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MOBILE PHONE TRACKING USING SIM BASED APPLICATION
BY
OJO, Folorunso Fidelis
Department of Computer Science
Federal College of Education, Abeokuta
AND
AKIODE, Janet I
Department of Computer Science
Federal College of Education, Abeokuta
ABSTRACT
This paper discusses a mobile phone tracking using the Sim Based application including
SIM detection,anti-lost phone,anti-theft phone,alert, alarm,etc for thefted mobile phone.
These features are quite different from the existing tracker applications which would be
helpful in tracing the lost mobile without the help of any protecting agency. The application
installed will be running in the background and won’t be shown in the task manager as well.
Once the mobile phone is lost, this application enables the user to track a mobile device
and to receive notification via SMS to a predefined number. Some specified formatted
messages can be used to control the thefted mobile phone. The types of Mobile Phone
Tracking, importance of Mobile Phone Tracking, advantages and disadvantages, software
required for the tracking were also discussed.
KEY: SIM, SMS, Mobile,Tracking,Agency,Software
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INTRODUCTION
Tracking is the purpose of determining the locating or direction of an object or target on a
near continuous basis.
Mobile Phone is wireless handheld devices that allow users to make calls and send text
messages among others.
Mobile phone tracking is the ascertaining of the position or location of a mobile phone,
whether stationary or moving. Localization may occur either via multilateration of radio
signals between (several) cell towers of the network and the phone, or simply via GPS. To
locate a mobile phone using multilateration of radio signals, it must emit at least the
roaming signal to contact the next nearby antenna tower, but the process does not require an
active call. The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is based on the phone's
signal strength to nearby antenna masts.
Mobile positioning may include location-based services that disclose the actual coordinates
of a mobile phone, which is a technology used by telecommunication companies to
approximate the location of a mobile phone, and thereby also its user.
Find Lost Phone, An android application to locate and track mobile phones is a unique and
efficient application which has a variety of features that enhances the existing mobile
tracking system(Luis C.M Varandas;Binod Vaidya;Joel J.P.C Rodrigues(2010). The app
stands different from the existing system as it is not only the GPS value it makes use of but
it works on GSM/text messaging services which make it a simple and unique one. The app
is able to enable the GPS when a non-authorized SIM card is detected in the device by
comparing the Integrated Circuit Chip Card Identification (ICC ID). The ICC ID number is
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unique for each SIM card. The app is filled on with features like alarm, lock code,Sim card
detection, and location fetching through GPS(Lin, Ding-Bing B(2004),(Bayir, Murat
Ali(2009). The android application running in the smartphone monitors all the inputed. The
application installed will be running in the background and won’t be shown in task manager.
Many one of us have been experienced the missing of your mobile phones, if it is an
android phone this application helps you to track it without the help of cyber cell. Once it
is lost, this application enables the user to track a mobile device notification via SMS to a
predefined number saved in that application at the time of installation itself. This
application uses Android OS which demonstrates a system that uses a regular mobile phone
equipped with a GPS receptor and connected to a global system for mobile (GSM) network
that takes advantage of these technologies in behalf of the user safety.
The app is a useful mobile application that combines several features which aims at the
user’s security. The app is directed to two user profiles, the client and server to be tracked.
The server side requires any android based Smartphone starting from version Android 2.2
having the app installed in it with GPRS and GPS enabled. The client side requires any
other OS based mobile phones for sending and receiving SMS. If there is any error in
sending the message from the operator, there won’t be any message sends to the operator by
the application, instead no action takes place at the server side. This application uses
Android OS which demonstrates a system that uses a regular mobile phone equipped with a
GPS receptor and connected to a Global System for Mobile (GSM) network that takes
advantage of these technologies in behalf of user safety (Sangwoo Cho; Haekyung Jwa;
Joohwan Chun; Jong Heun Lee; Yoon Seok Jung(2007).
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The app is filled on with features like changing profile, call monitoring, SIM card detection,
location fetching through GPS and transfer of images to email address. All these features
work on the SMS basis. So, incoming SMS format plays an important role. The android
application running in the smartphone running monitors all the incoming messages. If the
SMS is received in a predefined format it reads the SMS and performs the expected
task(Sangwoo Cho et al(2007), (Madlmayr, G.; Dillinger, O.; Langer, J.; Schaffer, C.;
Kantner, C(1999).
ARCHITECTURE
The working for the app contains two user profiles, one android phone starting from
version 2.2 with GPS enabled where the app is installed and another is anyother OS based
mobile phone which is used to control the theft android phone by sending and receiving
SMS.
