# GNSS vs GPS: Why Modern Fleet Trackers Use More Than One Satellite System

GPS is one satellite system; GNSS is all of them together. A tracker that listens to GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou at once fixes position faster, holds it in cities and under trees, and loses it less often. Here's what the difference means for a fleet's trip data and why the GO9 moved to multi-constellation.

Source: https://www.highpointgps.com/resources/gnss-vs-gps-fleet-tracking
By Stefano Mazzone, IT Technical Support Specialist — published 2026-09-18, updated 2026-09-18

## The Terms

GPS is the Global Positioning System, the US constellation of about thirty satellites that has been the default word for satellite positioning since the 1990s. GNSS, Global Navigation Satellite System, is the general term for all such constellations: GPS, Russia's GLONASS, the European Union's Galileo, China's BeiDou, and regional systems. A GPS receiver uses one constellation; a GNSS receiver uses several at once. 'GPS tracking' stuck as the name, but the receiver in a current telematics device is GNSS.

## Why More Constellations Help

A receiver needs at least four satellites in view to fix a position, and more satellites give a better fix. In open country GPS alone has plenty. In a city core, in a mountain valley, under a forest canopy or beside a warehouse wall, buildings and terrain block part of the sky, and a GPS-only receiver may see three satellites, or see reflections that put the vehicle a street away. A receiver that also hears GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou sees two or three times as many satellites through the same gap in the sky, fixes faster from a cold start, and holds a stable position where GPS alone drifts. For a fleet, that is the difference between a trip that starts at the depot and a trip whose first point is two blocks away, and between a geofence that triggers reliably at a downtown dock and one that does not.

## What It Means for the Data

Cleaner trip lines, fewer false stops and starts, more accurate distance by jurisdiction where a border runs through a city, and geofence events that fire when the truck actually crosses the line. The GO9 moved to a multi-constellation GNSS receiver from the GO7's GPS-only one for exactly these reasons, and it is one of the practical arguments for replacing older devices. Accuracy also depends on antenna placement and on the device's logging algorithm, which is why installation and curve-logging matter as much as the chip.

## In Practice

Fleets in Montreal, Toronto, Boston and New York, and fleets on the northern resource roads under tree cover, see the improvement most. High Point GPS installs GO9 devices with attention to antenna placement for fleets across Quebec, Ontario and the northeastern US, and checks position quality as part of every deployment.

## FAQ

### What is the difference between GNSS and GPS?

GPS is one satellite constellation. GNSS is the general term for all of them, and a GNSS receiver uses several constellations at once for a faster, more stable fix.

### Which constellations does a modern tracker use?

Typically GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou, depending on the receiver.

### Why does multi-constellation matter in cities?

Buildings block part of the sky. More constellations mean more satellites visible through the gap, so the position holds where GPS alone drifts or fails.

### Does the GO9 use GNSS?

Yes. The GO9 has a multi-constellation GNSS receiver; the older GO7 was GPS-only.

### Does GNSS fix all position errors?

No. Antenna placement, the logging algorithm and severe urban canyons still matter, but multi-constellation removes most of the gaps a GPS-only receiver had.

## Sources

- [GPS.gov: Other Global Navigation Satellite Systems](https://www.gps.gov/systems/gnss/)
- [Geotab: GO9 Telematics Device](https://www.geotab.com/hardware/go9/)