Glossary
GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System)
The umbrella term for satellite positioning systems, of which GPS is one (alongside GLONASS, Galileo, and others). A GNSS module tuned for dense urban areas holds a signal better than a basic GPS-only chip.
What GNSS means in practice
GNSS (global navigation satellite system) is the umbrella term for satellite positioning systems, of which GPS is one, alongside GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou. The difference shows up in the trip data. A receiver needs at least four satellites in view to fix a position. In a city core, a mountain valley, under tree cover or beside a warehouse wall, part of the sky is blocked, and a GPS-only receiver may see too few satellites or pick up reflections that place the vehicle a street away. A receiver that also hears GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou sees more satellites through the same gap.
For a fleet, that means cleaner trip lines, fewer false stops and starts, more accurate distance by jurisdiction where a border runs through a city, and geofences that fire reliably at a downtown dock. The current GPS tracking device uses a multi-constellation GNSS receiver; the previous-generation device was GPS-only.
GNSS does not fix everything. Underground parking still loses the signal, and a device mounted under a metal dash sees fewer satellites, so antenna placement at installation matters as much as the chip.
Read the full explainer
The definition above is the short version. The page below explains GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) in depth, with the rules, numbers and examples behind it.
What Is Telematics?Guides that explain GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System)
- Is There GPS Fleet Tracking With No Monthly Fee?
- GPS vs. Cellular Tracking: How a Cellular GPS Tracker Connects Your Fleet
- Telematics vs GPS Tracking: What's the Difference?
- What Is a Telematics Control Unit (TCU)? Meaning and What It Does in a Commercial Vehicle
- How Does a GPS Tracking Device Work? From the Diagnostic Port to the Dashboard
- Geotab GO9 vs GO10: What Changed, and Should You Upgrade?
- GNSS vs GPS: Why Modern Fleet Trackers Use More Than One Satellite System
GNSS: common questions
What is the difference between GNSS and GPS?
GPS is one satellite constellation, the US Global Positioning System. GNSS is the general term for all of them, including Russia's GLONASS, the European Union's Galileo and China's BeiDou. A GNSS receiver uses several constellations at once, which gives a faster, more stable position fix than a receiver that listens to GPS alone.
Does the GPS tracking device use GNSS?
Yes. The current GPS tracking device has a multi-constellation GNSS receiver, while the previous-generation tracking device was GPS-only. That change is one of the practical arguments for replacing older devices: the newer receiver holds position better in cities and under tree cover, which produces cleaner trips and more reliable geofence events.
Why does my vehicle's position jump in downtown areas?
Tall buildings block part of the sky and reflect satellite signals, which can place a vehicle a street over for a few seconds. Multi-constellation GNSS reduces this but does not remove it. It matters for a geofence drawn tight around a loading dock, so draw zones with a margin, and read distance from the full trip record.