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What Does Real-Time GPS Tracking Actually Look Like?

Many GPS tracker brands claim to offer real-time tracking. But dig deeper, and you’ll often find that “real-time” means updates every 2, 5, or even 10 minutes.

So let’s set the record straight.

In this post, we’ll show you exactly what true real-time GPS tracking looks like—and why those longer update intervals just don’t cut it when it really matters.

🎯 The Same Trip—Two Very Different Maps

Imagine a vehicle going for a drive around a few city blocks—or even better, through a tight shopping centre car park.

Let’s compare how two different trackers would display that journey:

✅ CoreGPS Real-Time Tracker

  • Sends updates based on actual motion—like distance travelled or changes in direction
  • Captures every turn, pause, and deviation from the expected route
  • Shows a precise trail of where the vehicle has been

📍Looks like: A clean, continuous line that mirrors the real-world path taken.

🖼️ Example: Real-Time GPS in a Shopping Centre Car Park

Below is a screenshot from a CoreGPS tracker showing a vehicle navigating a busy shopping centre car park.

Each turn, loop, and pause is visible—because the tracker sends updates as the vehicle moves, not minutes later.

🔍 Highlights:

  • 🔄 Tight cornering captured live
  • 🅿️ Temporary stops clearly shown
  • ↪️ Every loop and lane change recorded
  • 🟢 Position updates triggered by actual movement (e.g. 500m travelled, or a 25° heading change)
  • ❌ A typical 2-minute tracker would have shown a straight line from entry to exit, missing all the detail in between

🚫 “As-the-Crow-Flies” Tracker (2–10 min updates)

Some cheaper trackers advertise “live tracking” but only update every few minutes. That’s not live—that’s delayed location reporting.

With low-frequency updates:

  • You lose visibility on turns, stops, and route accuracy
  • The device draws straight lines between known points
  • The result is a jagged or unrealistic route across rooftops, parks, or bodies of water

📍Looks like: A broken trail that skips everything that happened in between

It’s like comparing a dashcam to a single frame every few minutes.

🔒 Why This Matters

Real-time GPS tracking isn’t just about watching a dot on a map—it’s about awareness, accuracy, and accountability.

🚘 Stolen Vehicle Recovery

In an emergency, every second counts. A 5-minute delay could be the difference between recovery and it vanishing for good.

📍 Accurate Route History

Need to know where your asset was, how fast it was going, or if it stopped where it shouldn't have? Motion-based updates capture every movement.

🧠 Peace of Mind

You don’t want to guess where your vehicle is. You want to know—with precision.

🛰️ How CoreGPS Does It Differently

Unlike others, we don’t water down the term real-time. Our system is built for accurate, motion-triggered tracking:

✅ Updates based on actual movement—distance, heading, ignition status

✅ Automatic check-ins every 30 minutes even when stationary

✅ Multi-network SIMs (Telstra, Optus, Vodafone) for maximum coverage

✅ Local, Australian-owned platform—not a white-labeled overseas app

⚠️ Don’t Settle for Delayed Data

If your current GPS tracker updates every few minutes, it’s not giving you real-time data—it’s giving you guesses. That’s fine for tracking pets or keys, but not valuable assets.

Choose CoreGPS.

Track your vehicle, caravan, or bike as it moves, not after.

👉 Shop CoreGPS Trackers Now

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