yeah, set the send rate to 2 minutes.

heck, set it to one minute.


i think my car is set to two minutes. click the second link in my sig

[deft]

I see, you must have it set to longer intervals? like 5 mins? and I'm guessing you're a builder of some sort working on houses in El Paso, across the hills from where you live..

thanks for the tips man, I'm just waiting for my USB cable to come in the mail and then I'll be sharing my location.

unless I can download the app via the phone...? I dont see a link for that.

[madrabbitt]

i *think* my car phone is set to 2 minutes.

Actually, i'm a medic, i work night shift.
Likely my phone has alot of waypoints around three specific locations.

My house (9 o'clock on the map), work (5 o'clock) and my girlfriend's house (1 'oclock), as well as the routes between those.

Theres the mountain route from west to NE that i drive once daily, then theres the westside to south side route for work.

[madrabbitt]

BTW, those are not hills. Thats the southernmost tip of the rocky mountains.

Click on the waypoints on both ends of the route thats showing now, then click on the middle.

The middle part is about a mile high at the highest, and i know my house is around 34-3700 feet up.

[deft]

i see! I was just guessing, seems 90% of the nextel users I meet are contractors. do you keep it on & tracking while you work?

yeah now I get a better view I see where you are. bad ass. I gotta visit El Paso some day.

mine is giving real sporatic and random updates on my location downtown. it's pretty hard to get a good fix because in 5 minutes I could be anywhere. I'm going to try setting it down to 1 minute and keep it on my shoulder, back facing up. damn it sucks the batteries though.

[madrabbitt]

my unit is an i605, in a car cradle. It gets power whenever the car is on.

Of course, these cold nights lately, if i set it to 1 minute, it just about kills the battery when i'm parked at night.

[Skibum]

If you set to a real short time, and you find you are still having trouble getting fixes, try the hotgps option.

[deft]

yeah I'm on a bike.. I keep the wall charger with me and an extra battery.

keeping it mounted on my shoulder with the back facing up seems to help. I've noticed that the GPS mostly wants a clear view of east-to-west sky. doesn't seem to care much about north-to-south.

[madrabbitt]

what type of phone? you should invest in a fat battery if its not already equippd with one