Guide and tips for buying a GPS locator for your pet

If you have a cat or dog in the family and this happens to you within minutes of not knowing exactly where it is, the feeling is a mixture of nervousness and fear that no one wants to experience.

It doesn’t matter if it’s only 10 minutes, because it’s an experience that you can’t get out of your head, because of the suffering and impotence that you get into at a time when you don’t know where he is, the one who always comes to meet you when you return home with all the joy in the world.

Well, to keep that to a minimum, technology has made GPS collars available to us, devices with which we can always locate our pets.

What are GPS locators for pets?

These types of devices use the global positioning system (GPS) to know real-time exact location where is our dog or cat.

This device is always worn on the pet’s collar without causing any irritation or inconvenience to the animal.

Types of GPS Locators

There are several types of GPS locators for pets, although among them there is one that is most commonly used and most useful.

The types are as follows:

• GPS locator by radio waves: They appeared first, and they emit a series of radio waves so that the relay can determine the exact location where the pet is. They are practically obsolete, since the scope is not so large, so their functionality has been reduced several times.
• Bluetooth GPS Locator: they establish a connection between the collar and our smartphone via Bluetooth technology. It is effective if we know the area where the pet is because that will reliably indicate the position, but even then the range is reduced.
• Locator by SIM: This is the most commonly used system because it uses a SIM card placed on the collar to work with a mobile network that is able to determine the position and movements of the pet in real time via GPS. If you have a SIM card, you need us to pay monthly for this data. The only downside is the uncovered areas where we won’t be able to know where our pet is until it reaches a spot where it has regained its signal.

How do GPS collars work?

GPS locators are usually small and handy so that the dog does not have any inconvenience.

At the time of operation, almost same as with activity braceletsbecause, by receiving a signal from different satellites, we will already know exactly where the animal is.

Synchronization between the collar or the collar is done through the mobile application and will depend on which of all the locators we buy, since each has its own application.

These devices They tend to have a lot of autonomy., which does not mean that they do not need to be charged from time to time. Some point to the battery on the mobile, even sending a notification when it runs low.

It’s best to always have the locator on, as you never know what might happen.

Kippy Evo for dogs and cats €48.99Tractive GPS DOG 4 for dogs €49.49YONGQING GPS locator for dogs and cats €41.33Tractive GPS CAT 4 for cats €48.35

What should I pay attention to when buying a locator?

The truth is that there are many different models of GPS trackers for pets on the market, as with almost everything that is sold, which is a positive thing when there are so many to choose from, or a headache when you don’t know which one. choose. buy all

That’s why we have to consider a number of parameters and options that we can build upon in order to get the best device for us and our pet.

• Technology: we have to decide which technology we want to use. As we have already told you, there are three types of locators, so we must decide on one of the three. We definitely choose the sim card option as it is the most complete.
• Expenses: We must clearly understand how much a SIM card will cost us and whether there is any type of subscription in the collar system itself, which usually happens. From there, everyone will decide whether it compensates him or not.
• AccuracyA: Another thing we have to take into account is the accuracy of the GPS collar in relation to location. That is, if he tells us with an accuracy of 10 meters, then it may be redundant for what we need.
• Autonomy: Another aspect that should be seriously considered is the autonomy of the collar or the device that comes with it. The ideal, how could it be otherwise, is that it has a long battery life and that it recharges in a short time.
• recharge: to recharge it, it’s best to have batteries, but there are also battery-powered models, so we’ll have to see if autonomy compensates for one or the other. In addition to that, there are also those that notify you when your battery is low, which we think is very important.
• Waterproof: It is very important that it is waterproof as we never know where our pet will go or if it will rain when we are looking for it.
• Appendix: this is another one of the most important parts, since having a complete application with everything we need, intuitive and easy to use is something we are very grateful for. If possible, it is better to try to get to know the application before purchasing the locator, which we can do in almost all cases in the app store corresponding to the operating system.
• Additional features: then there are additions that everyone will decide for himself if it’s good for him, for example, routes generated on Google Maps for pet routes, the inclusion of virtual fences so that he can notify us when the animal crosses said limit, which is what the SIM card and subscription also work in other countries or add multiple different pets to our account.

With everything you just read, you probably already have all the necessary arguments to choose the best locator collar for the pet you love so much.

From now on, you can be a little calmer, but let your guard down just in case.