Tell us if this story sounds familiar: Tony, the owner of 123 Plumbing, heard that he could save some money by tracking the company’s small fleet of vans. He did a quick Google search and found a cheap GPS tracker that plugged right into his vehicles’ OBD-II port and would give him data right away—no crazy setup required and no monthly subscription fee that he could see. Within a week, his vehicles are having electronic issues, and one has had its battery go completely dead.
What happened? Essentially, Tony’s new OBD-II trackers had a conflict with the vehicle’s internal computer and a very costly disaster ensued. And unfortunately, this could happen to anyone, especially with plug-and-play devices that have only been on the market for a few years.
Small business owners don’t have the time or money to find out the hard way which OBD-II trackers are going to cause issues. That’s why we’ve put together this comprehensive primer on Best Obd2 Tracker options for vehicles. It explains:
- What best OBD2 trackers are and how they work
- The top plug-and-play GPS trackers available today
- Which best OBD2 GPS tracker is truly the best for small business
What is an OBD-II Tracker?
OBD-II GPS trackers are GPS tracking devices that are installed directly via a vehicle’s onboard diagnostics port. While many other types of GPS tracking devices are hardwired directly to the vehicle’s battery and ignition in a process that requires professional intervention, these plug-and-play devices simply plug into a vehicle’s OBD-II port.
The Benefits of Best OBD2 Trackers
There are numerous benefits to using best OBD2 GPS tracking devices, especially for small businesses. Firstly, they boast an easy installation and wide compatibility with almost every car, pickup, or van manufactured from 1996 onwards. Forget about costly professional installations; these devices are budget-friendly and user-installable. The best OBD2 trackers are also designed with discretion in mind – they are often compact, easily concealed, and eliminate the need for unsightly cables.
Beyond these basic advantages, best OBD2 trackers record and transmit valuable vehicle diagnostic information, data that would typically require a visit to a mechanic. When your vehicle’s “check engine” light illuminates, the best OBD2 GPS trackers can translate the diagnostic trouble code, or DTC code, into clear, understandable English. Access to onboard diagnostics unlocks a suite of impressive features in good OBD2 trackers, including vehicle health and maintenance monitoring, driver safety enhancements, idling and fuel consumption reports, and much more. Importantly, they ensure continuous data flow, even when the vehicle is switched off.
With their simple setup and small size, best OBD2 trackers are perfectly suited for pickups, vans, and other light- to medium-duty vehicles commonly used by small businesses.
How to Install an OBD-II Tracker?
To install a best OBD2 tracker, the process is remarkably simple. Locate the OBD-II port, usually found beneath the steering wheel console on the driver’s side of your vehicle. Then, just plug the device into the port. Following installation, a short drive is typically required for calibration.
steering wheel console
Top OBD2 Trackers on the Market
As with any technology solution, the market presents a variety of options, each with its own strengths and weaknesses, and suitability for different business needs. To help you navigate this landscape, we’ve analyzed some of the most popular OBD2 trackers available today, providing a breakdown to assist you in selecting the service that best aligns with your requirements.
Force Fleet Tracking
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| No contracts | No hard-wired option |
| No hidden fees | Not available for personal use |
| Hardware is included in the price | Free hardware must be returned if you cancel |
| Vehicle health & maintenance alerts included at no extra cost | |
| Idling reports | |
| Driver safety | |
| RoadScore | |
| TireCheck | |
| Route histories | |
| Alerts for harsh braking, speeding, dangerous driving | |
| Disturbance alerts |
Force Fleet Tracking is designed as a fleet tracking service specifically tailored for small businesses. Utilizing OBD2 GPS tracking devices, Force delivers actionable insights into fleet operations. It’s known for its straightforward approach, affordability, and comprehensive suite of features, all within a single, transparent price—no hidden fees or add-ons.
Force offers a plug-and-play OBD2 tracker that is roughly the size of an AirPods case, ensuring discreet installation in your vehicles. There are no long-term contracts or commitments required to begin using Force.
The comprehensive Force GPS tracking solution addresses the primary operational challenges faced by small fleet businesses. It offers capabilities to monitor vehicle health, enhance driver safety records, and track vehicles in real-time.
The Force platform provides real-time alerts for hazardous or unauthorized activities, such as drivers entering or leaving designated geofenced areas, device tampering, or unsafe driving behaviors. The system maintains detailed trip logs, including start and end times, mileage, speed, routes, and driving behavior. Features like idling and maintenance reports have been shown to help Force customers achieve up to 40% savings on fuel costs.
