Can car GPS locators be used in indoor and underground parking lots?

　　The current market for in car electronic products is becoming increasingly hot, and car GPS locators are becoming more and more popular. Many GPS merchants, in order to seize the market, constantly promote how powerful their product functions are and how accurate their positioning is. Many even claim that their devices can locate in enclosed places with poor signals such as underground parking lots or indoors. So is that really the case? Listen to the editor's analysis for everyone.

　　Can cars locate in areas with poor signal such as parking lots or indoors? GPS terminals consist of two important modules: a positioning module and a communication module. All location information is transmitted through communication signals. For example, when a person carries a mobile phone into the underground third floor, the phone cannot be connected. We know that common indoor positioning technologies include infrared technology, radio frequency identification technology, ultra wideband technology, wireless local area network, Bluetooth technology, etc. There are four main positioning methods for car positioning devices: GPS positioning, base station positioning, WiFi positioning, and Beidou positioning. A small number of manufacturers will also use RFID positioning technology, IP positioning, Bluetooth positioning, etc. Are these positioning methods used in cars suitable for indoor positioning? Below is an analysis for everyone.

　　GPS positioning: GPS positioning is the most commonly used device for car positioning, and almost every locator has this function. However, GPS is not a professional indoor, underground parking lot, under high bridges, or on densely populated floors. This is also well known in the industry. When using GPS locators, it is better to use them in outdoor open areas where GPS satellite signals are received, and indoor expectations should not be too high.

　　Base station positioning: When a car enters an area without GPS signal, there is usually another auxiliary positioning method - base station positioning, which is one of the reasons why many products are touted for indoor positioning. Base station positioning can indeed be used indoors, but did you know? The error of base station positioning is much greater than that of GPS positioning, usually between tens to hundreds of meters, sometimes even larger, and even over 1000 meters. Imagine, it is still difficult to find a car within a range of hundreds of meters, especially in underground parking lots. In addition, we know that the accuracy of base station positioning depends on the base station, just like our mobile phones. However, if it exceeds the service range or the number of base stations in the vehicle's location is insufficient, LBS positioning cannot be performed. Many times in underground parking lots, our mobile phones have very little signal, so it can be imagined that base station positioning is also not very effective.

　　WIFI positioning: I won't explain the principle of WiFi positioning, in short, there must be a WiFi signal. It is still common to have WIFI signals indoors, but only in urban areas. In more remote areas, WiFi is still scarce, and in large parking lots, WiFi signals are also scarce or very poor, making it difficult to locate. Most importantly, there are few manufacturers that use WiFi positioning.

　　Beidou positioning: The principle of Beidou positioning is the same as GPS, but the accuracy is slightly lower. GPS cannot be used indoors, and Beidou is even worse.

　　RFID positioning: This is one of the common indoor positioning technologies, but unfortunately, most car locators are used for remote control of door and window opening and anti-theft, and are not really used for positioning.

　　Bluetooth positioning: Bluetooth positioning is mainly used for small-scale positioning, such as single-layer halls or warehouses. For mobile terminal devices with integrated Bluetooth function, as long as the Bluetooth function of the device is turned on, the Bluetooth indoor positioning system can determine its location. It can be seen that it is not suitable for car positioning, let alone indoor positioning.

　　In summary, so far, car GPS locators cannot be fully used in indoor or underground parking lots, and even if there is a signal to locate, the error range is relatively large. Car owners should conduct rational analysis and judgment when making a purchase, understand their own needs and product functions, and not simply buy based on the seller's promotion.

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