Search "GPS tracker NZ" and you'll get a wall of options - hardwired units, battery-powered pucks, OBD2 plug-ins, phone-based apps, all pitched slightly differently. Most of the confusion isn't about which brand to pick, it's not knowing which category of tracker actually does what you need. Here's what to actually check before you buy.
Hardwired vs battery vs OBD2 vs phone - pick the category first
These aren't just different products, they solve different problems:
Hardwired - wired into the vehicle's own 12V supply. No battery to charge, no downtime, connected 24/7. The right choice for anything that needs to be tracked reliably, indefinitely, without you thinking about it.
Battery-powered - easy to move between vehicles, no install needed, but it goes flat and it goes quiet. Fine for occasional use, not for something you're relying on for theft recovery.
OBD2 plug-in - genuinely easy to install (it just plugs in), but that's also the problem: a thief who knows to look can find and unplug it in seconds. It also won't work on anything built before OBD2 existed, which rules out most classics.
Phone-based - your phone becomes the tracker. Zero hardware, zero install, but it only tracks while the phone's in the vehicle and switched on, and a stolen vehicle usually doesn't come with your phone still in it.
For anything you actually care about recovering - not just monitoring - hardwired is the category that holds up.
Does "GPS tracking" actually include an immobiliser, or is that extra?
This is the single most common gap between what a listing implies and what you actually get. A lot of trackers only track - which is useful for finding a stolen vehicle, but does nothing to stop it being driven further once it's found. A wired immobiliser relay is what actually turns "I can see where it went" into "and now it's stopped." Check whether that's included, or whether it's a separate purchase, a separate install, or not available on the tier you're looking at.
Where does the data actually live?
Vehicle tracking is location data - where you park, where you work, where you sleep. Some platforms route that through overseas servers by default. Worth asking directly: where is it hosted, who can access it, and does it ever leave the country. Spectre's infrastructure, support and coverage are entirely NZ-based specifically because of this.
What's the real ongoing cost, and what's the lock-in?
Hardware price is the easy number to compare. The one that actually matters over three years is the monthly platform fee, and whether you're locked into a 12- or 24-month contract to get it. A lower sign-up price with a long contract can easily cost more than a slightly higher one with no lock-in - and if the tracker turns out to be the wrong fit, a contract is what stops you switching.
Does support know New Zealand roads, or just the software?
Speed limits, rural coverage, road user charges, WOF and rego reminders - a platform built and supported here tends to just handle these correctly, rather than needing you to explain NZ-specific rules to an overseas support queue.
A quick checklist
Hardwired, not battery or plug-in, if reliability actually matters
Wired immobiliser included, not a separate add-on
NZ-hosted data and NZ-based support
No lock-in contract, so switching stays an option
Clear monthly cost, not just a low hardware price
Every Spectre tracker - Basic, Advanced or Pro - is hardwired, includes a wired immobiliser, runs on NZ infrastructure, and comes with no lock-in contract. Worth using this checklist against whatever else you're comparing it to.