Tractive GPS Collar Review for Finding Your Dog and Cat
Almost half of Italian homes are home to a pet, use a GPS collar Tractive to find your dog is therefore a much less "extravagant" need than you think.
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I went through it personally with Spank, my one year old Tibetan Terrier who ran away and I was able to track him down only after almost a day and 15km from home. Needless to say, if I had had the Tractive GPS collar, a few minutes later I would have already found it with less risks and worries.
Amazon.it What is the Tractive GPS Collar?
tractive it is basically a device to be fixed to the collar of your dog (but there is also a specific version for i cats) and measure 71 x 28 x 17 mm for a weight of about 35 grams. It is made of plastic with a small curvature to accommodate the animal's neck.
La IPX7 certification guarantees us water resistance up to one meter for 30 minutes. We can therefore use it in any weather condition and even in a bath at the river (personally tested).
The version for dogs attaches to the collar (or harness) that we already own through two rubber clips that adapt very well to any size and in any position we prefer to fix it. The clips, as well as other accessories and spare parts, are available on the official website.
From a technical point of view, the collar GPS Tractive includes a Proprietary SIM which allows him tosend your GPS position remotely through the data connection (the same as smartphones to be clear) thanks to an agreement with many telephone operators of 175 countries worldwide. Obviously you have to subscribe to a subscription that starts from € 4 per month.
How does the GPS collar work?
It's that simple!
As long as our pet is at home (Energy saving area) which is identified through our WiFi, the tracker does not send any information about the position, but confirms its presence in the same.
Energy saving area Standard mode Live mode
When you leave home, the tracker will activate the STANDARD mode, recording and sending its position every 5 minutes (10 in the energy saving mode).
Assuming that the dog has escaped, once tracked and in its proximity, we can take advantage of the LIVE mode which will show the position in real time (every 2/3 seconds). In this mode it becomes very easy to track down our target which will be monitored constantly, obviously at the expense of autonomy (read further). We have some additional tools, rather limited, that will help us in the search: activate the small (very small) LED light or start a buzzer and even augmented reality.
Augmented Reality RADAR mode Virtual Fence
We also have one RADAR mode which uses bluetooth. A circle fills up as we get closer, so it works only when we are in the immediate vicinity and within a radius of 10/15 meters and has a limited utility.
The function of instead is very useful virtual fence which allows us to set one or more zones on the mother which, if exceeded, generate a warning by means of a notification on our smartphone.
The application is the real plus of the Tractive
All functions of the Tractive GPS Collar are controlled via the fantastic smartphone app, available for both Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC), is Android, or from web interface.
Timeline Profile Standings
Through the application we can consult the map which shows us the position in the various modes of use, including the accuracy of the GPS which is shown with a circle. We have a choice of the classic map, the satellite view, or the OpenStreetMap. In LIVE mode the map also shows the distance from the tracker, the altitude and the speed. At the moment we can choose whether to center the map on us, on the tracker or on both at the same time.
In the chronology we can consult up to 365 days in the past (depending on the subscription chosen) of itineraries carried out and even the heatmap of the busiest areas.
Activity Monitoring Activity Monitoring Sleep and rest monitoring
The section organisers' activities it is beautiful because it is a mix between a social network and a fitness band I extend its usefulness far beyond the simple search for the lost dog / cat. We can in fact consult the minutes of daily activity, the calories burned comparing them with data from dogs of similar age and size to see if he is getting enough movement. All these data are also reported in a ranking divided by country / race with a lot of medals and goals achieved. The both quality of sleep both day and night and also the moments when it is calm, giving us an additional parameter to evaluate the health of the animal.
There is also a large section for configure our tracker, which can be more than one and associated with different animals if you have more than one dog. We can customize the profile of our credit with photos, data and characteristics and then go in search of friends in the community.
Depending on the subscription chosen, it is possible to share the account with a family member but "probably" it is sufficient to provide them with a username and password
Autonomy of the GPS collar
Dedicated chapter deserves it the autonomy that in a product of this type, if not adequate, risks nullifying all the points of favor but fortunately the Tractive GPS Collar has several arrows in its bow.
The battery is integrated and is recharged using the supplied magnetic cable which is designed to preserve its impermeability but which unfortunately has a proprietary connector. The autonomy is estimated in about 7 days but it is a value enormously susceptible to the use you will make of it. It recharges in about 3 hours e we will receive a notification on the smartphone when the autonomy drops to 10% or when it is fully charged.
By taking advantage of the "Energy saving area“, Therefore assuming that your pet is near the house, the data network and the GPS will be deactivated allowing maximum energy savings. In this scenario, the consumption is only 1% per day.
Leaving the savings area, the data network and the GPS will be activated and the tracker will start sending its position 5 every minute. The consumption in this process can vary a lot because it is influenced by the GSM and GPS signal coverage. In my case it is about 3% every hour.
Through the web interface, to the site https://my.tractive.com/ you can activate the new "energy saving mode”Which uses longer intervals and guarantees lower consumption, but also less frequent updates. This mode can be useful for those who cannot use the energy saving zone.
In the "Live Tracking"Instead we have the maximum consumption. The sending of the position takes place every 2 seconds and consumption rises to about 5% in 30 minutes, although even in this mode it is strongly influenced by signal coverage. This mode is intended to be used when we are looking for our pet and we are already in the next vicinity, so for a few minutes.
So you understand how different the yield can be depending on how and where the GPS collar is used. In my case I have reached and exceeded the estimated 7 days from home only because my dog spends a lot of time in the Energy Saving Zone, increasing consumption only in his 4 daily trips But overall the various modes are very well studied and allow for optimized consumption.
Tractive GPS vs. Apple Airtag?
After countless and always the same discussions with Apple Fan I find it obligatory to dedicate a few lines on the differences and why personally Tractive is better.
Apple Airtag does not have a GPS and an integrated data network simply sends its “presence” to the iPhones (only from 11 onwards) it meets within 3 meters. These then register the position on iCloud making it available to the owner of the tag.
You understand that this system, although cheaper and lighter, has major limitations. Unless you live in Manattan and your dog has escaped onto Fifth Avenue, it becomes unlikely to be tracked. One thing is a stolen bicycle, another is a moving dog, perhaps in the countryside.
If there is no iPhone 11 or higher within 3 meters, the dog will not find it.
Conclusions
I am fully satisfied with the Tractive GPS collar which has amply met my expectations.
The tracker is well made and of acceptable size / weight for even a small dog like mine (10kg). The application is fantastic and works great, allowing it to take full advantage of the many functions, all well done.
I did not dwell on the subscription costs for which I refer you to the official website where you can consult the many combinations between duration and functions. Know that the basic subscription, if extended to two years, it costs only 96 € (€ 4 per month).
The tracker instead, in this new version that supports 4G, is on sale in many colors on the official website at € 49,99 but you can buy it for € 42,49 (15% off) using THIS LINK. Tractive is often on offer like today a 34,98€ a THIS LINK.
Un derisory price if we consider what we risk when our puppy runs away!
