How GPS makes you vunerable to home theft.

[sjsoto]

if we decide to live in fear, nothing will get accomplished. but we should always be cautious.

 

[SevTT]

I always felt uneasy about GPS anyway. Paraniod I guess.. if a satellite somewhere can tell me to turn right here, left there... who else knows exactly where I am at what time?

I'll stick with paper maps.

Actually, the satellites don't know anything other than the time, which they send out as a constant pulse. Your GPS unit receives these pulses, triangulates where it is based on the time-lag to several (3+) sats, and then uses that information to calculate your position, based on the known position of the sats & the distance to them. Then the GPS unit, a computer in its own right, looks that up and displays maps and calculates routes for you.

Of course, this isn't to say that that same GPS unit couldn't be rigged to transmit your location, either by radio or to another satellite; indeed, many units now have that capability so that parents and such can look up where their kid (or at least their car) is.

 

[SevTT]

Thats not ENTIRELY true.... There is a "location" setting on your phone, which if I understand correctly, has 2 options... The first allows your phone to be tracked whenever you make a call, the second lets it be tracked via enhanced 911 only (when you call 911). Either way, I dont think it's as accurate as everyone thinks. We get calls over enhanced 911 and they only give the address of the closest cell tower. They definately dont triangulate your exact position within a few feet.

Naw. If the cops really want to track you (or if someone else somehow gets access to the cell network system) it doesn't matter what you set your phone to; if it's on, and particularly if it's making a call, they can triangulate your location pretty damned accurately.

 

[Simon Garratt]

Just becouse you are paranoid doesnt mean they arnt out to get you... My wife allways says....."Paranoia is simply a hightened form of awareness"...:shhh:

Si...