GNSS vs GPS: What Changes for a Small Tracker

Concept render

GPS is one satellite constellation, run by the US Space Force. GNSS is the umbrella term for all of them, including Galileo, BeiDou, GLONASS and the regional QZSS and NavIC. A GNSS receiver can track several systems at once, which gives a small tracker more satellites to choose from, at the cost of some current.

Product briefs often say "GPS" when the module on the board is a GNSS receiver. For a small tracker the difference decides time to fix, behavior near tall buildings and battery drain. This guide uses US government pages, an EU agency article and two module datasheets. It reports no field measurement of ours. Every figure was read on the linked page as of November 2026.

GNSS vs GPS: what is the difference?

GPS is the Global Positioning System. gps.gov calls it a US-owned utility, and the US Space Force develops, maintains and operates its space and control segments. It runs on a nominal constellation of 24 operating satellites, as of November 2026 (gps.gov).

GNSS stands for Global Navigation Satellite System. gps.gov defines it as a general term for any satellite constellation that provides positioning, navigation and timing services on a global or regional basis, as of November 2026 (gps.gov, other GNSS). So GPS is one GNSS. Galileo, BeiDou and GLONASS are the other global systems, and QZSS and NavIC are regional ones.

A "GPS tracker" can use GPS alone or four systems at once. Ask for the supported-signals table before you accept a spec line that just says GPS.

Which satellite systems can a tracker receiver use?

The table combines the gps.gov system list with the signals two u-blox modules list: the MAX-M10S, an L1-band receiver, and the MAX-F10S, an L1/L5 dual-band receiver. Other vendors' modules list different signals.

Systems from gps.gov. Signals from the MAX-M10S datasheet R08 (January 30, 2026) and the MAX-F10S datasheet R03 (April 9, 2025). All as of November 2026.

Two details from the datasheets matter in firmware. The L1 module's default set is GPS, Galileo and BeiDou B1I, with QZSS and SBAS on. It cannot run BeiDou B1I together with BeiDou B1C or GLONASS. The dual-band module cannot run single-band: L1 and L5 are enabled or disabled together for GPS, Galileo, BeiDou and QZSS.

Does a multi-constellation receiver get a fix faster?

Sometimes, and the lab figures show only a small gain. The table shows the vendor's typical figures. Every row is a commanded start with all satellites at -130 dBm at room temperature, and the accuracy column is CEP 50% over 24 hours static with more than six satellites per system. These are strong, clean signals, unlike a pocket or a city street.

L1 module rows from MAX-M10S datasheet Tables 2 and 3. L1/L5 rows from MAX-F10S datasheet Tables 2 and 3, which include GPS L5 (a configuration change). As of November 2026.

Under these lab conditions GPS alone gets a cold fix in 27 to 29 seconds, and adding systems moves that to 23 to 28 seconds. One system on its own can be slower: Galileo alone takes 41 seconds and BeiDou B1C alone 56 seconds on the L1 module. The large gain comes from assistance data. With the vendor's online assistance, the L1 module's default set fixes in 1 second, and in 3 to 4 seconds with its offline or autonomous modes. Our article on assisted GPS vs cold start covers that choice in detail.

The value of more constellations shows up when part of the sky is blocked. The L1 datasheet says the high number of visible satellites lets the receiver select the best signals and maximizes position availability in deep urban canyons, as of November 2026. That is a vendor statement with no published city figure, so treat it as a reason to test.

GPS vs GNSS in a city: which is more accurate?

gps.gov says GPS-enabled smartphones are typically accurate to within a 4.9 m (16 ft) radius under open sky, and that accuracy worsens near buildings, bridges and trees (gps.gov, GPS accuracy, as of November 2026). It lists signal blockage and reflected signals, called multipath, among the causes. The government commits to a daily global average user range error of 2.0 m or less with 95% probability, and the page notes that this is not the same as user accuracy.

A multi-constellation receiver works on blockage. When buildings hide some satellites, more systems mean more satellites left in view. For reflected signals, the sources in the next section point to the second frequency.

What does dual-frequency L1/L5 change for a small tracker?

gps.gov says using two GPS frequencies improves accuracy by correcting distortions caused by Earth's atmosphere (gps.gov, GPS accuracy). It describes L5 as having higher power and greater bandwidth, in a band reserved for aviation safety services (gps.gov, new civil signals). The European GNSS Agency, now EUSPA, wrote in January 2020 that L5 and E5a signals are less prone to multipath errors. The reason it gives is that they are lower in frequency. That is the agency's explanation; it also wrote that dual-frequency phones gain accuracy and robustness particularly in urban environments (EUSPA). The dual-band module datasheet claims meter-level accuracy in urban environments from its two-band multipath mitigation. All as of November 2026.