Force’s best OBD2 GPS Trackers also provide maintenance tracking based on actual miles driven, offering alerts and reports to inform you precisely when vehicle maintenance is due. These maintenance features are standard, distinguishing Force from competitors like Momentum IoT and Verizon Connect, which often charge extra for similar maintenance functionalities. Explore more about these features here.
Discover real-time savings. Explore Force’s fleet pricing.
Force Fleet Tracking Interface
Vyncs GPS Tracker
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Roadside assistance add-on option | Annual contracts mean long-term commitment required |
| Unsafe driving alerts | Activation fees |
| Geofences | Hidden costs |
| Location tracking | Slow standard refresh |
| Companion app that can help you track mileage | |
| Maintenance reminders |
When searching for GPS tracking devices advertised without monthly fees, Vyncs often appears prominently. However, it’s important to note that Vyncs operates on annual plans rather than month-to-month subscriptions. They offer basic, premium, and professional tiers, with add-ons like roadside assistance.
Vyncs also charges extra for features that are often standard with fleet-focused providers. For instance, a 20-second GPS sampling rate is an additional $40 per device annually, Live Map Auto Refresh costs an extra $30 per device per year, and their ‘driver safety supercharge’ is $35 per device per year. Besides the annual fees, there’s a one-time $39.99 activation fee per device.
While Vyncs provides faster updates for premium subscribers, the standard refresh rate is a relatively slow 3 minutes.
On the plus side, their companion app is useful for mileage tracking and distinguishing between work and personal driving. Their maintenance alerts can also identify minor issues like wear and tear, battery charge levels, and recall notices.
Connect OBD-II GPS Tracker
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Vehicle maintenance alerts | Billed annually |
| Safety alerts for aggressive driving and hard braking | Very expensive hardware |
| Historical driving activity | |
| 3-second refresh rates | |
| Aggressive driving, hard braking, and low fuel alerts | |
| Speeding and battery alerts | |
| Geofencing |
The Connect OBD-II GPS tracker from Tracking System Direct is a basic GPS tracker that comes with standard features but at a premium price point. With hardware costs nearing $400, expectations for advanced functionalities would typically be higher. While it boasts a 3-second GPS refresh rate, in the context of fleet telematics, anything faster than 10 seconds is generally considered excessive.
This service also markets itself by highlighting the absence of monthly fees, but this is due to annual billing, and the overall cost, including hardware, is higher than the industry average.
OneStep GPS
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| 2-60 second updating | Activation fee required |
| Safety alerts | |
| Geofencing | |
| Speeding, harsh braking, idling alerts | |
| Vehicle service reminders | |
| Fuel usage |
OneStep GPS provides vehicle tracking solutions for both personal and fleet use. It delivers alerts for poor driving habits, including speeding, rapid acceleration, hard braking, excessive idling, and after-hours vehicle use. While basic reporting is available through their web application, its initial design for personal use means the feature set may not be as comprehensive as needed for service-based businesses.
Unlike many business-oriented solutions, OneStep GPS requires payment for the first and last month of service, along with a $20 activation fee, representing a significant initial investment.
Azuga
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Intuitive app | 36-month contracts |
| Driver safety features | No trials |
| Vehicle maintenance reports | Lackluster refresh rates |
| Dispatch | More expensive than other solutions with similar offering |
| Idling | |
| Geofences | |
| Timecards | |
| Advanced smart routing system add-on |
Azuga is a fleet tracking solution focused on enabling organizations to monitor driver behavior, establish custom geofences, and implement in-cab safety alerts and driver coaching. Azuga’s standout feature is Azuga Routes, an optional add-on that facilitates route scheduling with integrated telematics data. This accounts for commercial routing restrictions, time windows, volume and weight constraints, and predictive weather conditions.
Azuga offers several pricing tiers, all with contracts starting at 3-year terms. Their most basic package starts at $25 per vehicle per month but lacks standard fleet tracking features like vehicle diagnostics, maintenance alerts, and trip logs, setting it apart from many competitors. Minute-by-minute tracking is only available at the $35 per month tier, which is not only expensive but also offers slower refresh rates compared to competitors’ standard plans.
Momentum IoT
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| No contracts | Fleet maintenance and equipment usage tracking are not included in standard pricing. |
| PowerSense add on allows for equipment usage tracking | No dedicated driver safety features |
| Asset tracking for job sites | No diagnostic descriptions for most makes, DTC codes missing for many makes |
| Geofences | Bulky hardware and cables must be hung under the dashboard, often in the way |
| Speed alerts | |
| Mileage history |
Momentum IoT is a GPS fleet tracking solution aimed at small to mid-sized fleets, including trucks, trailers, heavy equipment, and lighter equipment like winches.
