Car-logger - part 2
Overview
Read part one of Car-logger first, if you haven’t.
I chose to go with outdated Android phones in the previous article. Phones with CyanogenMod and no Google Play. This means that they run all free software, except for some firmware blobs and drivers. No background services driving up data or battery usage, no third party tracking my location.
I tried out Traccar. The app worked fine, but the backend was a big, horrible java thing. Poor UI, overkill for my purpose, and too much for me to get hacking on.
After trying out a few different ones I finally found BigBrotherGPS. It was half of what I wanted. An app that simply makes a http request with a few parameters in post-data. The backend wasn’t more than a proof-of-concept, but http requests are easy to work with and language agnostic.
So I created BigBrotherGPSweb (a better name is needed). See github for a proper description, but the basics are:
- Receive http/https requests.
- Store requests and devices in mysql.
- Display results in a map.
It still need some work, and I’ll be working on it until I get bored or find a new project. But it currently serves the purpose.
And of course it can be used to track more than cars.
Edit 20140930:
This requires a SIM card. My operator supplies a twin SIM for NOK 20 / month, so it’s a low cost for me.
Pics, or it didn’t happen!
