How do I locate someone gsm phone from my computer?

I gave a gsm phone to my 11 year old daugter, I would like to know where she is sometime.The phone doesnt have GPS capability but someone tell me that they can track someone with sms root if you know the sim card imei.

Good news and bad news and a tiny bit of good news....

First, the good news.

Yes, the network operators can actually trace a mobile's location to within a few hundred meters. And the user doesn't even have to do anything.

Now the bad news...

They're not going to tell you unless it's an emergency - and I mean a REAL call-the-police/ambulance/fire emergency. Even though she's a minor and your daughter and you pay the bills, those records are confidential and only the police can get them and even THEY need a warrant.

Now the tiny bit of good news...

The technology for what you want is developing rather rapidly and it already exists for cars for about $12/month. So once your little girl is old enough to drive in a few years (although it'll seem like a few minutes!) they'll probably have it all sorted out.

Also, almost providers allow you to log on to the account (I'm assuming you're paying for the account) and if a txt msg is SENT or a call is made or received, the website will tell you which city/town the mobile was in. Every provider is slightly different, so you might have to experiment a little. Call your provider's help desk and they'll give you thedetails on how to do this.

There is also one other little trick you could play, but it's sort of ... untruthful. You could tell your daughter that when she sends or receives an SMS, that you can look up her mobile account and see which tower sent/received it. Of course, if she calls your bluff, she'll know you lied to her. It's not the approach I would take, but...

Oh, and by the way...

1) SIM cards don't have an IMEI - that's the electronic serial number of the phone that has nothing to do with the SIM card. Your phone has the same IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identifier) no matter what SIM card is in it (or out of it). You can find out the IMEI by dialing *#06# - and you might want to make a note of it in case the mobile is stolen.

2) The system can track a mobile either by IMEI or the SIM card.