Android app
Install the APK on each family phone. Share location with the box, see everyone on the map, and manage places from the same app.
Family locator you own
Family tracking.Without big brother.
Swanie's GPS BOX is a family locator that lives in your house. Phones update a Raspberry Pi at home. Mom, kids, and work commutes show up on your map — not a tracking company’s.
Locations stay on your Pi
Android app, no Play Store
Flash, plug in, pair
FamilySee who is where on a map that belongs to your household — not a cloud account you rent.
PlacesMark home, work, and school. Get a quiet heads-up when someone arrives or leaves.
Your boxA Raspberry Pi at home is the server. The history stays in your house.
AwayPhones on cellular still reach your box. We run the pipe. We do not keep the map.
Built for families who want the map at home
Sideload the Android app, flash a Pi image onto an SD card, power it on, and pair the phones. No Play Store listing — downloads stay on this site.
Pi image
Flash the GPS BOX image to a microSD card, plug the Pi in at home, and open setup. Pair with a code — no extra helper apps on the phone.
Your data
The family map lives on your hardware. You are not the product. Your family is the only audience.
What you download
GPS BOX is not on Google Play. When it ships, you will download the Android app here, plus a Raspberry Pi image you write to an SD card.
Home Wi‑Fi is how phones talk to the box when you are in the house. When you are out, a small yearly pipe lets those phones find your Pi. We do not store your trips. If that pipe lapses, we still do not hold your history — the hardware is yours.
A ready-made box
I may also offer a Raspberry Pi in a case, with a power supply, already set up to run GPS BOX — for people who would rather plug it in than flash an SD card.
That kit is not locked in yet. If you want one, say so on the contact form. Interest will help decide whether it becomes a real product.
Frequently asked questions.
Quick answers about Swanie's GPS BOX.
How is this different from Life360?
Life360’s cloud is the product. GPS BOX’s product is a box in your house. Phones update your Pi. The family sees the map. A tracking company does not keep a file on every trip to school, the gym, and work.
Will this be on Google Play?
No. Like Swanie's Camera Viewer, GPS BOX is sideloaded from this site — the Android APK and the Pi image, when they are ready.
What hardware do I need?
Android phones for the family, and a Raspberry Pi at home with an SD card you flash from the image on this page. Optionally, a ready-made Pi in a case with power — if I offer it.
Where is location data stored?
On your family’s Pi. A meeting point only helps phones away from home reach that box. It is a pipe, not a second map database.
Downloads
Public download links land here when GPS BOX is ready to ship. Need early access, or want a ready-made Pi? Use the contact form.
Android APK
Sideload Swanie's GPS BOX on each family phone.
Coming soonPi image
Flash to a microSD card and boot GPS BOX at home.
Coming soonReady-made box
Pi, case, and power — preconfigured, if I offer the kit.
Coming soonQuestions or early build requests? Send a message.