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Why GPS Trackers Lose Signal (And How to Fix It)

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Let me explain exactly why GPS trackers lose signal, how to identify the cause, and what you can do to fix it.

📡 TL;DR – Why GPS Trackers Lose Signal

Most “signal loss” isn’t mysterious: it’s almost always obstruction, power, carrier coverage, or the tracker itself.

Main causes:
• Metal, concrete, underground parking, buildings, dense trees, or water blocking the sky view
• Cellular dead zones – GPS knows the location but can’t upload it
• Dead/low battery, loose OBD/hard-wire connections, blown fuses
• Poor placement inside the vehicle (glove box, trunk, under dash)
• Hardware failures, old firmware, or (rarely) GPS jammers

Quick checks:
• Confirm the tracker has power and a good connection
• Check the last known location (underground? indoors?)
• Move the device to a clearer sky view (dash/rear deck)
• Verify subscription + carrier coverage
• Update firmware and reboot the tracker

Best practices:
• Use a multi-GNSS tracker (GPS + GLONASS/Galileo/BeiDou)
• Choose a carrier that covers your routes
• Mount the tracker where it can “see” the sky
• Accept short gaps in garages, tunnels, and dense urban areas

Bottom line: Most GPS dropouts are explainable and fixable with better placement, power, carrier choice, and a modern multi-GNSS tracker. Use redundant tracking for high-value assets.

Understanding GPS Signal Loss

Before you can fix the problem, you need to understand what’s actually happening.

What “losing signal” really means

  • Trackers need signals from 4+ satellites
  • If the tracker can’t see enough satellites, it loses GPS lock
  • This is different from losing cellular signal
  • A tracker can lose one, the other, or both

GPS vs. Cellular: Two separate systems

GPS signal:
Determines location, receives satellite data, requires clear sky.

Cellular signal:
Uploads location to the cloud so your app can see it.

They fail independently:

  • GPS works but cellular fails → tracker knows where it is but can’t tell you
  • Cellular works but GPS fails → tracker is online but location is missing
  • Both fail → tracker appears offline

Types of signal loss

Temporary: Tunnels, garages, indoor areas
Intermittent: Weak coverage areas, dense cities
Complete: Battery dead, device malfunction, severe obstruction

Why GPS is fragile

  • Signals travel 12,000 miles from space
  • They’re extremely weak when they reach Earth
  • Anything blocking the sky can interfere

Physical Obstructions Blocking GPS

The most common reason GPS trackers lose signal is simple: something is in the way.

Metal Barriers

Metal blocks radio waves completely (Faraday cage effect).

Common culprits:

  • Parking garages
  • Metal buildings
  • Shipping containers
  • Metal toolboxes

Real example: A tracker inside a metal toolbox gets zero signal. Move it outside and it works instantly.

Concrete and Buildings

Urban canyons:
Skyscrapers block satellites at low angles.

Underground:
Parking garages, tunnels, subways = no GPS.

Indoors:
GPS struggles indoors unless near a window.

Trees and Foliage

  • Light foliage reduces accuracy
  • Heavy canopy can block signal entirely
  • Summer is worse than winter

Water

GPS does not penetrate water.

Examples:

  • Below deck on boats
  • Flooded areas
  • Heavy rain (minor impact, but adds up)

Vehicle Body Blocking the Signal

Tracker placement makes a massive difference.

Bad locations: glove box, trunk, under hood, deep inside dash
Good locations: dashboard, rear deck, near windshield

Satellite count guide:

  • 8–12 = strong
  • 4–7 = weak
  • 0–3 = poor/no fix

Cellular Signal Loss (Different Problem)

Sometimes GPS is working fine – but the tracker can’t upload the data.

Cellular dead zones

  • Rural areas
  • Valleys and mountains
  • Inside buildings
  • Underground locations

Carrier differences matter

One carrier may work great in your city, another may have holes.

Example:
AT&T tracker failing in rural areas → switched to Verizon → issue resolved.

International roaming issues

Trackers designed for US networks may lose all connectivity abroad.

