Track Cell Phone Location

The giant leaps that we have taken in the field of science and technology over the last few decades have made many impossible things, possible! A few decades ago, if someone sitting in his apartment in California would have said that he can determine the exact location of his friend on a tour of Asia, merely on the basis of his cell phone location, we would have assumed that he is just fantasizing. Today, however, things have changed, and tracking a person on the basis of his cell phone location has not just become possible, but has also become pretty easy.

How to Track Cell Phone Location

Basically, there are quite a few methods by which you can track a cell phone location. Going through the details of each of these methods provided below will make the process easier for you to understand.

GPS Enabled Cell Phone Tracking

A cell phone featuring Global Positioning System, aka GPS navigation system, can be traced by two methods. While the first method involves resorting to one of the numerous websites which facilitate GPS cell phone tracking, the second method involves resorting to a software developed for the same purpose. Irrespective of which method you resort to, the location of the device will be tracked on the basis of data compiled by three satellites orbiting the planet. In case of a website, you have to register and log in onto the website every time you want to resort to this service. If you resort to a website, the result of your query will be displayed on a map provided on the website itself. On the other hand, if you resort to the free GPS cell phone tracking software, you will get to track the device on an application on your computer.

Software to Track Cell Phone Location

In order to track cell phone location from computer you will have to buy a tracking software, and install it on the handset that you need to keep a track of. Once you have installed the software on the cell phone, you can sit at home and monitor the movements of the person using this cell phone, on your personal computer. If you are ready to shell out a decent sum of money, there is absolutely no dearth of cell phone location tracking software in the market. Such software can be of great help if you intend to keep a watch on your children. Installing it on your handset will also make sure that you find your lost or stolen cell phone easily. A cell phone tracking software can cost somewhere around $10-20 (some companies even offer the software for free and charge for subsequent usage), with higher end products being more accurate.

Track Cell Phone Location With Google Earth

With Google's latest offering - Google Latitude, in the market, now it is also possible to trace a cell phone location using Google Earth. The requirements in this case, include a cell phone with web facility and a Google account. You just have to visit the Google Latitude homepage, and feed the number of the cell phone which you want to track. Once you are done with this, you will get a text message with a link. When you click on this link, you will be redirected to a new page wherein you will be asked if you want Google Latitude to keep a track of the current location of this cell phone. Once you click on yes, the service will be activated and you will be able to monitor the location of the cell phone on Google Earth.

Track Cell Phone Location by IMEI Number

In what is considered to be one of the simplest methods to track a lost or stolen cell phone, you just need to handover your IMEI number to the service provider and ask them to track the location of the cell phone. International Mobile Equipment Identity, abbreviated as IMEI, number is a unique number printed beneath the battery of the cell phone. In this method, cell phone is tracked by a process known as triangulation, wherein the transfer of data between the cell phone and cell phone towers is evaluated to determine its location. Interestingly, the same method is used to trace a call and determine the location of the person. Similarly, you can also check your IMEI number by dialing *06# on your phone. Even though it is easy to track a cell phone by this method, the legalities involved in it tend to make it a bit cumbersome.

While all these methods used to track cell phone location are becoming more and more popular by the day, some serious concerns are being raised over the issue of privacy in this context. This has prompted the law enforcement agencies to make it mandatory to take permission before resorting to any of these methods of phone tracking. By tracking a cell phone, you can track the movements of a person who uses it. If you want to go the other way round and track cell phone location by phone number, you should resort to free reverse phone number lookup with name. While both the concepts are totally different, they are of immense help in day-to-day life.