Using External GPS Devices with CropTrak

One of the aspects that makes CropTrak Mobile powerful is it’s ability to make in-the-field measurements that also include the geo-spacial reference address for that measurement. The iOS device running CropTrak Mobile needs to be connected to WiFi or 3G/4G cell service in order to plot it’s location (to within 3 meters) when making those field measurements. 

Sometimes the fields being measured may not be within range of a cell tower or WiFi. Or your measurements may need to be more accurate than the 3 meters found in an iOS device with a good 3G/4G connection. That’s when an external GPS device that connects directly to GPS satellites becomes very handy. Many GPS devices can be accurate up to one meter no matter where you are in the world.

Choose Your External GPS Device

You have two main choices when it comes to an external GPS device to be used with an Apple iOS device:

Direct Connect – via lightning cable. The advantage of this type of GPS device is that most are powered by your iOS device through the lightning connector. It’s limitation is that it can ONLY be used on an Apple device. An example of this type of device can be found here:
Lightning Connected Device

Bluetooth. This type of GPS device requires it’s own power supply (batteries), but can allow up to 6 iOS devices to access the unit at the same time. It can also be used on any tool that accepts bluetooth GPS – not just Apple devices. An example of this type of device can be found here:
External Bluetooth GPS device

Please note that CropTrak is not specifically recommending the above referenced devices, although we have had success with the linked brands up to the publishing date of this article. New devices and technologies are being released everyday so do your homework and make sure that whatever device you decide to use with your iPad/iPhone/iOS device is compatible with your Apple iOS products, and provides you with the measurement resolution that you require.

Using Your GPS Device with CropTrak

Here’s where it gets really simple. Once you connect to the external GPS device (follow the manufacturer’s directions), your iOS device will automatically use the data from the external GPS rather than from your Apple iOS device. This includes our CropTrak Mobile App. So if you are connected to your external GPS, CropTrak is ready to use it, and will log the GPS locations from the external GPS into the measurements you are taking in the field.