How to effectively track down a phone?

[AC Question]

Hi!

I've been wondering which way is the best to track down a mobile phone without depending on pre-installed apps. For example: all tracking apps that I could find depends on GSM/WiFi connection, and if you turn them off or restore the phone all settings will be gone. That seems to be totally useless in a case of theft and also something dumb to do if it's worthless, quite a waste of time (despite being a chance). IMEI trackers should work as a good option, as it's supposed to be an unique data from your phone which "cannot be changed" (actually it can be changed, but for trivial burglars it might be hard), but it looks somehow impossible to access if you aren't a cop or a network operator - and they're not concerned at all about doing this kind of job. To install a mini GPS device inside my phone, besides a bit expensive, sounds to me illogical, as a mobile phone must have some built-in parts that we should take advantage. What would be the most effective way to make sure that I could trace my Android phone after a changed SIM Card or a hard reset? I've heard about Cerberus and I think I'll try it, but I would like to meet other options.

 

[UJ95x]

Cerberus and installing the app in the system partition. Not 100% sure, but that sounds like it might require root access on your phone. Android Device Manager doesn't work after a factory reset on most phones, so your options are quite limited