Tack GPS Plus Elevation Tracking: Whether to Search Upstairs or Downstairs

The Indoor Elevation Finder on Tack GPS Plus Global tells you whether the tracker is above or below you. It reports relative vertical distance between the tracker and your phone, not a floor number, a room or a wing. That is a smaller claim than it first sounds, and a more useful one.

Picture your mother on the fourth floor of a care facility. An alert says she has left her room, and standard GPS tells you she is somewhere in the building, which you already knew. In a multi-level facility, that gap costs time. Elevation Finder narrows it by giving you a direction.

What does Elevation Finder actually tell you?

Elevation Finder reports the relative vertical distance between the tracker and your phone. It tells you to search upstairs or downstairs. It does not report a floor number, a room, or a wing.

That sounds like a small distinction until you are standing in a stairwell deciding which way to go. Knowing that she is above you cuts the search space roughly in half and tells you which direction to move. It does not replace looking.

Two conditions to know before you buy

Both are easy to satisfy, but neither is optional, and finding out about them during an emergency would be the wrong time.

Your phone must have a built-in barometer. The feature works by comparing air pressure readings between the tracker and your phone, so your phone needs a pressure sensor of its own. Most recent flagship phones have one; many budget handsets do not. Check before you rely on it.

You calibrate once, with the tracker next to your phone. Until that calibration is done, the reading has no baseline to compare against and means nothing. It takes a moment and you only do it once, but do it when you set the device up, not when you need it.

How does it work?

Air pressure falls predictably as you go higher. Tack GPS Plus Global contains a barometric sensor, and the OurSphere app reads the barometer in your phone. By comparing the two readings, the system estimates how far above or below you the tracker is.

This is why the feature is relative rather than absolute. It is not measuring height above sea level. It is measuring the difference between two devices, which is what actually helps when you are inside the building looking for someone.

Elevation data appears in the app alongside the normal map view. Satellite GPS, Wi-Fi positioning and cell-tower fallback continue to handle horizontal position, with accuracy of roughly 3 to 5 m outdoors and 10 to 30 m indoors on Wi-Fi. Elevation adds the vertical dimension on top of that.

Why does this matter for dementia care?

For families caring for someone living with dementia, a wandering alert starts a search. Anything that shortens it is worth having:

• A direction to start in. Upstairs or downstairs, rather than checking every corridor in order
• Vertical movement is visible. A change in relative height suggests stairs or a lift, which is useful context in an alert
• Stairwells carry higher fall risk. Knowing someone has changed level tells you where to look first
• Care staff can be directed. "She is below us" is far more actionable than "she is in the building"

A realistic example

Margaret, 78, lives on the second floor of an assisted living facility. At 9pm her daughter gets an alert. Opening the app, she sees the tracker reading as significantly below her own position, and she is standing in Margaret's room on the second floor.

That does not tell her Margaret is on the ground floor. It tells her to search downward rather than along the second-floor corridors, and to check the ground-level exits first. Staff find Margaret near the rear entrance a few minutes later.

The feature did not locate Margaret. It stopped her daughter searching in the wrong direction, which is a smaller claim and a genuinely useful one.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Elevation Finder actually show?

It shows the relative vertical distance between the tracker and your mobile app. In practical terms, it tells you whether the tracker is above or below you. It does not display a floor number.

Does my phone need anything special?

Yes. Your phone must have a built-in barometer, because the feature compares pressure readings between your phone and the tracker. Many mid-range and budget phones do not have one, so it is worth checking before purchase.

Do I need to set it up in advance?

Yes. You calibrate once, holding the tracker next to your phone. Without that baseline the reading is not meaningful. Do this when you first set up the device.

Can it tell me which floor someone is on?

No. It gives you a direction to search, not a floor number. In a building with unusually tall or short storeys, the relationship between vertical distance and floor count varies, which is why the feature reports distance rather than guessing at floors.

Which product includes it?

The Indoor Elevation Finder is available on Tack GPS Plus Global only. The Tack GPS Tracker does not include indoor elevation tracking or fall detection.

A direction, not a dot

When someone you care for goes missing inside a building, the useful question is not where exactly they are, because no consumer tracker answers that indoors. It is which way to start walking.

Elevation Finder answers that one. Set it up properly, check your phone has a barometer, calibrate it once, and it will tell you whether to go up or down.

• Tack GPS Plus Global, US$79.95, with the Indoor Elevation Finder, fall detection and roaming across 120+ countries
• View all features, including what is included with each plan
• Senior GPS tracking guide, on choosing a tracker for elderly care

Every device ships with the SIM preinstalled and 30 days of Tack Cloud included, with subscriptions from US$2.95 per month on a two-year Standard plan.