The SIM card detection feature of the app checks whether the currently used SIM card is
authorized or not. If it detects that there is an unauthorized SIM card in the phone suddenly
it will send a notification help message to the predefined emergency number. The help
message contains the current GSM cell ID, phone number of unauthorized SIM card and
also network provider i.e. SIM IMEI.
The application fetches the location through GPS and GPS values along with address is
send to the predefined number. To activate this feature the android phone must be GPS
enabled. Also the phone must have the internet connection so that the details of the thefted
phone can be send through email to a specified email id.
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PROCEDURE
SIM cards are identified by its Integrated Circuit Card ID (ICC-ID) and it will be stored in
the SIM cards and are also get printed in the body of SIM card during the process
personalization.
Whenever the application starts, the ICC-ID of the current SIM card is compared with the
predefined ICC-ID to detect unauthorized SIM card in the device. After the SIM
replacement, we will get a notification about the IMEI number with the details of the
inserted new SIM.
If we want to get the location of the thefted phone, we send a SMS through the predefined
number and the security code e.g Location#12345. If we want to block the thief from
making use of our Smart phone that he thefted we can do that by using the anti theft and anti
lost feature of the application e.g Block#12345. Also we can remove the block whenever
we want.
The main advantage of the application is that it automatically deletes the incoming and
outgoing SMS from the Smart phone that is thefted as it get installed the app such that the
new owner or the thief who using the cell is clueless about it all.
Algorithm:
Step1: Start the process.
Step2: Install the application. After installing the application on the Smart phone ,open and
input the predefined number to send message to when the phone get lost.
Step3: Activate the application in the mobile phone manager.
Step4: If the SIM is flipped the application sends SMS regarding the details of the new SIM
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to the predefined mobile no.
Step5: The application auto starts every time the mobile boots up and will start the main
service which continuously checking the new imputed SIM card.
The application installed will be running in the background and won't be shown in the task
manager as well. Once the mobile phone is lost, this application enables the user to track a
mobile device and to receive notification via SMS to a predefined number.
TYPES OF MOBILE PHONE TRACKING
The location of a mobile phone can be determined in a number of ways which are as
follows:
➢ Network-based: The location of a mobile phone can be determined using the
service provider's network infrastructure. The advantage of network-based
techniques, from a service provider's point of view, is that they can be implemented
non-intrusively without affecting handsets. Network-based techniques were
developed many years prior to the widespread availability of GPS on handsets. The
accuracy of network-based techniques varies, with cell identification as the least
accurate and triangulation as moderately accurate, and newer "advanced forward
link trilateration " timing methods as the most accurate. The accuracy of
network-based techniques is both dependent on the concentration of cell base
stations, with urban environments achieving the highest possible accuracy because
of the higher number of cell towers , and the implementation of the most current
timing methods. One of the key challenges of network-based techniques is the
requirement to work closely with the service provider, as it entails the installation of
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hardware and software within the operator's infrastructure. Frequently the
compulsion associated with a legislative framework, such as Enhanced 9-1-1 , is
required before a service provider will deploy a solution.
➢ Handset-based: The location of a mobile phone can be determined using client
software installed on the handset. This technique determines the location of the
handset by putting its location by cell identification, signal strengths of the home
and neighboring cells, which is continuously sent to the carrier. In addition, if the
handset is also equipped with GPS then significantly more precise location
information can be then sent from the handset to the carrier. Another approach is to
use a fingerprinting-based technique, where the "signature" of the home and
neighboring cells signal strengths at different points in the area of interest is
recorded by war-driving and matched in real-time to determine the handset location
(Shu Wang, Jungwon Min and Byung K. Yi(2008). This is usually performed
independent from the carrier. The key disadvantage of handset-based techniques,
from service provider's point of view, is the necessity of installing software on the
handset. It requires the active cooperation of the mobile subscriber as well as
software that must be able to handle the different operating systems of the handsets.
Typically, smartphones , such as one based on Symbian, Windows Mobile ,
Windows Phone , BlackBerry OS , iOS , or Android , would be able to run such
software, e.g. Google Maps. One proposed work-around is the installation of
embedded hardware or software on the handset by the manufacturers, e.g.,
Enhanced Observed Time Difference (E-OTD). This avenue has not made
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significant headway, due to the difficulty of convincing different manufacturers to
cooperate on a common mechanism and to address the cost issue. Another difficulty
would be to address the issue of foreign handsets that are roaming in the network.
➢ Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi data can also be used to identify a handset's location. The poor
performance of the GPS-based methods in indoor environment and the increasing
popularity of Wi-Fi have encouraged companies to design new and feasible
methods to carry out Wi-Fi-based indoor positioning. Most Smartphone’s combine
Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), such as GPS and GLONASS, with
Wi-Fi positioning systems (Ibrahim, M.; Youssef, M(2011).
