Finding a Lost and Stolen Phone

image by cogdogblog

Some mobile network providers, like the one that I subscribe to, offer a tracking service that works via Short Message Service (SMS). You just have to register your mobile number and the numbers that you want to track and once its done you can easily know where those people are nearby. But I find it unreliable as it will only give you information about the buildings or establishments cause their system only looks for the Base Transceiver Station (BTS) or cell site where the phone is connected to. And as we know that most of stolen phones will have its SIM card removed and if this happens that tracking service will not work at all. They promote this service for those people who wants to track their love ones to know if they are at the safe place but it cannot pin point where exactly they are.

Most mobile phones nowadays are internet capable and have built-in Global Positioning System (GPS) that is commonly use for navigation. It also works for tracking a phone just by installing a mobile tracker application and register your handset's International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) to a certain website. IMEI is a serial number of a handset that cannot be changed easily cause its integrated into phones' firmware so even if a different SIM card was put into your handset and as long as it connects to a data service either Wi-Fi or 3G it can still be traced  by mobile tracker via the MIEI. When you log in to the mobile tracker's website it will normally show you a map and will point the exact location of your phone. Some applications will give you options to put a lock on your phone or change the PIN of it and even allow you to reset it to factory settings remotely so the person who got your phone cannot see the data that you saved in it like contacts and pictures.