Momentum IoT provides a straightforward solution for companies in sectors like construction, oil and gas, and agriculture looking to track their fleets and generate high-level reports. However, users must pay extra for preventative maintenance scheduling and vehicle service alerts.
Momentum IoT also includes geofencing alerts, speed notifications, and trip and mileage history. However, it lacks alerts for harsh braking or unsafe driving and does not include maintenance features in its standard pricing. More detailed features like preventative maintenance and tool usage information require additional costs.
Discover why small business owners favor Force. Read customer testimonials.
Alt text: Example of Momentum IoT OBD2 tracker hardware illustrating its compact plug-in design.
Verizon Connect
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| International coverage | Long contract periods |
| Automated maintenance alerts | Expensive compared to similar services |
| Unauthorized break or detour tracking | Steep learning curve |
| Dynamic routing | |
| Live map with route replay | |
| Speed alerts | |
| Geofences |
Verizon Connect is a GPS fleet tracking software offering a wide array of add-ons and extensive data collection. Beyond standard fleet tracking, Verizon Connect provides in-depth analytics, asset tracking, and route optimization add-ons, along with dedicated apps for drivers and fleet managers.
Verizon Connect’s services may be more beneficial for larger fleets with in-house data analysis capabilities, as larger datasets can yield more valuable insights.
Samsara
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Automated maintenance alerts | Contracts are 3-5 years long |
| Vehicle diagnostics dashboard | Pay for hardware |
| Heat maps of routes taken | Clients must sign up for at least three years, with a minimum of three vehicles. |
| Real-time vehicle location | |
| Dash camera add ons | |
| Temperature probes |
Samsara is a comprehensive tracking platform designed for large-scale fleets. It offers fleet managers data on tracking, fuel, maintenance, and equipment monitoring for trailers, large trucks, production facilities, and construction sites. Samsara’s hardware offerings are extensive, including tracking devices, dash cameras, environmental monitors, temperature probes, and asset trackers, catering to diverse industrial applications.
While Samsara provides robust solutions for large enterprises, its lengthy contracts and complex implementation processes make it less suitable for small businesses.
Samsara OBD2 tracker
The Verdict on Best OBD2 Trackers for Small Businesses
When comparing fleet management tools and plug-in trackers, Force emerges as the best OBD2 tracker option for small businesses, largely due to the quality and design of their GPS vehicle tracker itself.
Force’s hardware stands out for its ease of installation, minimal power consumption, and reduced risk of interference with vehicle electronics, helping to preserve battery life.
It’s crucial to recognize that not all services prioritize ensuring their OBD2 port trackers avoid interference with a vehicle’s Electronic Control Unit. Devices vary significantly in their design and impact. Mojio’s decade-long experience in this field has equipped Force with the industry’s most comprehensive vehicle data library.
Combining an extensive vehicle diagnostics library with a 10-second GPS refresh rate and a feature set specifically developed for small and mid-sized field service businesses, Force provides the best OBD2 trackers for small businesses, ensuring reliability and preventing electronic issues.
Experience the Force advantage, risk-free. Start your free trial today.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Force different from other fleet tracking software?
Force is specifically optimized for small businesses and home service companies. With user-friendly features, competitive pricing, and no contracts, Force delivers the best value for fleets of two or more vehicles.
How does the free trial work?
Upon signing up for a 14-day free trial, Force will ship you a free GPS tracking device for each of your vehicles. If you decide to continue with Force after the trial, simply keep using the service. Your first billing date will be 14 days after the start of your trial. If you choose not to continue, just inform the team, and they will provide a prepaid shipping label for device returns.
How do I know if my vehicle is compatible?
Force is compatible with almost any vehicle equipped with an OBD-II port, which includes most cars, vans, and light trucks manufactured since 1996. If you are uncertain about compatibility, please contact our team for verification.
How much time does installation take?
Installation of Force is quick and easy, taking only minutes per vehicle. Just plug the devices into the OBD-II port and follow the simple on-screen instructions in your web browser.
What if I need help getting started?
Force is designed for ease of setup and use. However, Force’s dedicated support team and comprehensive Help Center are always available to assist you in getting started and answering any questions.
How much money can my small business save using Force Fleet Tracking?
The savings your small business can achieve with GPS fleet tracking will depend on your specific operational challenges. By addressing issues such as wage loss, costly driving habits, breakdowns, and customer satisfaction, the savings can accumulate quickly. An average fleet of 5 vehicles can save over $4,400 annually in fuel costs alone by managing idle time! This figure doesn’t even account for the increased efficiency of completing more jobs on time.
Try the solution designed for your needs. Start a free trial of Force Fleet Tracking today with no obligation.
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Published May 1, 2023
