OwnTracks: Self-hosted, open source location tracking | Hacker News Reader

OwnTracks: Self-hosted, open source location tracking

owntracks.org

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I just packaged this up as a Sandstorm app, for anyone who wants to demo the HTTP backend:

https://apps.sandstorm.io/app/cjv3p2a970vrm729x9x0v54k0nff6x...

mnutt, you rock.

I dont know where to configure the URL in the android app. The description of the Backend says:

"Step 2: Configure the app

Tap the i icon in the top left and tap "Settings". In the URL field, enter:"

But there is no "i" icon and no Settings tap. There is a menu button and in the preferences I can choose a mode between public, hosted and private.

I tried to use the supplied URL in the Host setting, but the Owntracks app complains that the settings are incomplete.

Any help appreciated.

+1 - Andoird App with Sandstorm Owntrack does not work or is confusing to setup

I see it referenced in the commits [0], so I assume documentation is ahead of the published version.

[0] https://github.com/owntracks/android/commit/29b3604bcf021433...

Indeed. As it says, I'm preparing HTTP mode for Android at the moment.

Looking forward to it. Thank you for your good work!

Sorry about that! I mistakenly assumed the settings UI would be the same between Android and iOS. I don't have an Android device handy, but will try to hunt one down and get the instructions updated.

HTTP mode is not yet available in our Android version; it's iOS only at the moment, but we hope to have HTTP mode on Android soon.

> private location diary

> you can be sure your data stays secure and private.

By using the Google Maps API you grant Google the rights to your data to use as they see fit. You cannot have private or secure data if you use the Google Maps API.

(edits: however, I think if you pay Google for the premium or business access to the Google Maps API, then Google does not claim their rights to your data)

Would prefer it if it used OSM anyway, which I can also run my own version of if I am little twisted.

Basically, with a bit of work, you could produce a completely-self-hosted solution where there are no calls going out anywhere to anything you don't host yourself.

That's progress to my mind. Just needs a little more work to get there. If I didn't have family over this weekend...

Thank you for thinking about this. I'm starting to think that self-hosted is the open source of today - the web is increasingly *aaS-centric, and users don't even have the idea it's not the only way.

A medium term solution is to use one of the apps that provide OSM data offline.

For a medium sized region, the download might only be 100 MB. Unless you are in Germany (or some other region where OSM data is particularly dense).

Hi,

creator of the Owntracks Android app here. I'm absolutely with you that you cannot have private and secure location data when using any Google services.

Indeed, Owntracks does use Google Maps and the Google Play Services location APIs and your location data is likely sent to Google when using the app and we're very clear that this is the case.

However, when using Android, it's almost impossible to not send any personal data to Google when using an Android phone (or to Apple if you're using an iPhone). Hence, we decided to not use any third party location or APIs and for several reasons:

1) Google likely has your location data anyway because you're using their operating system 2) I personally would trust my data to Google than any third party that's not that closely monitored by others. We tried to integrate Mapbox as Mapping provider for the 0.5.x release until they likewise started gathering user data. Thus the next version switches back to Google Maps. 3) The offered location APIs are much easier on the battery life than any third party solution 4) We develop Owntracks in our spare time and receive no funding whatsoever. Hence, the time that we can invest into the integration of other Maps or location providers is very limited.

Besides that, Owntracks does allow you to store your location data on your own infrastructure. You are free to choose whatever you want with that data and you're not trusting a third party (besides Google) with your data.

Personally I think that this isn't a perfect solution, but it is as good as it gets for the majority of smartphones. If that isn't good enough with you that's fine and I totally understand that. In that case, simply don't use the app and build something that you can trust entirely. E.g. some people from our development team are happily tracking their cars with a hardware appliance that is Owntracks compatible [1]

[1] jpmens.net/2014/06/14/owntracks-in-a-vehicle-choral-greenwich

I'd be interested to hear about Mapbox starting to gather user data. Did they change their terms?

That's an excellent documentation, in my opinion. Extensive and complete.

As an example: It doesn't just say: 'Can use MQTT.'. Instead it details the usage of MQTT by the appplication and even how to set up an MQTT service on a Rasperry Pi.

It details common usage scenarios.

This really is perfect timing - I'm about to embark on a worldwide travel adventure, and one of the things I want to track is my location.

Does anyone have any experience using OwnTracks?

I've used it a bit on Android. It's important to note that OwnTracks only takes care of publishing your location to an MQTT server (and also subscribing to and displaying other published locations). If you want to save historical location data, and display it on a map, you'll need to hook up some more software, likely this: https://github.com/owntracks/recorder

As far as the Android app goes, I had no complaints. I didn't notice any significant battery drain issues or anything like that.

