Nothing Can Block This $3 GPS Chip's Signal — DIY GPS Tracker No SIM Card XIAO ESP32 C3
Electronic Clinic
68,576 views
Download Code & Resources: "Patrons' early access"
Patreon: gps-tracker-code-162870886
Google's MAP source Code: Version 2 and Version 3
Patreon: gps-tracker-apps-162870501
Read the Article:
Working on it...
https://www.electroniclinic.com/
Related Videos:
Part2 Tracking through LoRa
This $3 GPS Tracker Found My Brother — No ...
Xiao ESP32 C3 Development board- Diy
Xiao ESP32C3 & ESP32C6 Game Changer! Devel...
Project Description:
*****
I tried to block a $3 GPS chip's signal with my hand, a steel pot, and by flipping the antenna upside down — it still found me every time. Here's the full build: a GPS tracker with no SIM card, no WiFi, and no monthly fees, using the GP-02 GPS module and the Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32-C3.
This is a complete 3-stage GPS tracker build. Stage one connects the GP-02 GPS module to the XIAO ESP32-C3 and displays live GPS data — coordinates, speed, altitude, satellite count — on an SSD1306 OLED screen. Stage two keeps the exact same wiring and upgrades the software to send that data wirelessly to an Android phone over Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), with a custom app I built in Android Studio. Stage three goes further: instead of a basic map, you track live movement on real Google Maps satellite imagery, so you can see yourself moving across actual roads, buildings, and terrain — and I walk through generating and adding your own Google Maps API key, step by step.
Along the way I ran the tests most GPS tracker tutorials skip: an indoor satellite lock test from inside a two-storey house with no direct sky view, an outdoor test that climbs to 19 satellites, a signal-blocking test with my hand and then a steel pot, a satellite-count-vs-accuracy comparison, a live GPS speed vs. car speedometer test, and an altitude test that goes from my rooftop to the top of a nearby mountain.
Why no SIM card? Most GPS tracker builds add a SIM card and GSM module (like the SIM800L) just to transmit location data — which means monthly data costs and more points of failure. This build skips that entirely. The XIAO ESP32-C3's built-in Bluetooth handles the transmission, so there's no cellular network, no data plan, and no subscription — just the GPS module talking directly to your phone.
By the end of this video, you'll know how to wire the GP-02 GPS module to the XIAO ESP32-C3, read and parse live GPS data with TinyGPS++, display it on an OLED screen, transmit it over Bluetooth Low Energy, build a working Android tracking app, and upgrade to real-time Google Maps satellite tracking.
Whether you're building a bike tracker, a vehicle tracker, a pet tracker, a hiking companion, or you're just getting into GPS with ESP32 and embedded systems, this project gives you the complete foundation.
0:00 Introduction and Project Overview
1:44 Custom Development Board & Hardware Setup
2:14 Component 1: The SSD1306 OLED Display (Why use it?)
4:39 Component 2: XIAO ESP32C3 - The Brains
6:15 Component 3: GP-02 GPS Module Deep Dive
7:46 Technical Specs & Sensitivity Test Results
9:38 GP-02 Pinout & Connection Guide
10:32 The Importance of the Backup Battery (Cold vs. Hot Start)
11:50 Wiring Diagram & Circuit Connections
12:50 Setting up Arduino IDE & Required Libraries
13:45 Code Walkthrough: Decoding GPS Data
18:18 Powering Your Tracker: 3 Different Options
19:40 Indoor Signal Test (Can it see through walls?)
21:18 Outdoor Signal Test & Sensitivity Challenges
23:06 Stress Testing the Antenna (Steel Pot Test)
25:36 Version 2: Bluetooth & Smartphone Integration
27:44 Android App Design & Code (Android Studio)
29:13 Live Map Tracking via Bluetooth
32:17 Version 3: Google Maps Satellite Imagery Integration
33:45 How to Setup Google Maps API Key (Step-by-Step)
35:36 Real-World Satellite Tracking Demo
38:22 Car Speed Test: GPS vs. Speedometer
40:00 Altitude Test: Hiking a 1km Mountain
43:14 Conclusion & Preview: Upcoming LoRa Version
*****
Product Links:
*****************
Xiao ESP32 C3
https://amzn.to/3SI1q6o
GPS Modules
https://amzn.to/4vK5j9j
DISCLAIMER: This video and description contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I will receive a small commission. This helps support the channel and allows me to continue to make videos like this. Thank you for your support!
****************
Website: https://www.electroniclinic.com/
Instagram: Instagram: electroniclinic
Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/profile.php?...
