A method is described for operating an asset tracking device, wherein the tracking device normally collects many location points at a high periodic rate and transmits the location points as a single compressed location history data block at a low periodic rate, which greatly reduces the amount of transmitted data required to send a detailed location history. When a user begins actively viewing the asset location in some application such as on a mobile device, a command is immediately sent from the tracking server back to the tracking device. This command causes the device to start transmitting location reports at a high periodic rate, thereby allowing the user to monitor the current location of the asset in real-time. Transmission at the high data rate required for real-time monitoring only occurs while the user is actively interacting with the application, which is usually a short period of time.