Location and reporting are different jobs.
GPS is a location source: a receiver uses satellite signals to calculate its position. Sending that position to your screen requires another connection, often cellular. A GPS receiver alone does not make a remotely viewable tracker.
Shipzik takes a different approach. Its label broadcasts over Bluetooth and the Hubble terrestrial network reports detections. Shipzik displays the reported location and time in your browser.
| Question | Shipzik Bluetooth label | GPS-based tracker |
|---|---|---|
| Where does location come from? | A network detection | The device’s GPS receiver |
| When do updates appear? | When the network detects the label | According to device settings, signal, and connectivity |
| What should you check? | Receiver availability and placement | Satellite reception, reporting network, and battery |
Choose around the decision you need to make.
For a short shipment, an occasional detection may help answer “where was this last seen?” For a high-value load requiring scheduled updates or a monitored route, evaluate a dedicated tracker with a reporting service that meets those requirements.
Neither technology name guarantees performance inside a metal trailer or dense cargo. Test the actual device, placement, and route you expect to use.
What Shipzik includes
Each label includes a 30-day tracking period from activation, a map, detection history, email alerts, shareable tracking, and team access. It does not provide continuous GPS tracking or a guaranteed reporting interval. Thirty days describes the included service, not a guaranteed battery life.
Explore Shipzik’s software or see how to activate a label.
Before buying any tracker
- Decide how frequently you need an update.
- Check both location reception and the network used to send updates.
- Test near metal, inside packaging, and on a representative journey.
- Compare the device, service, and replacement cost together.
Further reading: Bluetooth SIG: location services and NOAA: What is GPS?.
Common questions
Can I share Shipzik tracking with the recipient?
Yes. Shipzik lets you create a revocable sharing link with optional detection history. The recipient opens it in a browser with no account needed. Keep your carrier tracking number alongside it for delivery confirmation.
If Shipzik shows no new update, has my package stalled?
Not necessarily. A missing update means no Hubble receiver reported a detection in that period. The label may have broadcast without a receiver in range, or reporting may lag. Check your carrier tracking number for the latest recorded scan event.