Email: stu_engineering@yahoo.com
#gpstracker #esp32 #diyelectronics
20 Comments
Verkaufen Sie ihn auch? Über eine Antwort freue ich mich sehr. Viel Spaß bei diesem wirklich interessanten Projekten alles Gute. Schön, dass es in deutscher Sprache übersetzt worden ist👍🏆💐🍀🙏
Nothing Can Block This $3 GPS Chip's Signal — DIY GPS Tracker No SIM Card XIAO ESP32 C3
Electronic Clinic
68,576 views
Download Code & Resources: "Patrons' early access"
Patreon: gps-tracker-code-162870886
Google's MAP source Code: Version 2 and Version 3
Patreon: gps-tracker-apps-162870501
Read the Article:
Working on it...
https://www.electroniclinic.com/
Related Videos:
Part2 Tracking through LoRa
This $3 GPS Tracker Found My Brother — No ...
Xiao ESP32 C3 Development board- Diy
Xiao ESP32C3 & ESP32C6 Game Changer! Devel...
Project Description:
*****
I tried to block a $3 GPS chip's signal with my hand, a steel pot, and by flipping the antenna upside down — it still found me every time. Here's the full build: a GPS tracker with no SIM card, no WiFi, and no monthly fees, using the GP-02 GPS module and the Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32-C3.
This is a complete 3-stage GPS tracker build. Stage one connects the GP-02 GPS module to the XIAO ESP32-C3 and displays live GPS data — coordinates, speed, altitude, satellite count — on an SSD1306 OLED screen. Stage two keeps the exact same wiring and upgrades the software to send that data wirelessly to an Android phone over Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), with a custom app I built in Android Studio. Stage three goes further: instead of a basic map, you track live movement on real Google Maps satellite imagery, so you can see yourself moving across actual roads, buildings, and terrain — and I walk through generating and adding your own Google Maps API key, step by step.
Along the way I ran the tests most GPS tracker tutorials skip: an indoor satellite lock test from inside a two-storey house with no direct sky view, an outdoor test that climbs to 19 satellites, a signal-blocking test with my hand and then a steel pot, a satellite-count-vs-accuracy comparison, a live GPS speed vs. car speedometer test, and an altitude test that goes from my rooftop to the top of a nearby mountain.
Why no SIM card? Most GPS tracker builds add a SIM card and GSM module (like the SIM800L) just to transmit location data — which means monthly data costs and more points of failure. This build skips that entirely. The XIAO ESP32-C3's built-in Bluetooth handles the transmission, so there's no cellular network, no data plan, and no subscription — just the GPS module talking directly to your phone.
By the end of this video, you'll know how to wire the GP-02 GPS module to the XIAO ESP32-C3, read and parse live GPS data with TinyGPS++, display it on an OLED screen, transmit it over Bluetooth Low Energy, build a working Android tracking app, and upgrade to real-time Google Maps satellite tracking.
Whether you're building a bike tracker, a vehicle tracker, a pet tracker, a hiking companion, or you're just getting into GPS with ESP32 and embedded systems, this project gives you the complete foundation.
0:00 Introduction and Project Overview
1:44 Custom Development Board & Hardware Setup
2:14 Component 1: The SSD1306 OLED Display (Why use it?)
4:39 Component 2: XIAO ESP32C3 - The Brains
6:15 Component 3: GP-02 GPS Module Deep Dive
7:46 Technical Specs & Sensitivity Test Results
9:38 GP-02 Pinout & Connection Guide
10:32 The Importance of the Backup Battery (Cold vs. Hot Start)
11:50 Wiring Diagram & Circuit Connections
12:50 Setting up Arduino IDE & Required Libraries
13:45 Code Walkthrough: Decoding GPS Data
18:18 Powering Your Tracker: 3 Different Options
19:40 Indoor Signal Test (Can it see through walls?)
21:18 Outdoor Signal Test & Sensitivity Challenges
23:06 Stress Testing the Antenna (Steel Pot Test)
25:36 Version 2: Bluetooth & Smartphone Integration
27:44 Android App Design & Code (Android Studio)
29:13 Live Map Tracking via Bluetooth
32:17 Version 3: Google Maps Satellite Imagery Integration
33:45 How to Setup Google Maps API Key (Step-by-Step)
35:36 Real-World Satellite Tracking Demo
38:22 Car Speed Test: GPS vs. Speedometer
40:00 Altitude Test: Hiking a 1km Mountain
43:14 Conclusion & Preview: Upcoming LoRa Version
*****
Product Links:
*****************
Xiao ESP32 C3
https://amzn.to/3SI1q6o
GPS Modules
https://amzn.to/4vK5j9j
DISCLAIMER: This video and description contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I will receive a small commission. This helps support the channel and allows me to continue to make videos like this. Thank you for your support!
****************
Website: https://www.electroniclinic.com/
Instagram: Instagram: electroniclinic
Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/profile.php?...
Email: stu_engineering@yahoo.com
#gpstracker #esp32 #diyelectronics
https://youtu.be/kfhcmOdBHP4