7 ms·

Show HN: Build live location sharing in your app with HyperTrack

103 points by arjun27 9y ago

parul 9y ago
Looks pretty cool! Do you have something for iOS as well?
- vibhasjain 9y ago
  It's in the works Parul! Should be out within a month
zongitsrinzler 9y ago
Is Hypertrack open source?
- eddyg 9y ago
  No, this is just a demonstration of how to use their API in an app. According to the pricing[1] page, actual use is US$0.04 per "action" (which they describe as "deliveries, pickups, dropoffs, visits, appointments or anything you may decide") [1] https://www.hypertrack.com/pricing https://www.hypertrack.com/pricing
  - flippyhead 9y ago
    Maybe I don't understand it but that seems really expensive.
    - rhizome 9y ago
      Show HN: How to use Michael Jackson samples in your music Step 1. Download and install Audacity and LMMS Step 2. Get clearance agreements from the Jackson estate Step 3. ...
- arjun27 9y ago
  The mobile SDKs that you integrate in your apps are open source.
- dsr_ 9y ago
  There's OwnTrack, which is open source and has Android and IOS clients. https://github.com/owntracks https://github.com/owntracks
redstripe 9y ago
How much of a battery drain is it to be constantly GPS tracking?
- arjun27 9y ago
  <1% per hour. This is achieved by: 1. use consumption patterns to know when to transmit data (eg, if no one is actively tracking, no need to transmit data on radio) [1] 2. using accelerometer and gyroscope data to know when to collect data (eg, if you're not moving, no need to use GPS) [1] We blogged about how we built out our variable frequency model: https://blog.hypertrack.com/2016/11/28/battery-efficient-real-time-gps-tracking/ https://blog.hypertrack.com/2016/11/28/battery-efficient-rea...
  - rhizome 9y ago
    Do you work for Hypertrack?
    - arjun27 9y ago
      Yes.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - nwjtkjn 9y ago
    The blog post claims ~5% per hour.
    - arjun27 9y ago
      Ah, old post actually, dated Nov 2016. Just wanted to share it for the variable freq approach - sorry for the confusion! We released a major update of the SDK this March which brought in significant improvements due to sensor data.
marknadal 9y ago
I highly recommend also Open Sourcing the server, or else you'll have to compare against Open Source alternatives: - We did a prototype last July on saving 100M+ updates for $10/day all costs (cpu, disk, backup). Proof: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_WqBuEA7s8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_WqBuEA7s8 - You can 1 click deploy to a free Heroku server here: https://github.com/amark/gun#heroku https://github.com/amark/gun#heroku - Watch a demo of the GPS tracking here: 1min https://youtu.be/7ALHtbC9aOM https://youtu.be/7ALHtbC9aOM - Demo of the app here: (warning: asks for location) http://gps.gunDB.io/ http://gps.gunDB.io/ - Source code here: (only ~200LOC, lots to improve) https://github.com/gundb/gps https://github.com/gundb/gps
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
jaequery 9y ago
could this be used to roll your own uber?
- arjun27 9y ago
  Yep. Location based assignments and live order tracking are two of our most popular use-cases.
cpt_snowcrash 9y ago
Pricing looks way too expensive to me even for small to medium scale usage. And if my business cross the medium scale , then why wouldn't i really build it inhouse. Seem like a classic case of product looking for problem.
- arjun27 9y ago
  We have several large scale businesses that are paid customers and find it cheaper to use us, than build it in-house. It's about the cost of an engineer, and that's a fraction of what they will incur, ongoing operating costs notwithstanding
  - chronic940 9y ago
    Still too expensive. Instead of biasing your user studies with big companies that already use your product, you should listen to the greater population of potential users. But hey, that's startup 101 and I don't expect you to know that.
  - cpt_snowcrash 9y ago
    Businesses for whom location tracking is critical process component and not a good to have such as logistic companies or lets say food/medicine delivery companies who also already have an app deployed with their end agents, the additional cost for them to get location tracking and reporting integrated in their mobile apps is trivial and also there is no technical moat as is there in lets say messaging or SMS APIs ( like Twilio). Either I don't understand your customer set, or problem you are solving is simply not big enough. You are trying to do to location tracking what twilio did to messaging, but reality is location tracking as a service doesn't make a very solid business case here. But best of luck :)
    - arjun27 9y ago
      We've been amazed at how developers across logistics and delivery companies, messaging products, SaaS platforms, and marketplaces have used our SDKs and APIs to build live location features in their apps, and we're very excited to enable all of them. Thanks for your wishes!
senthilmpro 9y ago
Didn't Google Maps do this already for free ? Why should I abandon those and use this ?
- arjun27 9y ago
  Google Maps and other map APIs are great for visuals, routes and ETAs. Where they lack is generating a battery efficient accurate location stream and mapping that to your app's workflow. Plus, map APIs are priced on the basis of number of API calls or views, both of which can lead to unpredictable cost for such a feature. For a more detailed analysis, check out our blog post: https://blog.hypertrack.com/2017/04/23/building-live-location-features-requires-more-than-maps-apis/ https://blog.hypertrack.com/2017/04/23/building-live-locatio...
  - sandGorgon 9y ago
    This is pretty cool - https://blog.hypertrack.com/2017/04/18/pitfalls-using-location-streams-building-live-location-features/ https://blog.hypertrack.com/2017/04/18/pitfalls-using-locati... Is there something in the protocol that makes it more efficient?
    - arjun27 9y ago
      I'm guessing you're referring to MQTT. With smaller packet sizes it's more battery efficient than HTTP if you're making continuous network requests. Great comparison post here: http://stephendnicholas.com/posts/power-profiling-mqtt-vs-https http://stephendnicholas.com/posts/power-profiling-mqtt-vs-ht...
katboo 9y ago
What value does this add which Glympse or PathShare already don't provide?
- arjun27 9y ago
  APIs! HyperTrack is built to integrate into your existing product experience and workflows.
  - katboo 9y ago
    What do you mean by API? Both Glympse and PathShare have fairly elaborate set of APIs on iOS and Android. Not sure I understand the distinction.
    - arjun27 9y ago
      My bad, I should have been clearer. Both Glympse and Pathshare are great products and have APIs, but their approach is not developer first. For example, Glympse has guidelines for developers to showcase Glympse branding[1], something I personally as a developer don't appreciate, especially when some of the views are consumer facing. Or the fact that Pathshare's SDKs[2] haven't been updated in more than a year, even though their app has had multiple updates recently. As a developer tool, we focus on enabling developers to build location features in their apps, with the latest and greatest of our product running silently in the background. [1] https://developer.glympse.com/docs/core/guidelines https://developer.glympse.com/docs/core/guidelines [2] https://github.com/freshbits/pathshare-sdk-ios https://github.com/freshbits/pathshare-sdk-ios
      - katboo 9y ago
        Thanks. Good luck!

