Pet tracking devices: GPS vs Bluetooth tracker
Not sure whether a GPS or a Bluetooth tracker is the right choice? Learn all the differences between them and make the best decision!
In today’s fast-changing times, it’s easy to lose track of all the different technologies available. Perhaps you’re in a similar situation and wondering which tracking system is best for your own pet. A GPS tracker or a Bluetooth tracker?
This article clearly explains the differences between a GPS tracker and a Bluetooth tracker. It also sets out the pros and cons of both devices, so you can choose more easily.
What are the pros and cons of a GPS tracker?
Advantages of a GPS tracker:
- Worldwide coverage (in most cases)
- Exact location using GPS technology
- Unlimited range: even if your dog is thousands of kilometres away, you can still find its exact position
- Independent location, without needing someone else’s smartphone
Disadvantages of a GPS tracker:
- GPS interference can sometimes occur (for example indoors)
- It relies on the mobile network, so there is a small running cost
The following example shows how a GPS tracker can help you locate your dog precisely. Your dog has just run off and has a GPS device attached to its collar. There’s no limit to the GPS tracker’s range. That means your dog can be found not only a few kilometres away or across the border, but even at very large distances. You always know your dog’s exact location on your smartphone. So you don’t depend on help from others and can be cuddling your dog again quickly.
More advantages of a GPS tracker:
- Real-time location
- 100% waterproof
- Virtual fence: for example, you can set up a safe zone around your home. As soon as your dog leaves this virtual safe zone, you get a notification on your smartphone.
- 24-hour location history: see where your dog has been over the past 24 hours
- Live tracking: you know exactly where your dog is right now
- Long battery life of 2 to 5 days
What are the pros and cons of a Bluetooth tracker?
Advantages of a Bluetooth tracker:
- Very precise location, but only within 10 metres
- Low susceptibility to interference
- Lower cost (from €25 for a Bluetooth tracker compared to €49 for a GPS tracker)
Disadvantages of a Bluetooth tracker:
- Requires Bluetooth on your smartphone
- Very limited range (10 m outdoors; indoors it depends on the space)
- If your pet is beyond the 10-metre radius, the device has to rely on a stranger’s smartphone to be located (provided that phone has location services and Bluetooth switched on and the same app installed)
When your dog is within Bluetooth range, you can track it. If your dog goes beyond this range, you can no longer track it with a Bluetooth tracker.
You can only find your dog when it is within Bluetooth range. Beyond that range, you’re powerless.
This example illustrates locating your dog with a Bluetooth tracker:
Your dog has just run off and is outside the 10-metre Bluetooth range. The Bluetooth tracker has to connect to another person’s smartphone that has the same app installed and location services and Bluetooth switched on. The tracker determines its position based on that smartphone’s position. Only then can the tracker send you its location.
The key difference: with a GPS tracker you can always find your dog, which isn’t the case with a Bluetooth tracker.
You’ll need some luck: a stranger in the area must have the same Bluetooth tracker app installed as you, and have location services and Bluetooth switched on. Only if and when these three conditions are met can your Bluetooth tracker send data to your smartphone. If any one of them isn’t met, you won’t be able to find your Bluetooth tracker or your dog. For this reason, Bluetooth trackers aren’t the ideal devices for tracking your pet.
The most popular Bluetooth tracker providers are:
Which tracker is right for me?
You can use either type of tracker. With a GPS tracker you don’t depend on anyone else and can track your dog without exception. With a Bluetooth tracker you are highly dependent on others and limited by the short range. If your dog is within 10 metres of your smartphone, you can track it. But when your dog runs off to explore the world on its own, it may well travel much further than the tracker’s 10-metre range.
A Bluetooth tracker works very well for finding objects within easy reach, such as your keys or your bag at home. But when it comes to finding your pet’s exact position, Bluetooth trackers are only partly effective because of their limited range. A GPS tracker is the best option for tracking your pet’s location!
More information about GPS trackers
Source: Tractive Blog