Review on Tractive Waterproof GPS Dog Tracker: Location, Activity, Unlimited Range (White - Newest Model) by Jessica Johnson

I have three of these for my three dogs. These devices do what they promise, with some caveats. I live in a metropolitan area with good cell phone coverage. However, in some cases, devices simply stop responding to GPS signals, rendering the protection useless. Sometimes a hard reset will fix the problem. But if your dog is lost, you are SOL. In terms of runtime, the battery life for practical use is one day, even without "live” tracking. In standard tracking mode (not real-time) I lose about a third of the charge per day. It's up to you if you want your battery to drop by half if your dog gets lost. If your battery dies when your dog gets lost and you switch to search mode, you may have very little time to complete the search for your pet. Live mode seems to increase battery drain exponentially (as you'd expect, it pings every few seconds instead of every 5 minutes). For peace of mind, I charge all devices once a day. This isn't a complaint against the manufacturer, battery life for these types of devices that constantly need to ping towers is an issue for most manufacturers. The included charging cables are very short (a few inches) and use non-standard connectors. They don't really look like they'll last long and the way they attach can lead to accidental tripping. I don't know if you can buy spare parts and what the cost is. The attachment of the devices to the collar could be better. It can be difficult to put on at first, then loosens up a bit over time, making it easier to put on and take off, although it's also easier to untie. There probably isn't much chance of it falling off completely, depending on how loose your dog's collar is. This should be obvious, but if you're walking your dogs and your dog drops the collar, your GPS will be dangling from your collar, not your dog. They are best used with a harness and/or collar to allow the GPS to stay on your loose dog. (Ok, I'll admit I didn't think things through at first :). The apps could be a bit more intuitive. When dealing with multiple animals, you basically have the information one at a time, which sometimes requires a few clicks to navigate. But they work either on a computer or on a mobile device. After all, applications serve their purpose. As for prices, the ads are a bit misleading. Monthly pricing is for annual payment. If you want to pay monthly, this doubles. With multiple animals, this can add up. Maybe a discount for a couple would be nice. Also, I might consider buying spares and rotating them so I always have my devices charged, but not if I have to double-pay for a subscription again. The fence feature is useful but inaccurate. The minimum size of "fence" required will most likely span multiple houses on all sides of you. This way you don't know immediately if your dog has left your garden. This is probably due to the limitations of GPS, so maybe it's not a design issue. However, other GPS trackers on my phone seem to be accurate to within a few meters. I can usually ping my phone and see what part of the house my phone is in. Don't know why it's not the same? But back to my biggest problem. If a unit doesn't ping when surrounded by turrets and you don't know it happened, it's useless. You should at least get a message on your phone telling you when the GPS stops responding to ping so you can troubleshoot or reset. But what's the point if you just walk your dogs around the neighborhood and later find out that the device stopped tracking many miles ago? If this review sounds negative, it shouldn't be. This certainly beats the popular "Bluetooth" variants, which should be ostracized as fraudulent trading practices. The Bluetooth locator works in a very short distance or not everywhere. If your dog leaves your yard, your Bluetooth is most likely useless. All in all, these devices are better than other options I've experimented with and are worth checking out. I'm concerned about its ability to stay connected to the GPS. What about bad weather? wooden cover? etc. Update: 05/06/2021 The newer version of the software now has a "Battery Saver" mode, which slightly improves the battery performance. However, as expected, the GPS updates even less frequently, making it even less useful in an emergency. It may take some time for your device to "come alive" if your pet loses connection. Verdict: This device is way better than most Bluetooth-only alternatives, but doesn't make the bones to leave it with your dog all the time, it needs to be charged every day or day and a half if you don't want to charge your device for it Leaving before an event related to the loss of a pet. Once you start "live" to find your pet, the battery will drain very quickly. It would be nice if there was a reasonable backup battery option. Buying two devices not only doubles the price, but of course the monthly basic fee as well. Additionally, these devices don't perform well in inclement weather and work best outdoors under clear blue skies. Cloudy (stormy weather) and/or dense tree cover or other obstacles may affect location tracking. That is clear. But again, just understand that these devices are not as powerful as your regular cell phone and need optimal weather conditions and a clear view of the satellites to perform at their best. price range.