103 points by arjun27 9y ago

parul 9y ago

Looks pretty cool! Do you have something for iOS as well?

vibhasjain 9y ago
It's in the works Parul! Should be out within a month

zongitsrinzler 9y ago

Is Hypertrack open source?

eddyg 9y ago
No, this is just a demonstration of how to use their API in an app. According to the pricing[1] page, actual use is US$0.04 per "action" (which they describe as "deliveries, pickups, dropoffs, visits, appointments or anything you may decide") [1] https://www.hypertrack.com/pricing https://www.hypertrack.com/pricing
- flippyhead 9y ago
  Maybe I don't understand it but that seems really expensive.
  - rhizome 9y ago
    Show HN: How to use Michael Jackson samples in your music Step 1. Download and install Audacity and LMMS Step 2. Get clearance agreements from the Jackson estate Step 3. ...
arjun27 9y ago
The mobile SDKs that you integrate in your apps are open source.
dsr_ 9y ago
There's OwnTrack, which is open source and has Android and IOS clients. https://github.com/owntracks https://github.com/owntracks

redstripe 9y ago

How much of a battery drain is it to be constantly GPS tracking?

arjun27 9y ago
<1% per hour. This is achieved by: 1. use consumption patterns to know when to transmit data (eg, if no one is actively tracking, no need to transmit data on radio) [1] 2. using accelerometer and gyroscope data to know when to collect data (eg, if you're not moving, no need to use GPS) [1] We blogged about how we built out our variable frequency model: https://blog.hypertrack.com/2016/11/28/battery-efficient-real-time-gps-tracking/ https://blog.hypertrack.com/2016/11/28/battery-efficient-rea...
- rhizome 9y ago
  Do you work for Hypertrack?
  - arjun27 9y ago
    Yes.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- nwjtkjn 9y ago
  The blog post claims ~5% per hour.
  - arjun27 9y ago
    Ah, old post actually, dated Nov 2016. Just wanted to share it for the variable freq approach - sorry for the confusion! We released a major update of the SDK this March which brought in significant improvements due to sensor data.

