PawTrax GPS Tracker

PawTrax 2 GPS Pet Tracker – Review 4th January 2013

This week we have been trialling the PawTrax 2 GPS Pet Tracker. So here is how we have found it so far…

It is a 50mm x 40mm device which attaches to a collar or harness with a Sim card inside. You call the device from your mobile and hang up. After a minute or two it sends you back a text message. The text you receive back has a link to google maps. You click on the link and it opens google maps and shows the location of your dug (there is also an app for android or windows phones).

We had a short trial run last night in Stockbridge. One of us went on a long walk with Bailie in the cold, while the other stayed in the warm house and had to use the GPS system to find us. Clearly, there wasn’t much on TV last night. We carried out four separate tests at different locations around Stockbridge and the GPS tracker pinpointed our location accurately everytime.

We are going to go out this weekend and do more tests and post more detailed info but we hope that gives you an idea of what it’s all about.

PawTrax is a UK based company. The device costs £125.00 + £9.00 postage.

Note: This device is to help find lost dogs and is not an anti-theft device.

PawTrax 2 GPS Pet Tracker – Review 5th January 2013

Here is some more info on the PawTrax 2 GPS Pet Tracker. We are going to test it again this weekend in other locations but thought we would post some pros and cons so far as there have been so many questions. Please note this is an independent review of the tracker which we paid for ourselves (we run DugsnPubs.com as a not for profit site).

Pros:

– Tests so far have shown the GPS to be very accurate
– Can be switched off when not in use to save battery
– Waterproof to IP67
– Can be fitted with any mobile network sim card
– Once set up it is easy to use just need to make a call.
– The text version is sufficient however there are further optional enhancements including phone apps and web platform for live and historic updates.
– Can be used for cats (and anything else you can think of)
– it is a UK based company who are also involved in helping to find lost pets.
– Would be very useful if you are on holiday or in an unfamiliar place and invaluable in the search for a lost dog
– It is one of the most competitively priced out there at £125.

Cons:

– It’s not the easiest to fit to a harness as Bailie’s harness is quite thick. There is ring attachments provided which we needed to use which was a bit awkward but did enable us to securely fit it.
– There is an initial set up required where you need to send a series of texts to the device or plug into a computer which takes a bit of time.
– Although the sim came preinstalled the sim needs to be topped up with credit as it costs money for each text.
– There is a battery in the device which needs to be charged (but the device tells you the battery level).
– Would not help in a situation where a pet was stolen
– Doesn’t work that well if your pet is inside a building as the device needs to be able to ‘see’ the sky
– no iphone app at the moment (but looks like it will be available shortly)
– It’s not a microchip or linked to it in anyway.

PawTrax 2 GPS Pet Tracker – Review 6th January 2013

Update on the PawTrax GPS Tracker: So, we had it on Bailie all day yesterday and tried it out in a few locations. We tried it in Newcraighall, Portobello & Edinburgh city centre. It was successful in pinpointing his location accurately everytime. The way we will use it is keep it permanently on Bailie’s harness and switch it on when we put the harness on him (we are able to charge it up with it still attached to the harness).

We have found it is able to obtain a location when it is in a car but not when it is in a house/flat. There also may be other scenarios where it can’t obtain a location. Anytime it is unable to give you the location, it will send you the last known location by text.

Although the text version is good, I would upgrade to the app version for an extra £20. According to PawTrax, if you use the app version (app currently only for windows or android phones) you can get live updates direct to your mobile and see the current location. It also allows tracking of multiple PawTrax devices (providing your phone has GPS). The app version sends its location via GPRS rather than SMS. Unfortunately, at the moment there isn’t an iphone app (I’ve asked PawTrax to confirm when available).

If you are worried about your dog’s recall, it is easily startled, you walk or exercise your dog off the lead, you use a dog walker or you are going to an unfamiliar place (i.e. on holiday), then I think getting something like this is a sensible precaution.

If you always have your dog on a lead and recall is excellent then this may not be something you need however any dog can get startled and I guess you never know.

DugsnPubs

PawTrax 2 GPS Pet Tracker – Review 10th January 2013

We have carried out some tests on the PawTrax GPS tracker battery over the past few days. We charged the battery to 100%, then left it switched on to see how long it would last (you can switch the battery off when not in use). The battery lasted for around 3 days and gave a low battery warning text to our phone on day 3 at around 25%. 15 requests were made to the device in that time (normally you wouldn’t allow it to run down as it makes sense to charge it often and keep it as close to 100% as possible).

We also carried out another test where we set up the device to send update texts to our phone every 300 seconds (the update time can be increased and there are also other settings available). In a situation where a dog is being traced there will be a lot of requests made to the device in a short space of time, so we wanted to see the effect on the battery. It was fully charged at 100% at 6pm and when sending updates every 300 seconds it was down to 89% three hours later at 9pm.

http://www.pawtrax.co.uk/main/
https://www.facebook.com/PawTraxGPS
https://twitter.com/PawTrax

(Note from PawTrax: “Just to clarify, you do not need a phone with GPS to view the location of the PawTrax. However if your phone does have GPS then you will also be able to see your location in relation to the PawTrax. The app will also display the distance between your location and the PawTrax. We will also set up the PawTrax for you prior to dispatch – just select set-up service at checkout”).