➢ Hybrid: Hybrid positioning systems use a combination of network-based and
handset-based technologies for location determination. One example would be
some modes of Assisted GPS, which can both use GPS and network information to
compute the location. Both types of data are thus used by the telephone to make the
location more accurate (i.e. A-GPS). Alternatively tracking with both systems can
also occur by having the phone attain its GPS-location directly from the satellites,
and then having the information sent via the network to the person that is trying to
locate the telephone. Such systems include Google Maps, as well as, LTE's OTDOA
and E-Cell ID. There are also hybrid positioning systems which combine several
different location approaches to position mobile devices by Wi-Fi, WiMAX, GSM,
LTE, IP addresses, and network environment data.
➢ Operational purpose: In order to route calls to a phone, the cell towers listen for a
signal sent from the phone and negotiate which tower is best able to communicate
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with the phone. As the phone changes location, the antenna towers monitor the
signal, and the phone is "roamed" to an adjacent tower as appropriate. By
comparing the relative signal strength from multiple antenna towers, a general
location of a phone can be roughly determined. Other means make use of the
antenna pattern, which supports angular determination and phase discrimination.
Newer phones may also allow the tracking of the phone even when turned on and
not active in a telephone call. This results from the roaming procedures that perform
hand-over of the phone from one base station to another.
➢ Bearer interest: A phone's location can be uploaded to a common website where
one's friends and family can view one's last reported position. Newer phones may
have built-in GPS receivers which could be used in a similar fashion, but with much
higher accuracy. This is controversial, because data on a common website means
people who are not "friends and family" may be able to view the information
(Ibrahim, M.; Youssef, M. (2010).
➢ Privacy: Locating or positioning touches upon delicate privacy issues, since it
enables someone to check where a person is without the person's consent. Strict
ethics and security measures are strongly recommended for services that employ
positioning.
➢ SIM-based: Using the subscriber identity module (SIM) in GSM and Universal
Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) handsets, it is possible to obtain raw
radio measurements from the handset. Available measurements include the serving
Cell ID, round-trip time, and signal strength. The type of information obtained via
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the SIM can differ from that which is available from the handset. For example, it
may not be possible to obtain any raw measurements from the handset directly, yet
still obtain measurements via the SIM.
IMPORTANCE OF MOBILE PHONE TRACKING
The importance of using a cell phone means taking advantage of yet another safety tool in
your digital arsenal. With close to 80% of people owning a cell or smartphone, it is only fair
that will be able to stay in the game to keep one out of harm’s way, this brings the following
importance of mobile tracking:
➢ To help keep one away from toxic gossips and cyber bulling
➢ To protect one’s movement
➢ To safeguard one from online molesters and abductors.
ADVANTAGES:
The major advantage of cellphone tracking or the built in GPS in smartphones is that it
helps to quickly locate nearby emergency services like police stations, hospitals, fire
departments etc. By using this function, it gets easy to be rescued in the case of an
emergency.
Another positive point about cellphone tracking or the tracker apps on phones is safety. By
installing the GPS tracker for kids on phones, parents can easily track the location of their
children and monitor their activities. This also helps to know if the child has been dishonest
about his/her activities.
Friend tracking is another feature or advantage of cellphone GPS systems because it helps
to enhance your social life. By using the feature of Find my Friends, you can easily track
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the location of your friends who too have GPS on their Smartphones and find them in
crowded locations etc.
DISADVANTAGES:
It poses privacy concerns for people. Many individuals are not comfortable with getting
their location tracked at all times by others. This can also lead to fraud, hindrance in social
life and several other security concerns for famous personalities and others.
Another disadvantage of cell phone tracking is that it may not always be very accurate and
may not always work to its 100% efficiency. This is especially the case when the network
connection or the 3G or Wi-Fi network of the area is not very strong.
GPS tracking only works in the case when the internet connection on the device is working.
This is a limitation as most people have their connection off when they are not at home and
this may create an issue for those who are trying to locate or track them.
SOFTWARE REQUIREMENT OR TRACKING SOFTWARE FOR MOBILE
PHONE TRACKING
➢ Find Lost Phone Application (Android app)
HARDWARE REQUIREMENT OR TRACKING HARDWARE FOR MOBILE
PHONE TRACKING
➢ Mobile Phone.
➢ SIM card (Phone SIM and Predefined number)
➢ GPS location system
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REFERENCES
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10.1109/icc.2011.5962993.ETSI TS 102 223 V9.1.0 SIM standard
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