Review: The GPS Ranger >> GadgetGrid

Mar 11 2009

Review: The GPS Ranger

Posted by: technogeek in Environment, Reviews, Travel

Use the GPS Ranger: To track your vehicles … Or your children

Do you wonder where your employees take your vehicles, or where your teenage child has taken your car? Are you looking to increase the efficiency of your vehicles? Do you wonder why your company car has an extra 60 miles a week or why your employees are taking longer than needed for travel? Are you worried that your kid may be skipping school, or want to keep track of them after school?

Well GPS Ranger, from Quino may be the solution for you.

This device, about the size of a deck of cards and weighs as much as a cell phone, enables you to log the travel history of vehicles, equipment or people on the move. It is a transparent device, which can be mounted in the trunk, glove compartment, under the seat, anywhere outside or inside a car. It could also be used for equipment tracking.

You can then remove the device from the vehicle and then download the location, time and speed information on to your PC for analysis. Route and stop information can then be displayed using Google earth.

Some of the key features of it include:

Features

Connects easily to your PC through the USB port.
Data is downloaded using the Quino log software.
The device is water resistant and splash proof. This is a key feature that distinguishes GPS Ranger from other competitive products that have issues with water damage.
Works under extreme temperatures -15°F to 185°F or -26°C to 85°C which is great for Canadian winters and hot tropical summers.
Stores 40 hours of data
Generates trip analysis to give you ideas on how to be more efficient and save.

If you’re looking at ways to save money or just a worrisome parent, then GPS Ranger, is a good choice.

How it ships

Included in the boxed shipped from Quino is the GPS ranger, two Lithium AA size batteries, USB cable (to attach to your PC) and the CD with both the GPS Ranger Log software. You can also download GPS Ranger from Quino’s web site. The software is only designed to run on a windows based PC.

Installation

The steps for installation are quite easy

Log on to the Quino web site.
Create an account. The funny thing is this was the toughest part of the whole setup process. I had problems creating an account off Quino’s main web page (there is an option under login that says REGISTER a new account that does not work) and had to to surf around the site until I found a link under CONTACT that allowed me to create an account.
Register your GPS Ranger product number. You should note is you can only register your GPS Ranger product once and the product is non transferable.

Login with your user name and password and download both Google earth and the RangersLog software on to your PC.
To install the Rangers Log software, double click on the downloaded software. The installer will take you through a straightforward process. Below are are some screen shots of the installation.

Follow the simple steps to install Google earth .

Once the software is installed on your PC. Unscrew the four screws located on each corner of the Ranger. Remove the lid and install the batteries.

The Ranger is now ready to use. You can mount you Ranger on any metal surface using the built in magnets (i.e outside the hood or trunk, under the car, inside the wheel well of the car). You can also put it inside a back pack, purse. It is recommended not to put the GPS Ranger in an enclosed metal container (trunk of a car, inside a van). The GPS Ranger is water proof.
The GPS Ranger device is a green technology device, it goes into a power savings mode when it has not been in motion for predefined period (default is 3 minutes).

Let’s take it for a test drive…

I took the Ranger out on the road in different scenarios. I mounted it on my parents, wife and my own vehicles, slipped it into both my bags. To my surprise, until I mentioned that I had installed it, not one of my family members had noticed. It did not budge on the highway at high speeds (100km/h) or is impacted by rain, snow and Ice conditions of the Canadian winter. My biggest fear was that the Ranger would get stolen if I left it on the hood of my van.

The Logs

The steps to download the log information from the GPS Ranger are as easy as the installation.

Remove the rubber USB cover from the GPS Ranger.
Plug the USB cable into the mini USB connector inside the GPS Ranger and attach the device to your computer.
Start up the GPS Rangers Log program.
Although by default the Rangers Log program should find the GPS Ranger, you may have to click on the Find Device tab for it to find the device in the correct COM port. You should note that the Battery icon at the bottom of the screen shows you the power level of the battery. It will remain in a steady green state until the battery is too low and then will start blinking red.
In order to download your trip information click on the Download Data tab and save the data to the desired folder.

To visually view your travel log information, click on open file, select the file. Google earth will now launch and will show you the trip information.

Be careful of what you wish for…

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the GPS Ranger’s capabilities. For each trip it showed me the distance traveled, average speed, maximum speed, travel time, total time, total distance, stopped time and arrived time. I was aware that the device would flagged excessive stop breaks, but was shocked to see that it also flagged if the vehicle drove over the speed limit. Looking at this as a father, this would be a fantastic tool for parents to track how fast there kids were driving the family car.

Overall, I loved the product. It rates a 9 out of a 10 on the GadgetGrid scale. The GPS Ranger is very small, easy to use and really energy conscious. The only suggestion I would have for an enhancement for the next generation GPS Ranger would be if it had a wireless transmitter, so that you could track the information in real time.

GPS Ranger

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