GPS Mileage Tracker
It is the thick of tax season which leaves a lot of people wondering if they remembered to record the mileage of all their deductible miles. If you are a GPS owner you might be thinking that it would handy if your navigation system could do it for you. Some devices, such as the NAVIGON 7100 offer a feature where you can record logs and attach “reasons” for the trips that can be exported to Excel. Now there is a dedicated GPS device built specifically to track mileage, the Vulocity Mileage Logger.
The concept is pretty simple, put it in your car, turn it on when you are driving on a business trip, and the GPS will automatically keep track of the miles you drive. The system takes the concept of a tracklog recorder one step further by using a cellular radio to transmit your logs automatically to the Vulocity servers. You can then login to your account to review the miles, run reports, and view maps of where you’ve been.
What isn’t so simple is the price. The GPS receiver/logger itself costs $250 and the monthly service charges are $15/month for logging and $20/month if you want logging plus live tracking capability. So for one year of service the minimum cost is $430. At that price I’d rather pickup a simple GPS tracklog recorder for about $60 and export the data myself. However if you forget thousands of miles of logs each year, you might find it more valuable.
GPS log tracking is a primary feature that I am interested in. The Navigon 7100 doesn’t seem to be of interest to me though, what other GPS devices have this feature, and/or where can I find a track log recorder?
Stu - What is your goal for the device? Is there anything you want it to do besides record a tracklog?
Like Stu, I’m primarily interested in GPS log tracking. As a CPA, this feature makes a GPS a useful, tax-deductible tool for someone (my Clients) who drives around their hometown, epecially the same routes, over & over, i.e. someone who isn’t going to get lost but could REALLY use a log of their trips.
To me, this feature would make a GPS a MUST Buy for many people.
How can I find reviews of this feature in GPS units? Or where can I find reviews of track log recorders (and what are they and how are they different from the GPS unit themselves?)
Mike, I’d checkout something like this.
Thanks, Tim!