What is the status of GPS L5?

gps.gov lists L5 as pre-operational, to be used at the user's own risk until declared operational. Its page counts L5 on 18 GPS satellites as of July 3, 2023, and projects 24 satellites around 2027 in a projection dated January 2020 (gps.gov, read November 2026). The dual-band module datasheet says GPS L5 is set unhealthy and is not used for the navigation solution by default. Its default set is GPS, Galileo and BeiDou, so out of the box its L5-band signals are Galileo E5a and BeiDou B2a. Check whether the performance table you are reading assumes GPS L5 was switched on. The MAX-F10S tables do.

What does the second band ask of the hardware?

The L5 band sits at 1176.45 MHz and the L1 band at 1575.42 MHz, so the antenna and RF path must cover both. On a small tracker, check early that an antenna covering both bands fits the enclosure. Size, ground plane and distance from the battery and LTE antenna all matter. See our notes on GNSS antenna placement in small trackers before you commit to a dual-band layout.

How much current does each option draw?

The table lists typical currents at a 3.0 V supply, at a 1 Hz update rate with simulated signals at -130 dBm. Acquisition current is the average from start-up until the first fix. The supply pin (VCC) and the I/O pin (V_IO) are listed separately, so add both.

From MAX-M10S datasheet Table 15 and MAX-F10S datasheet Table 15, as of November 2026. The L1 module also lists a cyclic power save mode at 4.5 to 5 mA VCC. The L1/L5 table has no power save row. Both list 28 µA in hardware backup.

A worked example from the datasheet numbers

Take each module's default set and multiply total acquisition current by the cold start time from the earlier table.

L1 module, default set
  (11.5 + 2.3) mA × 27 s = 372.6 mA·s = 0.104 mAh per cold fix
L1/L5 module, default set
  (21 + 3) mA × 28 s     = 672 mA·s   = 0.187 mAh per cold fix

Continuous tracking for one hour
  L1:    (9.5 + 2.3) mA × 1 h = 11.8 mAh
  L1/L5: (16 + 3) mA × 1 h    = 19 mAh

On these numbers the dual-band module uses about 1.8 times the charge per cold fix and about 1.6 times the current while tracking. A hot start takes 1 second on both, so the gap per hot fix is 13.8 against 24 mA·s. The lesson for a small battery: the start type you hit most often matters more than the constellation set. One caveat: the L1/L5 cold start time assumes GPS L5 is switched on, while its current figures use the default set. Your board will differ from clean lab signals, so use this arithmetic to decide what to measure. For testing a small device with a battery emulator, see Battery emulator for device testing: what it does and when to use it.

Which receiver should a small tracker use?

Start from where the device is used and how often it reports.

Test each candidate in the same enclosure, antenna area, route and report interval. Log time to fix, position error against a known path and charge per fix. Set the pass lines before the first run.

What to ask your hardware team

• Which constellations and signals are enabled in our firmware, and who chose that set?
• Does our module datasheet figure include a signal that is off by default, such as GPS L5?
• What is the measured energy per fix on our board for cold, warm and hot starts?
• Do we use assistance data, and what does fetching it cost over the cellular link?
• Does our antenna cover every band the receiver is set to use, including 1176 MHz for L5 and around 1602 MHz for GLONASS?
• Where did we test accuracy: open sky, a city street, a vehicle, a pocket?
• Who re-tests when the module firmware or the constellation set changes?

For the full tracker scope, from receiver choice to LTE and certification planning, see LTE and GNSS tracker development. When you are ready to compare receivers on your own design, tell us about your tracker.

Sources

All pages accessed November 5, 2026. Re-read them before you rely on any figure.

• gps.gov, GPS system overview: https://www.gps.gov/gps
• gps.gov, Other Global Navigation Satellite Systems: https://www.gps.gov/other-global-navigation-satellite-systems-gnss
• gps.gov, New Civil Signals: https://www.gps.gov/new-civil-signals
• gps.gov, GPS Accuracy: https://www.gps.gov/gps-accuracy
• EUSPA (published by the European GNSS Agency), Market understands value of dual frequency (January 28, 2020): https://www.euspa.europa.eu/newsroom-events/news-archive/market-understands-value-dual-frequency
• u-blox, MAX-M10S data sheet, UBX-20035208 R08: https://content.u-blox.com/sites/default/files/MAX-M10S_DataSheet_UBX-20035208.pdf
• u-blox, MAX-F10S data sheet, UBXDOC-963802114-12732 R03: https://content.u-blox.com/sites/default/files/documents/MAX-F10S_DataSheet_UBXDOC-963802114-12732.pdf