marknadal 9y ago

I highly recommend also Open Sourcing the server, or else you'll have to compare against Open Source alternatives: - We did a prototype last July on saving 100M+ updates for $10/day all costs (cpu, disk, backup). Proof: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_WqBuEA7s8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_WqBuEA7s8 - You can 1 click deploy to a free Heroku server here: https://github.com/amark/gun#heroku https://github.com/amark/gun#heroku - Watch a demo of the GPS tracking here: 1min https://youtu.be/7ALHtbC9aOM https://youtu.be/7ALHtbC9aOM - Demo of the app here: (warning: asks for location) http://gps.gunDB.io/ http://gps.gunDB.io/ - Source code here: (only ~200LOC, lots to improve) https://github.com/gundb/gps https://github.com/gundb/gps

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

jaequery 9y ago

could this be used to roll your own uber?

arjun27 9y ago
Yep. Location based assignments and live order tracking are two of our most popular use-cases.

cpt_snowcrash 9y ago

Pricing looks way too expensive to me even for small to medium scale usage. And if my business cross the medium scale , then why wouldn't i really build it inhouse. Seem like a classic case of product looking for problem.

arjun27 9y ago
We have several large scale businesses that are paid customers and find it cheaper to use us, than build it in-house. It's about the cost of an engineer, and that's a fraction of what they will incur, ongoing operating costs notwithstanding
- chronic940 9y ago
  Still too expensive. Instead of biasing your user studies with big companies that already use your product, you should listen to the greater population of potential users. But hey, that's startup 101 and I don't expect you to know that.
- cpt_snowcrash 9y ago
  Businesses for whom location tracking is critical process component and not a good to have such as logistic companies or lets say food/medicine delivery companies who also already have an app deployed with their end agents, the additional cost for them to get location tracking and reporting integrated in their mobile apps is trivial and also there is no technical moat as is there in lets say messaging or SMS APIs ( like Twilio). Either I don't understand your customer set, or problem you are solving is simply not big enough. You are trying to do to location tracking what twilio did to messaging, but reality is location tracking as a service doesn't make a very solid business case here. But best of luck :)
  - arjun27 9y ago
    We've been amazed at how developers across logistics and delivery companies, messaging products, SaaS platforms, and marketplaces have used our SDKs and APIs to build live location features in their apps, and we're very excited to enable all of them. Thanks for your wishes!

senthilmpro 9y ago

Didn't Google Maps do this already for free ? Why should I abandon those and use this ?

arjun27 9y ago
Google Maps and other map APIs are great for visuals, routes and ETAs. Where they lack is generating a battery efficient accurate location stream and mapping that to your app's workflow. Plus, map APIs are priced on the basis of number of API calls or views, both of which can lead to unpredictable cost for such a feature. For a more detailed analysis, check out our blog post: https://blog.hypertrack.com/2017/04/23/building-live-location-features-requires-more-than-maps-apis/ https://blog.hypertrack.com/2017/04/23/building-live-locatio...
- sandGorgon 9y ago
  This is pretty cool - https://blog.hypertrack.com/2017/04/18/pitfalls-using-location-streams-building-live-location-features/ https://blog.hypertrack.com/2017/04/18/pitfalls-using-locati... Is there something in the protocol that makes it more efficient?
  - arjun27 9y ago
    I'm guessing you're referring to MQTT. With smaller packet sizes it's more battery efficient than HTTP if you're making continuous network requests. Great comparison post here: http://stephendnicholas.com/posts/power-profiling-mqtt-vs-https http://stephendnicholas.com/posts/power-profiling-mqtt-vs-ht...

katboo 9y ago

What value does this add which Glympse or PathShare already don't provide?

arjun27 9y ago
APIs! HyperTrack is built to integrate into your existing product experience and workflows.
- katboo 9y ago
  What do you mean by API? Both Glympse and PathShare have fairly elaborate set of APIs on iOS and Android. Not sure I understand the distinction.
  - arjun27 9y ago
    My bad, I should have been clearer. Both Glympse and Pathshare are great products and have APIs, but their approach is not developer first. For example, Glympse has guidelines for developers to showcase Glympse branding[1], something I personally as a developer don't appreciate, especially when some of the views are consumer facing. Or the fact that Pathshare's SDKs[2] haven't been updated in more than a year, even though their app has had multiple updates recently. As a developer tool, we focus on enabling developers to build location features in their apps, with the latest and greatest of our product running silently in the background. [1] https://developer.glympse.com/docs/core/guidelines https://developer.glympse.com/docs/core/guidelines [2] https://github.com/freshbits/pathshare-sdk-ios https://github.com/freshbits/pathshare-sdk-ios
    - katboo 9y ago
      Thanks. Good luck!