Solutions

  • Choose trackers with multi-carrier SIMs
  • Check carrier maps
  • Accept that remote areas have gaps

Battery and Power Issues

GPS or cellular signal loss often isn’t signal – it’s power.

Battery-powered trackers

Dead battery = offline device.

Symptoms:

  • No updates
  • Last location remains frozen
  • Device unresponsive

Prevention:

  • Recharge regularly
  • Don’t let battery drop below 20%
  • Replace aging batteries

Vehicle-powered trackers

Common failures:

  • OBD port loose
  • Hardwired cable corrosion
  • Blown fuse
  • Low car battery

Real example:
Tracker stopped updating – turned out the OBD plug vibrated loose.

GPS Tracker Malfunction

Sometimes the device itself is the problem.

Hardware failures

  • Broken GPS antenna
  • Damaged internals
  • Water damage

Firmware/software issues

  • GPS disabled
  • Corrupted memory
  • Firmware bugs

Fixes:

  • Update firmware
  • Factory reset
  • Contact manufacturer

Environmental & Atmospheric Factors

Most are rare but possible.

  • Solar storms
  • Ionospheric disruptions
  • Severe thunderstorms
  • Strong local radio interference

These typically cause temporary, system-wide accuracy issues.

Intentional Signal Jamming

Rare but serious.

GPS jammers

Used by criminals to evade tracking.

Signs:

  • Sudden total GPS loss
  • Cellular still works
  • Happens in a specific location
  • Affects multiple devices

Illegal in most countries; report suspected jamming.

Multi-GNSS and Signal Improvement

Modern trackers use multiple satellite systems:

  • GPS (US)
  • GLONASS (Russia)
  • Galileo (EU)
  • BeiDou (China)

More satellites = fewer dropouts.

Real-world results:
GPS-only trackers lose signal frequently in cities. Multi-GNSS trackers rarely do.

Recommendation:
Always choose multi-GNSS.

Troubleshooting Signal Loss

A simple, effective process:

  1. Check power
  2. Verify subscription/app
  3. Review last known location
  4. Wait 30–60 minutes
  5. Check satellite count
  6. Check cellular coverage
  7. Power cycle tracker
  8. Reposition device
  9. Update firmware
  10. Contact support

Preventing GPS Signal Loss

Best practices

  • Mount tracker with a clear sky view
  • Choose a multi-GNSS device
  • Select the right cellular carrier
  • Maintain and update device regularly
  • Use backup trackers for important assets

Environmental expectations

Understand where GPS never works:

  • Underground parking
  • Tunnels
  • Inside large buildings

These are normal limitations.

Real-World Signal Loss Scenarios

Parking garage dropouts

Normal behavior – GPS can’t work underground.

Fleet vehicle losing signal

Tracker was inside a metal toolbox. Moving it fixed everything.

Rural delivery problems

Carrier coverage gaps – not GPS.

Sudden permanent failure

Hardware died → replaced under warranty.

Data not updating

Subscription lapsed → service suspended.

Intentional jamming

Employee using GPS jammer → serious incident.

Advanced Solutions

For heavy-duty or mission-critical use:

  • External antennas
  • GPS + cellular + Wi-Fi hybrid positioning
  • Satellite communication devices (Iridium/Globalstar)
  • Multiple trackers with redundancy
  • LoJack or RF-based systems

The Bottom Line

Key takeaways

  1. Most signal loss is temporary and normal.
  2. Power issues cause the majority of failures.
  3. Placement matters more than most people realize.
  4. Multi-GNSS trackers dramatically reduce problems.
  5. Distinguish GPS loss from cellular loss.
  6. Contact support for persistent or unexplained issues.

Final advice

GPS isn’t magic. It can’t work everywhere.
Brief gaps are normal, especially in garages, tunnels, and cities.

For reliable tracking:

  • Use a multi-GNSS tracker
  • Place it with a clear sky view
  • Pick the right cellular carrier
  • Maintain the device
  • Use redundancy for high-value assets

Do these things, and your tracker will work 95%+ of the time – more than enough for most real-world uses.