What is a GPS-receiver for a laptop

A gadget like a GPS receiver for a laptop is very useful, and sometimes just an indispensable device. With his help you can easily determine your current position, pave the way to the destination and back. That is, this equipment allows you to turn an ordinary laptop into a full-fledged functional navigator.

What is a GPS-receiver?

Under this name is understood the global positioning system . At the heart of her work is receiving signals from several satellites. Their number is on average 6. On the basis of the received data, the current location of the GPS receiver is calculated. That's the way this system works.

Also on the market you can find the GPS receiver "GLONASS". Its main difference from the previously considered is in the nationality. That is, GPS is an American development, and GLONASS is a domestic one. In the technical aspect, these systems differ in that the movement of satellites used in Russian technology is not synchronized with the rotation of the Earth. This ensures a higher level of stability of the readings. But, unfortunately, the service life of the GLONASS satellites is much less.

Classification by the method of connection

USB

This type of device is connected to the laptop using a cable. For this, the USB interface is used, which is available on almost all models of portable computers. The receiver does not require additional power.

Bluetooth

The external GPS module is connected to the laptop via a wireless link. The distance between the devices should not exceed 10 meters. The navigation equipment itself works either from the power grid, from the battery, or from the batteries.

How to Choose a GPS Receiver for a Laptop

Do not buy the first gadget that comes across. Correct functioning depends on several important parameters.

First, we should pay attention to such an indicator as the time of a cold start. It displays the duration of the power-up after a long period of inactivity. In expensive models, this indicator can be only a couple of seconds, while for budgetary variants its value can reach several minutes.

Secondly, the sensitivity of the receiver is of great importance. If the value of this parameter is low, the device may stop receiving the signal even from changing the weather conditions or when boarding the vehicle. Optimal is the indicator of 150 dbm.

How to use

The first step is to install software to work with navigation equipment. Usually it comes with the device itself. If it does not, you can download third-party software.

Next, connect the GPS receiver for the laptop. To install it you need drivers. They usually come bundled with the receiver on the disk. But also they can be downloaded from the official website of the manufacturer.

When the drivers are installed, you can start the navigation software. Applications that come with the device usually recognize the GPS equipment themselves. But sometimes this does not happen. Also, this can happen when using third-party software. In this case, in the application settings manually, you must specify your GPS-receiver for the laptop.