Originally Posted by
TulsaJohn
There are a ton of phone apps that run on cellular data. But that means you must have cellular data. If you want a tracker that tracks everywhere, you will need to get a satellite tracker as they, of course, use satellites instead of cellular. Since the companies (Garmin and Spot) do not own the satellites, they buy the time/data from the satellite owners and thus pass on the costs in the form of a subscription.
If you stick with the phone apps, check your carrier's coverage area as the app is only as good as the coverage. I "think" Verizon is the "best" in rural America but it too will lack coverage in numerous areas.
I will be interested to see if there are others other than Garmin and Spot.
I'm a bit confused, thought GPS satellite data was free to receive. Of course a satellite phone or transponder (as fietsbob mentions) would require a subscription but
AFAIK no std bike device broadcasts to satellites. Also
AFAIK no bike GPS uploads directly to cellular--I checked some Garmin Edge 1000 reviews & apparently cellular connectivity has to go thru WiFi or Bluetooth & another device (ie phone). So wouldn't any tracking app subscription cost be about paying for the software itself & not data access?