Thanks for the link. Do you happen to know what the behaviour is when there's no network connection? I'm going to be going to a lot of countries, and I doubt I'll have a SIM card everywhere (plus I'll be off-the-grid hiking and exploring a bunch).

I think that'll be a problem. Since you'd be recording your historical data off of the MQTT server, and your phone wont be updating the MQTT server, you'd have gaps in your data. Sounds like you want to record data right on your phone. Some other commenters have mentioned possible alternatives that probably would work better for you.

[According to the documentation:][1]

> When the device determines that it's moved a significant distance, it contacts a server via 3G or WiFi (hopefully one of those is available, but we queue messages many thousands on the app until connectivity can be established)

[1]: http://owntracks.org/booklet/guide/whathow/

From the booklet (http://owntracks.org/booklet/guide/whathow/):

Fellow traveller here - going to try it in my solo bike tour from Lisbon to Istanbul that starts in a few days, let me know if there is any aspect of the software that you want reviewed

I'm most interested in presentation on the travel blog I'm working on (getting the most recent location onto a Google Map) and generating a track of where I've been - I thought it'd be fun to be able to plot the major waypoints on a globe.

I'm not really interested in every single movement - eg going out to get ice cream - but more moves between cities, towns etc... I guess if it's sending all the events to a server I can work that out for myself somehow...

What are you planning to use the data for?

You can use owntracks-recorder to keep the data and ocat to get them out again. I'm just playing with that right now to generate a page for my blog showing the cities I've traveled to each year in real-time.

I've been using it for a few days, I like it a lot. The new version is also much better, but it's not on the play store yet.

Have been using Where have I been for the past year and it works flawlessly. Most important is that I can export all locations as CSV which I convert to KML and all is good.

Will give OwnTracks a try but privacy wise Where Have I Been also is phone only.

Thanks, Where Have I Been looks really interesting. It might be better, even, since I just want a record of my location to process after the fact.

Also check my "dwaler" arduino based project https://www.koenschmeets.nl/projects/dwaler/

That's pretty cool! What does the hardware look like?

hope this works: https://goo.gl/photos/jiZYZZYkxhFVSj7u8

Oh, is that a GPS/compass shield? I have to get one of those.

Yeah it's a GPS module, it reports an "angle" and I guess it calculates that by comparing the previous position to the current one. Not very accurate while standing still but works pretty well while on the move.

I didn't see a link to the code, do you mind sharing?

https://github.com/vespakoen/dwaler

Thanks

I have been messing around with OwnTracks logging GPS to a Mosquitto server on DigitalOcean.

I logged the process I used to get it all setup here: https://www.digitalocean.com/community/questions/how-to-setu...

Don't try to add a Let's Encrypt certificate, you need to add the CA anyway. Just use OwnTracks' own generateCA.sh script and you'll be up and running in a minute. Stick the CA and p12 file in your phone and you're done.

Here's my modified script that produces the p12 file in the end:

https://www.pastery.net/ytyqrj/

Run it with:

./generate-CA.sh <your mosquitto hostname>

./generate-CA.sh client <your username>

If you don't care about sharing this info with the world, what's the advantage of this over something like OsmAnd GPX tracking?

Works great with cloudmqtt and https://home-assistant.io for home automation based on your location.

The booklet provides a fuller description: http://owntracks.org/booklet/

Also see https://github.com/HenryHoggard/OpenLocate-Server https://github.com/HenryHoggard/openlocate

Doesn't google maps' timeline do this? I suppose OwnTracks isn't google so it's less likely to be data mined...

https://www.google.com/maps/timeline

I believe that's the entire reason this product was built:

> OwnTracks is open-source and uses open protocols for communication so you can be sure your data stays secure and private.

I think OwnTracks was named because you "own" all of the data.

Except for displaying your location on Google Maps and using Google's APIs to do reverse geocoding...

Their definition of "private" doesn't seem to include "private from Google".

That is, indeed, the "Own" in OwnTracks, and aside from the reverse geo-coding (which has to come from somewhere!) you do own your data.

The Google Maps timeline doesn't have an API, so while you can see what data Google have there's no way to get it out and make use of it in other ways.

Google Maps Timeline has both an "export this day to KML" feature, and a "download a copy of all you data" feature via Google Takeout.

But it doesn't have an API giving anything between "export a single day" and "give me all the data ever".

I really like your forum theme. Do you use discourse? is the theme open source? Thank you!

https://community.owntracks.org

Looks like https://nodebb.org/

It's nodebb with the default theme ;)

Are there any command line tools for GPS tracking on laptops (for example if you are connected to a GPS via bluetooth) ?

It's trivial (~2 lines) to write a script that will get your location every minute and HTTP POST it to the OwnTracks recorder, if I'm understanding the docs correctly.

I've been looking to move away from Swarm for a while. OwnTracks might just be the perfect solution.