Asset Trackers
How to choose an asset tracker
Built around battery life
Equipment sits still most of the time, which changes the design entirely. An asset tracker reports on a slow schedule while stationary and raises an alert when something changes, so a single charge lasts months rather than days, and the multi year units get there with one live update a day. That is the opposite trade off to a vehicle tracker, and it is what makes these practical on something you cannot easily reach to recharge.
Magnetic or fixed
Mounting matters as much as the electronics. Magnetic units attach to any steel surface in seconds and can be moved between items. Fixed units are harder to find and remove, which is what you want on anything likely to be stolen rather than misplaced. Both need mobile coverage to report, and a container or a steel box with no view of the sky may only report the nearest cell tower. A Bluetooth tag relies on passing phones, which works in town and fails in a rural yard.
Compare the types
 Multi year battery |  Magnetic rechargeable |  Bluetooth tag | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery | Sealed and sized for years at one update a day | Rechargeable, months on a slow interval, weeks on live tracking | Replaceable cell |
| Reports | On a schedule, plus a tamper alert | Live map on demand, plus movement alerts on most | When a phone passes nearby |
| Mounting | Fixed, meant to stay put | Magnet, moves between items in seconds | Tucked inside the item |
| Suits | A container, a trailer, a machine parked for months | Equipment you move around and can reach to charge | Tools and bags in town, not a rural yard |
| See | Asset trackers | Magnetic trackers | Bluetooth tracker tag |
Buying guides
GPS Tracker Buying Guide NZHow it gets power decides everything
Assets, containers and door alarmsJump to this section of the GPS Tracker Buying Guide
Related
GPS Trackers Car GPS Trackers Personal GPS Trackers GPS Tracker Detectors
Common questions
How long does the battery last?
Months to years on scheduled reporting, depending on how often the unit reports and how often the asset actually moves. Every live update costs battery, so the figure on the listing assumes the slowest schedule.
Is it weatherproof?
Most are sealed for outdoor mounting on trailers and machinery; the listing gives the rating. Bluetooth tags are sold with waterproof cases for the same reason.
Does it need a SIM card?
The 4G units do: any New Zealand prepay SIM with a small data allowance, or one included with the unit. The app and web tracking on these units carry no subscription. Bluetooth tags have no SIM and rely on phones passing nearby.
Will it work in the back country?
Only where there is mobile coverage. Coverage is good on main routes and thin in parts of the back country. A tracker out of coverage stores its positions and uploads them when it reconnects, so the history survives even when the live view does not.
Is it legal to use a GPS tracker in New Zealand? NZ law
Tracking your own vehicle, boat, trailer, tools or stock is legal, and so is tracking a child or a dependent adult you are responsible for, with a device they know about. Tracking another adult without their agreement is not. From 26 May 2026 the Crimes Act 1961 treats tracking or recording a person on two or more occasions, knowing it is likely to cause fear or distress, as stalking and harassment (sections 216O to 216Q), with up to five years in prison, and the Act names tracking devices and spyware specifically. If a vehicle is shared, tell the other driver the tracker is fitted. Trackers with a microphone can only be used to listen to conversations you are part of (section 216B).