We use a Delorme InReach device to automatically report Villa G's postion. The device sends a GPS position every 10 minutes to Delorme using short burst data services through the Iridium satellite communications system. When you click on our link to locate Villa G, your computer or smartphone fetches the most recent location from Delorme's databases. If Villa G is not moving the system only gets an update every two hours; however when the built-in GPS detects motion, the information is updated every ten minutes.
Of course, the device is reporting Villa G's position, not our personal location. Hence when we travel by land or plane we can check on Villa G's location too.
NOTE: This feature is out of service while the Iridium Go is being replace, hope they will have it back before August (see below). In April 2015, we acquired an Iridium Go that provides a position report to PredictWind.com Currently both outputs are being shown on our "location" page, but we are like to chose one or the other once we have enough exprience with both. The virtue of the Iridium Go is that it provides a link to get email and web access. It is slow, but it works. Recently the folks with sailmail have developed a new Airmail software package for the PC which is totally compatible with communications thorugh the Iridium Go.
July 2015 Update. The Iridium Go device died in May. Since it was only two months old it was under warantee; however, the dealer who sold it to us was very slow to move on getting a repair or a new one for us. After two weeks they said we should send it to their Florida office from Darwin Australia where we were by Fedex at our expense. We found that JNB Electronics in Melbourne is an authorized Iridium repair depot and were able to send it to them by Australia post ($12). Unfortunately, they could not repiar it and it had to be sent to Iridium in the USA. It took 8 weeks for JNB to get the new one from Iridium, but it did come and JNB express shipped to us in Darwin. So the moral of the story is that one should not become too dependent on such devices. We already knew that, but it is always good to get a refresher course.
We will put the Iridium Go back online before departing Darwin. Glad we got a chance to "test" it beforehand.