The following is a paid review. I was compensated for my time to research and write. All opinions expressed are strictly my own.
This review originally appeared on my GPS technical opinions blog, www.satviz.com. If you would like a review of your company’s web site or product line, contact me directly at davestarr (at) gmail (dot) com for pricing and scheduling information. Product announcements, new items and press releases in the GPS business tracking area are always free.
Introduction: I was asked to review a website and product offerings of a GPS tracking supplier a few days beck. The company is LandAirSea Systems, Inc. and here’s what they say about themselves, in part …is a leader at the forefront of GPS tracking technologies since 1994 … world’s most powerfully engineered GPS tracking equipment….The GPS tracking capabilities …. determine the location of the GPS tracking device within 2.5 meters…. pretty impressive. I sure don’t mean to cast a brick, but this company shares a very common failing in the industry … self focus. I am sure they are good. I know people who have sold and used their equipment (although I am a bit mind boggled by the brash statement that they provide tracking significantly more accurately than the GPS itself is rated to do … 2.5 meters indeed …) … but I digress. the point is, every company is good in some ways, what the end user wants to know is, what is my benefit in buying this company’s devices, how do I use them and “what’s in it for me”? This website doesn’t do much to help a non-techy, non-GPS-geek at all..
Website Findings: The company website is very 1990′s looking. Annoying Flash animations, narrow format and very Web 1.0 product brochure oriented. The navigation system is built around the product model designations … if you were looking for a particular type of system, price range, etc., would you know the difference between a 3100-Ext or a 3100-Int? Again, very new prospect unfriendly …people want to be guided not sent down menu trees to find they are in the wrong place. The company’s server, and domain name are all openly registered in the US and the site has been up since at least 1997 so that should give visitors confidence in their stability. Contact info is clearly displayed in several places … this is a very important plus to me as “out of touch” dealers pose a big problem in the GPS industry. the lack of an 800 number is a very “last century” touch, today’s 800 number plans are way too cheap to expect prospects to spend their own pennies to talk.
Product Findings: Although the parent company seems to have other products, on this site they are selling several passive … after the fact or “post mission” trackers … you carry or mount the product and after a period of time you upload the data to a computer and view the vehicle’s past activities … and one live tracker, which uses the cellular telephone system to transfer data to a monitoring computer on a near-real time basis.
“Post Mission” tracking is a real enigma of the industry. Most people shy away from GPS tracking because of monthly cost .. there is none with this technology. yet most prospects seem to think they need real-time tracking when, in a great many cases, they don’t. These post mission devices are very worthy of a test in the user’s specific environment, because they frequently provide the greatest ROI of all systems, with the least complexity. The most bang for the buck.
“live” tracking with the data being transferred via the cellular system is suitable only for certain areas. there is no reliable way to tell if systems of this type will serve you well unless you test, and test thoroughly in your own environment. The cellular carriers themselves are very optimistic in their stated coverage zones,it’s an inexact science and I never recommend anyone buy into it sight unseen.
I note that much of this company’s equipment is battery powered. this is a two-edged sword for sure. On one hand you have no installation and wiring hassles. On the other, you have the continual problem of battery replacement, batteries going dead when least expected and actual unit loss or pilferage. I’ve worked with both categories of systems, believe me, hard-wired professional installations are well worth the extra one-time cost. I do not recommend un-mounted battery powered units for anything except proof of concept use.
A very interesting feature of this company that I have long advocated for others in the industry is that they have a national connection with the Pep Boys automotive supply and maintenance chain. This provides stocking and installing dealers nationwide and should be a big plus for the end user. The only downside I see is the level of expertise of the average sales associates in these stores. They are unlikely to know much about GPS tracking and are likely to either ignore the product or to over sell it with unfounded performance claims. None the less I certainly welcome the innovation.
Conclusions: A well engineered, “old school” style company with limited but reliable products. Actual customer value is always hard to assess in these ‘desk top” type reviews but from the on-line pricing I have seen I would rate LandAirSea overall as being a bit over priced for the packages offered but well worth a test for users who match up with the product’s capabilities. Conditionally recommended.
The following is a paid review. I was compensated for my time to research and write. All opinions expressed are strictly my own.
This review originally appeared on my GPS technical opinions blog, www.satviz.com. If you would like a review of your company’s web site or product line, contact me directly at davestarr (at) gmail (dot) com for pricing and scheduling information. Product announcements, new items and press releases in the GPS business tracking area are always free.