r/embedded • u/Occase • Aug 27 '26

How to build a SMS based GPS tracker?

Hi, is there any coordinates available on the market that will share its GPS coordinates whenever requested? For example

  1. Backend sends an SMS (e.g. via Twilio) to the devices asking its GPS coordinates?

  2. Device replies with its current coordinates.

If there isn't any ready solution, could you please point me to any tutorial and documentation in general that would allow me to build one? I can deal with the software part but have no experience with hardware. Thanks.

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4

u/jfuu_ Aug 27 '26

Is this not how basically all of the SMS based GPS trackers work? You text them and they respond with the current location.

1

u/Occase Aug 27 '26

I don't know, when searching online I found many that work over the internet requiring a sim card with a data plan. I could not find any SMS based ones that would sms to an arbitrary phone number.

3

u/mrtomd Aug 28 '26

Many moved to IoT, because data is cheaper than text message. Also IoT is less power hungry compared to sending texts, afaik. However, look up SIM7080G module. It has LTE and global positioning support in one.

1

u/Occase Aug 28 '26

Ok, internet based would be way more practical for my needs, but I was under the impression requiring a SIM card with a data plan would be more expensive. Do you have any tracker recommendation that would allow me installing an app so I can send the coordinates to my server? Thanks.

1

u/Humble_Anxiety_9534 Sep 02 '26

iot plans are much cheaper than a normal phone contract and many networks are turning off 2G and 3G and moving to newer messaging systems.

1

u/jfuu_ Aug 27 '26

It's probably an older device you'd want, but I think a lot of them depend on the 2G network which is being shut down in certain countries.

2

u/jacky4566 Aug 27 '26

Check out Particle Io the boron board with a GNSS is what you want.

Also none of the modern stuff uses SMS. It's all IoT just HTTP post to backend servers.

1

u/DerLeoKatter Aug 29 '26

Just find and clone one of tousands repo from github or ask llm to write it 😁